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Dolly did wear braces. Photo and video evidence reveals truth!
bondywondy
Uk
I'm sure all Bond fans know about the so-called Mandela Effect with regard to Dolly not wearing braces in Moonraker. The notion people imagined/retained a false memory she wore braces when in reality she didn't. It's been debated for several years.
I remember seeing Moonraker as a child, I think it was the first Bond film I saw at the cinema, and I remember Dolly's braces. She wore braces. The years passed by and lo and behold it was claimed Dolly never wore braces. No DVD, Bluray or video release had Dolly with braces! Older fans were wrong. A figment of a fertile imagination. The Mandela Effect in, pardon the pun, effect. A collective misunderstanding.
Could thousands of Bond fans have been so wrong? Were we reinventing the narrative to explain why Jaws fell in love with Dolly? Maybe there wasn't a toothy connection between the two of them! After all, the actress playing Dolly, Blanche Ravalec, claimed she never wore braces. But still the mystery remained without credible explanation.
But I'm happy to say the mystery can be explained!
Dolly wore braces in the original theatrical version of a Moonraker. We have video and photographic evidence which proves beyond reasonable doubt - the universal threshold for accuracy - Dolly did wear braces and that such braces were removed in future video format releases.
Here is a VHS video recording of Moonraker's 'Jaws meets Dolly' scene uploaded onto YouTube. Dolly's teeth clearly have braces attached.
Close up photo of Dolly's face which shows fitted braces:
Highlighted in white area which shows the shape of the braces on teeth:
The shaping is 100 percent consistent with braces:
The evidence is also clearly shown when comparing the VHS video image with the Bluray image of Dolly's open mouth and teeth.
Original version:
Bluray version (taken from YouTube clip):
Nothing covering her teeth. Her upper front teeth are clearly visible with nothing on them. No arch wire, no bracelets (the square objects). This is completely different to the VHS version:
Arch wire and teeth bracelets (squares on teeth) visible.
It's worth noting the VHS version is standard resolution around 360p so much lower quality resolution than Bluray or DVD but you can clearly see the braces on her teeth.
There was no Mandela Effect. No collective false memory. Dolly wore braces in the original theatrical release of Moonraker and possibly the first Warner Bros home video release in 1982 or first tv transmission after 1982.
However, at some point in the 1990s or afterwards the braces were removed. Why? The credible explanation is MGM didn't want Jaws to be attracted to a woman with braces because braces are associated with girls under the age of sexual consent. Given the rise of woke issues in modern times it's possible the powers at be thought "this looks a bit weird, a powerful henchman getting it on with a woman that looks innocent so let's remove the braces!"
And so they were removed thereby creating a false Mandela Effect! Sort of a reverse Mandela Effect. People fooled into thinking Dolly never wore braces because all evidence of her wearing braces was removed from later releases of Moonraker. A real Mandela Effect is when people are mistaken. They reinvent the past to fit their memories of the past. This was not the case with Moonraker. Dolly did wear braces. I don't know why the actress claimed to the contrary. The video evidence proves she was wrong. Fans were correct all along.
Thanks to YouTuber RustyG57 for uploading the video evidence. His video is the only one I could find that showed the original unaltered footage of Dolly with her braces. I couldn't find any other social media Bond fans referencing the video. If any MI6 Bond fans have never seen that video worth making a copy perhaps. There are YouTube downloaders online. It's a special part of Bond history. The mysterious braces that disappeared. 😉
It's been claimed by some that this video is an edit. I am assuming it's genuine as I retain my belief Dolly had braces. If anyone can prove this video is fake please do. 😉 It looks credible.
I remember seeing Moonraker as a child, I think it was the first Bond film I saw at the cinema, and I remember Dolly's braces. She wore braces. The years passed by and lo and behold it was claimed Dolly never wore braces. No DVD, Bluray or video release had Dolly with braces! Older fans were wrong. A figment of a fertile imagination. The Mandela Effect in, pardon the pun, effect. A collective misunderstanding.
Could thousands of Bond fans have been so wrong? Were we reinventing the narrative to explain why Jaws fell in love with Dolly? Maybe there wasn't a toothy connection between the two of them! After all, the actress playing Dolly, Blanche Ravalec, claimed she never wore braces. But still the mystery remained without credible explanation.
But I'm happy to say the mystery can be explained!
Dolly wore braces in the original theatrical version of a Moonraker. We have video and photographic evidence which proves beyond reasonable doubt - the universal threshold for accuracy - Dolly did wear braces and that such braces were removed in future video format releases.
Here is a VHS video recording of Moonraker's 'Jaws meets Dolly' scene uploaded onto YouTube. Dolly's teeth clearly have braces attached.
