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So if Blofeld returns for Bond #25? How should we bring him back effectively?
A plain and simple question. And perhaps not a nice one, since a lot of Bond fans actually prefer Blofeld to stay in Belmarsh prison for Bond #25; so that he won't appear in the film. But what if the Bond writers Neal Purvis & Robert Wade decide to bring Blofeld back? How should they bring him back in a realistical way? Should we explain how he returns? Should it be a FRWL-esque cameo?
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Completely agree. Would it be an idea to....show him in exactly the same way as they did in FRWL? Turning the main villain more into a Largo-esque villain? Like 'C', but then better, and more expanded.
I think if they wanted to do that they shouldn't have blown their load in SP. I think the idea with the retcon is that we've got three films worth of Largo esque villains but didn't realise it (I actually wouldn't mind some sort of special edition release of CR-SF with a couple of FRWL/TB esque Blofeld scenes slotted in in future boxsets, as well as the original versions).
I'm with @Minion. He's been revealed now, he's met Bond and they've set it up so Bond is setting off on his happy new life and Blofeld will want revenge. Insane samurai is the only way to go. I guess you could have a few FRWL esque scenes of him in the shadows in the garden of death throughout the film, before their face off at the end. But he has to be the main villain.
I disagree. It's a nice idea perhaps, but a bit overblown. I think one should ask him-/herself the question: How can we make Blofeld....secret again? And I honestly think that's possible. You just have to be...creative and at the same time willing to make it look credible. I think that's possible.
Also, what do you mean with 'insane samurai'? Do you think that could result in a good Bond film, given the fact that (in this topic) Blofeld returns? Have you given that idea a good thought? I am curious :-).
The whole conceit of SP is that Blofeld has been the man in the shadows for the entire era. They've essentially skipped the period you're advocating. The reason FRWL/TB Blofeld works is because he's still a ghost; we don't know him. Now we do. There's a way to seed him as an alter-ego, in the vein of Shatterhand, but we're too far down the line to play smoke and mirrors. If Blofeld is back, the audience will know it.
Seconded! And as the movie develops? Bond completely has no recollection of Blofeld due to the torture sequence back at Blofeld's desert hideaway?
When I say insane samurai I mean insane samurai Blofeld. The YOLT Blofeld in a fairly faithful YOLT adaptation. Wandering round the garden of death in full armour screaming in German at the guards to clean up the dead bodies, while Bond watches hidden inside a weapons shed (was that it?) clad in full ninja attire. I wrote about it in more detail in the realistic/serious story ideas thread.
Yeah I agree with this. I don't see the point in revealing Blofeld, only to sideline him for a Klebb/Largo esque villain, only to presumably bring him back again later for Bond to finish him off? Him and Bond have met now so lets have the final showdown now.
Agreed. People are operating in a nostalgia vacuum. The best thing they can do is go off piste in the vein of YOLT, really go different and finish it. Then move on. No leaving ESB for another instalment or actor. Wrap it up in balls out fashion and then we can refresh.
EDIT: not to say there can't be new villains, but if he's back he's back. Front and centre.
Hear, hear.
I'd like to see one nasty sonofabitch with Ernst, this time around.
We know he was arrested, so what has prison life been like for Ernst?
And how are the writers/producers going to play with time? SP, afterall, seems to be only a few months after the events of SF. Which dates the last film in the year 2012-13...
By the time B25 opens up, six years would have gone by.
Has Blofeld been in solitary this entire time? What has it done to this megalomaniac once he's released? I hope he literally chews off the faces of his subordinates... Just one nasty beast, that will now reek absolute havoc, not only on those who put him away, but, of course, destroy James Bond within that big plan.
And perhaps that big plan is a lure, to snare his rival (a la FRWL); perhaps this is what brings Bond out of retirement (if he is, indeed in retirement?)? And both he and M know this is obviously a set-up-- but they're dealing with Blofeld, and there really is no choice in the matter: trap or not, Bond has to walk into the lion's den.
And yes, no Madeleine is necessary, nor even needs to be mentioned (after all, in the film world, it was six years ago, not four!).
The nehru jacket and Blofeld's cat to me is what the Walther PPK and dinner jacket and wodka-martini is for James Bond. I mean, come on, we call it 'explicit reference', because Blofeld hasn't been around for such a long time. And regardless of the re-introduction of Blofeld in SP, they did re-imagine him in a slightly different way: Instead of buttons on a wheelchair, an expensive I-Pad. Instead of a full nehry suit, a slightly different look with an open jacket that appears to have some nehru finishing touches.
To me, a good Bond film doesn't stand or fall with such references. Or, what I call, definite recognizable aestethics to the man Blofeld. What in the end counts is a damn good story, and if that turns out to be fine, then bring on Blofeld's cat again. Nostalgia? Perhaps. But let's not forget that the longer the franchise endures, the more we get to hear that every new Bond flick has ff-ing damn references to the past.
And lastly, to many examples I've read so far -to have Blofeld back for the next film- aren't really well-thought after all. Blofeld as a samurai could werk, but do we really want another cat and mouse game? A cat and mouse game that this time around results in Bond's death and not 'M's death? Really? Turn Bond #25 into a "Logan" rip-off? I prefer Bond to do a plain solid mission this time, and that Blofeld is merely reduced to a cameo. An effective cameo. Still SPECTRE-driven, but with a Largo-esque villain.
The Walther is good firearm, men still wear dinner jackets when they dress up, and the vodka-martini is still a popular drink. But the Nehru jacket is totally out of style and the supervillain-with-a-white-cat trope is a much parodied joke that no one can take seriously. Neither is integral to Blofeld's character (whereas all of the aforementioned Bond traits originated with Fleming). Blofeld's campy old accoutrements were rendered useless by the Austin Powers films.
That's all a matter of opinion really. I mean, since Daniel Craig wore a white dinner jackte again in SP, you sometimes see movie stars appear in such dinner jackets again. So something can be trendsetting too:
And make no mistake, white tuxedo's were pretty much outdated for decades.
And regarding the nehru clothing style..the nehru shirt is making a huge come-back. Here in Barcelona I see them a lot:
In India, during award shows there, the nehru suit is a must:
When Craig became Bond, the filmmakers successfully revamped the character by stripping him to his core and then placing him in the modern world. Yet when they resurrected Blofeld they gave him a lousy, unnecessary backstory and dressed him with moldy 60s trappings. To be fair, making Blofeld involved with invasive surveillance technology was a good idea that gave him scheme relevant to our post-Snowden age. If only the character himself had been modernized too.
Not necessarily his death, but amnesia and his allies back in London thinking he's dead. It isn't a Logan ripoff, it's literally the plot of You Only Live Twice. I don't want to be all "god have you even read the books?" but you've pulled that exact same card with me before and acted quite smug and superior about it so GG: have you read the books? Because if you've read YOLT I'm not sure you'd be calling a film that's basically an adaptation of that story a Logan ripoff.
I've said this before but if they wanted a plain solid mission they should have recast imo. No point at all bringing Craig back, for what's probably his last film, only to give him a straightforward Bond on a mission film (with Blofeld being in it but in the background, after they've already met?) tacked onto the end of four continuity heavy, character driven films. If he's back they have to finish what they started, otherwise they may as well have gone for a fresh start. Even if it's not a direct YOLT adaptation, Blofeld has to be the main villain (and as a fanboy I'm hoping they at least do the finale but I guess that's not vital to the films success).
And I agree on the cat. I think that's an important piece of iconography I'm glad they kept (the scars and the jacket I don't care about either way, neither were always there; didn't he just wear a regular suit in FRWL?). But I am hoping for a bit more Fleming next time instead of generic supervillain and they have the perfect way to do that: he loses his mind after being defeated in SP, and we get the Blofeld from YOLT.
He should be 007’s version of The Joker or Moriarty. Despite the lofty status he has obtained as Bond’s archenemy, he has yet to truly gain this mantle cinematically.
Blofeld is best used when placed in the shadows. The less we see of him – the better. He’s a character who works best when shrouded in mystery. For me, the best interpretation of the character has been in films like FRWL and TB (and even the opening acts of SP).
Aside from that the character is just a collection of gimmicks. However, if they need to flesh the character out the model they should use is OHMSS. The best screen Blofeld is Telly Salvalas; it’s a truly brilliant performance and nails the character. The fact that Pleasance’s cartoony cameo is more highly regarded in pop-culture is blasphemous.
If they bring back Blofeld (again) – they need to aim for something akin to what Telly did. I want a thuggish but flamboyant performance. Blofeld is a sophisticated creature, but he’s equally as sinister. He’s a character who you shouldn’t be afraid to let monologue. He’s an exhibitionist and the film should indulge him. Earlier drafts of the leaked Spectre script really embraced this – but the final film couldn’t go the whole way. Waltz is the srota actor who could easily rise to this occasion.
Personally, I think Waltz showed a lot of promise in SP. I think it would be great if they bought him back and really gave him some meaty material. I want to see him get the same material that Javier Bardem got in SF (that’s the closest we’ve had to a truly iconic villain in recent years). I sorta want to see the Tarantino-esque version of Blofeld.
Let Waltz really take ownership. I really feel the character of Blofeld came into this own by the final few scenes in SP. I want to see more of this depiction:
I want them to let Christoph do his thing to the hilt. You may as well. He's got a pretty great box-of-tricks when it comes to playing villains. Ideally, I wouldn't have cast him in the first place as he it is so plainly obvious and boring what he would do with it.
But alas, here we are.
I liked the slightly subdued quality he had in SP. But perhaps its time to really let Waltz go HAM (in both senses of the term).
I want an overly verbose, psychoictic, charming, polite, and crazy Blofeld. He has the scar and thecat - so why the hell not bring back the slaphead?
I don't think that Waltz will come back for Craig's last. But perhaps for a new Bond???
He runs things from inside prison. (like Bridger from the Italian Job?)
We see him escape
Time has moved on and he has already escaped
Its a horrible situation they have got re prison. He is either in or out: a binary decison for the writers with so little room for creativity.
If Blofeld escapes and goes on to cause havoc, it refers back to that decision.
As I said before,put him on ice for the next Bond actor,and give Dan the stand-alone,mission driven finale he deserves.
They've killed him once and brought him back.
When did he actually die officially ....the Bathosub ? That was never conclusive.
And the FYEO was a spoof shot to stick one to McClory.
The thing I found most compelling about Blofeld from the books was his desire for anonymity, his willingness to change his appearance, and the fact that he could be an overlord to a bunch of evil leaders. We know Waltz isn't a physical threat, so that's out. Since they gave him the Pleasence scarred eye that kind of ruins any attempt at changing his appearance, though I guess they could still do this. That leaves the overlord.
If I were doing a board room scene, I would hire all sorts of interesting sinister actors who each one you saw got you curious and excited to think about them and what they might be up to. Within that scene show the power struggles, political aspirations,as Blofeld holds court. That could be compelling and could then focus on one of them, like a Largo to be the main villain of the movie leaving Blofeld in the background for however many movies they'd want.
Maybe it will get better. We can only hope.