Close up photo of Dolly's face which shows fitted braces:
Highlighted in white area which shows the shape of the braces on teeth:
The shaping is 100 percent consistent with braces:
The evidence is also clearly shown when comparing the VHS video image with the Bluray image of Dolly's open mouth and teeth.
Original version:
Bluray version (taken from YouTube clip):
Nothing covering her teeth. Her upper front teeth are clearly visible with nothing on them. No arch wire, no bracelets (the square objects). This is completely different to the VHS version:
Arch wire and teeth bracelets (squares on teeth) visible.
It's worth noting the VHS version is standard resolution around 360p so much lower quality resolution than Bluray or DVD but you can clearly see the braces on her teeth.
There was no Mandela Effect. No collective false memory. Dolly wore braces in the original theatrical release of Moonraker and possibly the first Warner Bros home video release in 1982 or first tv transmission after 1982.
However, at some point in the 1990s or afterwards the braces were removed. Why? The credible explanation is MGM didn't want Jaws to be attracted to a woman with braces because braces are associated with girls under the age of sexual consent. Given the rise of woke issues in modern times it's possible the powers at be thought "this looks a bit weird, a powerful henchman getting it on with a woman that looks innocent so let's remove the braces!"
And so they were removed thereby creating a false Mandela Effect! Sort of a reverse Mandela Effect. People fooled into thinking Dolly never wore braces because all evidence of her wearing braces was removed from later releases of Moonraker. A real Mandela Effect is when people are mistaken. They reinvent the past to fit their memories of the past. This was not the case with Moonraker. Dolly did wear braces. I don't know why the actress claimed to the contrary. The video evidence proves she was wrong. Fans were correct all along.
Thanks to YouTuber RustyG57 for uploading the video evidence. His video is the only one I could find that showed the original unaltered footage of Dolly with her braces. I couldn't find any other social media Bond fans referencing the video. If any MI6 Bond fans have never seen that video worth making a copy perhaps. There are YouTube downloaders online. It's a special part of Bond history. The mysterious braces that disappeared. 😉
✌️ [I have not tampered with or changed the description or clip in any way. I searched for this clip and shared the way I know it was and clearly remember so hey, don't shoot the messenger] How do 👉 you remember it?
It's been claimed by some that this video is an edit. I am assuming it's genuine as I retain my belief Dolly had braces. If anyone can prove this video is fake please do. 😉 It looks credible.
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Comments
Tbh, the amount of money wait wouod have cost to do just one shot with the braces airbrushed in the time period we are talking about the switch happening, would likely not have been a viable cost. Not to mention there would no doubt be other shots where the braces were at least somewhat visible.
Fake for clicks and giggles. Dolly’s imperfection was that she wore glasses.
Why would a person reviewing Moonraker in 1979, and I'm assuming he saw the film a day or so before writing the review so clearly all fresh in his memory, write...
https://img.newspapers.com/img/img?user=605105&id=82412598&clippingId=23613459&width=820&height=1304&crop=2415_2547_1561_2483&rotation=0
That's not the Mandela Effect. That was posted in real time: 1979. The film critic said Dolly had as much hardware in her mouth as he (Kiel) does. He wouldn't write that if she wasn't wearing braces.
You cannot get better evidence than that! Fans were not mistaken. And of course the scene makes less sense if Dolly has no braces. That's the character motivation of the scene.
"Oh look, some big guy has funny metal teeth."
"Oh look, some sweet girl with braces."
Love at first teeth!
;))
But front forward x years and MGM/Eon say "oh we can't have some evil henchman with a Dracula complex falling in love with some virginal young lady with geeky braces. That's totally unacceptable! It's toxic masculinity! Remove the braces!" And so it came to pass a lowly cgi artist removed the braces. Woke power.
The other likely scenario is the original theatrical release featured the braces (as proven in the film review) but the 1982 Warner Home video release used an alternative take without the actress wearing braces. And maybe the scene was also enhanced decades later for the Bluray version.
The original version of Moonraker tarnished forever. Bond fans gaslighted and falsely regarded as victims of the Mandela Effect!
It’s a bit like so many people remembering the Monopoly man having a monocle. Like, it just kinda makes sense when you think about it.
I’m sure there’s others for Bond too. That’s probably the more interesting discussion.
That makes sense and explains why some people remember the braces and some don't. I very much doubt a film reviewer in 1979 would imagine braces if they weren't on screen. He referenced Dolly's hardware (!) so I think that is reasonable proof the theatrical version had braces. The actress claimed she didn't wear braces but she may have filmed one or two takes with braces but the rest of her filming was without braces and she was mistaken. That's possible.
No braces on there!
Filming two versions - one with and one without braces - would be easier and less time consuming than painting over each frame of film, perhaps.
Maybe a print of the original theatrical version was sent to a few tv networks by mistake, it wasn't the edited version, so when broadcast people saw the braces. That would explain why some people say "she had braces" and other people say "I never saw braces."
The above scenario is possible because Thunderball had two different versions released on video. Different dialogue in the Largo villa night swimming pool scene when Bond is trapped under the pool roof and manages to escape and in the Disco Volante scene when it detaches. Also, a 1980s UK ITV broadcast of Thunderball had different end music.
I think the smoking gun evidence is the film reviewer's description of Dolly with hardware in her mouth. He would have no reason to make that up. The scene would have been fresh in his mind so I think he's more credible than Blanche Ravalec, the actress that played Dolly. With respect, she must have been confused.
If a HD version of the original theatrical version of the scene were leaked online - the truth would be known!
Braces or no braces I like Moonraker. 😉
I think the reviewer is just imagining braces for the same reason everyone else is.
And fundamentally, for the time period, it would make more sense if she had a metal tooth herself. Those *were* common.
The thread title is like a headline from the Daily Star. I think I can explain it though. Maybe Dolly just had some lettuce stuck in her teeth?
Evidence item #1:
BBC Richard Kiel Obituary
Item #2
Item #3
That's an interesting website entry because it's back in the pre social media internet era. People were not on Twitter or Facebook or YouTube. People were posting on Imdb forums and other smaller size forums. The point being this is not some new conspiracy theory. It's been around for decades. Is it conceivable thousands of people imagined they saw Dolly with braces? In all likelihood no. Teeth are noticeable due to their white colour. People always notice teeth be they straight, crooked, clean, blemished etc. If someone is wearing braces you'll see black lines on their teeth. It's so incredibly unlikely people would imagine seeing braces if they're not visible on screen. As that 1979 film reviewer mentioned
Was he imagining that? Would you type "Dolly had hardware in her mouth" if that wasn't accurate? He watched it in high definition on a cinema screen, not a lower resolution tv broadcast or home video rental. The image would be very clear.
I, like thousands of others people (well maybe a few hundred lol) all say the same thing as that reviewer. We saw Dolly with braces. Moonraker was altered. I don't buy into this alternative timeline/changed reality explanation because that's too wacky and sci-fi but a credible explanation is the filmmakers made two versions of the scene - one with braces and one without. I would posit beyond reasonable doubt the braces version was in the worldwide theatrical version hence why so many people claimed when they were young they saw Dolly with braces. I would posit the filmmakers decided the braces look wasn't worth sticking with for the interior space station scenes which is why Dolly is without braces at the end of the film. Maybe it was a continuity error?
After the the theatrical release - United Artists were preparing the home rental video release and they decided to remove the braces scene.
Two reasons seem possible:
1) The scenes of Dolly in the space station were braceless so it made continuity sense to replace her introduction scene with an alternative take without the braces.
2) UA decided Dolly looked too childlike wearing braces so it was decided to replace it with the alternative take without the braces. That way Jaws isn't sexually or romantically attracted to a schoolgirl. The Bond franchise is for the family - "sadism for the family" - so it makes sense not to suggest Jaws (a character that was brought back due to his popularity!) was attracted to school girls/teenage girls.
All the home video releases featured the alternative take. Maybe, who knows, the original theatrical release was broadcast on TV channels. Maybe the original version was duplicated and sent out by mistake hence why some people claim they saw the braces version on tv. Maybe they were confusing it with the theatrical release they had seen in 1979 or maybe there was a tv screening in the early 80s.
This all ties in to explain the so called Mandela Effect. People of a certain age (pre teenagers, teenagers and young adults in the 70s) saw the theatrical version and maybe the theatrical version shown on tv and clearly remembered the braces but all subsequent video versions of Moonraker had no braces so it produced a false Mandela Effect. They had a clear memory of Dolly without braces but they had no tangible evidence to prove it. All the evidence was to the contrary. The 80s and 90s video versions, the early 2000s dvds and Blurays all featured Dolly with no braces. This would produce a paradoxical state of mind! Did I actually see Dolly with braces or did I just imagine I saw it?
The 1979 review is the glitch in the Mandela Effect. We have countless comments by Bond fans and people that weren't Bond fans but saw Moonraker all saying "I saw Dolly with braces." The obvious rebuttal is "you just assumed she had braces. It was your imagination fooling you. The Mandela Effect."
But we have a man writing a film review in 1979, probably within days of seeing Moonraker at the cinema, stating as fact Dolly had the same sort of teeth as Jaws. It's not ambiguous, not open to interpretation. He states unequivocally "she has about as much hardware in her mouth as he does. "
Unless he was imagining it - and why would he? - he had no reason to lie to his readers - that proves the link between his 1979 observation and all the people posting online since the early 2000s also saying the exact same thing. Dolly has braces.
That review is the most compelling evidence. There is no rational explanation why he should lie.
Also, it makes less story sense for Dolly not to have braces. Not only does it undermine Dolly's first encounter with Jaws but if Dolly doesn't have braces it makes Jaws' motivation at the end of the film less logical. When Drax confirms people with imperfection will not be allowed to live on his new Earth it seems clear he's referring to Jaws and Dolly. Dolly has imperfect teeth so she is not one of the chosen few to create the master race on Earth. This is why Jaws betrays Drax's order to expel Bond and Holly. If you remove Dolly's imperfect teeth and show her without braces it changes the scene where Drax orders Jaws to expel Bond and Holly into the dark vacuum of space.
In conclusion, I am 100 percent convinced the theatrical version of Moonraker featured Dolly with braces. My guess is UA or Eon decided to alter the scene to make Dolly less schoolgirl in appearance. Less innocent looking. The change is similar to Thunderball which had two alternate releases with different dialogue. There's also a version with different end credits music. If the studio can alter Thunderball's home release then the same can apply to Moonraker.
Dolly is wearing glasses. That is her imperfection. Though she doesn’t need one, so long as she cares enough about Jaws. (But then, she is his plus-one in the race space race anyway)
I’ve seen reviews of books and films get details wrong in the immediate aftermath before (SPECTRE — Blofeld is not *actually* Bonds brother. Nor a step brother. Foster brother maybe at a push. For just one example. Some people still can’t work out if Mathilde is or isn’t Bonds daughter in NTTD either) and the concept of Dolly with braces does seem obvious, even if it’s untrue — that is true five minutes or forty plus years later. Splicing in an alternate take? Doing an altered take at all? CGI? Pretty far fetched for anything (a) not directed by George Lucas or (b) anything made until fairly recently.
They’d just cut the shot altogether.
Here is the introduction to the broadcast:
I saw Moonraker on theatrical release and then on video. My distinct memory - it's as clear today in 2025 as it was back in 79 and 82 - Dolly wore braces. When the Bond films got the special edition video treatment (Moonraker shown in wide screen) all our home recorded versions were thrown away. If the first UK ITV screening of Moonraker was a duplicate of the theatrical release with the braces then I had a copy. I wish I kept it.
I can still see Dolly's face with the braces. The image is forever in my memory. It was a very goofy scene. Impossible to forget or misinterpret.
This…just in!
Dolly did not wear braces
MI6 Confidential Issue #75 has been released. Maybe it's possible to do the definitive article on 'Dolly's braces' for Issue #76. If John Glen agreed to talk to MI6 Confidential I reckon he would provide the most credible explanation.
John Glen edited Moonraker. Subject to his memory being accurate, he would know with absolute certainty if the theatrical release of Moonraker featured Dolly with braces. It would be worth MI6 Confidential mentioning to John the 1979 film review by Emery Litchenwalter. His review states Dolly had braces (or hardware!) in her mouth. This is arguably the best evidence she wore braces in the theatrical release but they were removed for home video.
It would be nice to get a definitive explanation. The man responsible for editing Moonraker would be the most credible source.
PS: I wonder why that should be called the Mandela effect. I never thought for a moment that Mandela died in prison, as it was a big thing that he became President of South Africa in 1994 and was quite visible until 2013. Anyone with a bit of international political interest must have known better.
I think it's quite common to assume well known older people have died. You watch an old film and you think the actor is still alive and you discover online the actor has died or vice versa. You assume an actor has died because they haven't made a film or tv show in years or maybe you never knew about the film/tv but they're still alive. My guess is the Mandela Effect is the same mind trick.
It's fascinating you mention you never saw the theatrical release but you thought Dolly had braces. You put that down to the Mandela Effect. You may or may not have seen her braces! Your perception of reality is questioned.
The more you delve into this topic the more confusing it becomes. ;))
The original theatrical version had Dolly with braces.
The theatrical version was duplicated for the international tv market. For tv broadcast.
However my guess is Moonraker was reclassified for home video by the US video classification board.
CARA deemed the scene inappropriate for the PG rating. The braces implied Dolly was under the age of consent - 16 - so the scene had to be altered. Braces removed. The altered version was then duplicated for worldwide video distribution by Warner Bros and the altered scene was never replaced with the original Dolly has braces scene. That explains the inconsistency. 😉
Didn't someone ask Blanche Ravalec this question and the answer was no she didn't wear braces?
I'm sure it's been verified before.
Jaws
;))
I contacted Barry Chung, professor at Harvard University's Department of Physics and Quantum Science and Engineering, and the world's leading authority on the Mandela Effect and time stream dimensional displacement, and asked for his expert opinion on the 'Dolly has no braces' phenomenon. To my surprise, he replied. Here is the full transcript of his reply: