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Is Charles Gray's Blofeld in DAF based on a parody of Ian Fleming?

DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
edited November 2013 in Bond Movies Posts: 18,281
I've just been thinking about this lately. Hear me out on it.

To look at Charles Gray's portrayal of James Bond's arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) it's so very left-field that it really makes one wonder where the inspiration for the character came from. It obviously doesn't come from the James Bond novels, although the Blofeld of On Her Majesty's Secret Service looked superficially similar. This Blofeld dresses in drag, makes humorous comments, makes eloquent speeches; is in sum the perfect English gentleman (the only one?) - hardly the man who two years' earlier blasted Bond's wife, Tracy Bond to eternity. I have a theory that just as DAF is a parody, so Charles Gray's Blofeld is equally a parody of Ian Fleming himself, the creator of James Bond. The James Bond films were all lighter in tone than their 1960s predecessors or their 1980s successors, for that matter. Gray plays Blofeld as a silver fox - he is the classic English gentleman replete with tunic and cigarette holder (a la Fleming). His background would appear to be English upper class or Eton educated, just like Fleming. His Blofeld is the best mannered (an early version of Christopher Lee's Scaramanga in some ways) and most civilised of al;l the portrayals. It's also the least effective, but I have the sneaking suspicion that the Blofeld of DAF was based on Fleming by screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz as a little in-joke to refer to the light approach taken to the Fleming novels and stories from herre in in until about 1980 or so with a return to the gritty realism of For Your Eyes Only (1981), Roger Moore's finest and most Flemingesque portrayal of James Bond on film. Perhaps the key to understanding all of this is the fact that both Ian Fleming and his villainous creation Ernst Stavro Blofeld shared the same birthday: 28 May 1908. Both Fleming and Blofeld in DAF were accused of being poseurs, chocolate sailors and rather fey and theatrical So what do we think of my recent theory on the Blofeld of DAF?

[PHOTOS removed due to copyright infringement - a simple Google Images result will bring up the relevant pictures].

As always, I'd really love to hear your views on this one! :)

OT, but Charles Gray even has a Flemingesque look as the narrator character of The Criminologist in the cult musical The Rocky Horror Show (1978)

gal_rocky_horror_charles_gray_jpg.jpg
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Comments

  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    @Dragonpol you're back! I personally don't like Gray's Blofeld, and DAF is far down in my ranking but your theory about it is interesting! Could it be that Gray got inspired by Fleming's image to construct his Blofeld?
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited March 2013 Posts: 13,355
    There's enough evidence to suggest you're right on the money @Dragonpol. You've only just put this all together? Very through.

    It might be worth looking at other villains now.
  • myworldisenoughmyworldisenough
    edited March 2013 Posts: 1,143
    A little flimsy with the old circumstantial evidence, they were both English well spoken gents with a preference to smoking with a cigarette holder. I don't think this is concrete evidence that this interpretation of Blofeld was a parody of Fleming.

    I've never appreciated Gray's interpretation of Blofeld. Ridiculously camp and unconvincing. But then again, DAF was equally camp so I guess in that respect he played it to perfection.
  • bondbat007bondbat007
    Posts: 1,407
    Wow very well thought out. I love DAF but hate Gray's Blofeld. Very interesting indeed
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited March 2013 Posts: 18,281
    I think Charles Gray's Blofeld was the only true English villain Bond ever went up against. Alec Trevelyan was of Leinz-Cossack stock, so he doesn't really count.

    Plus, I do think there's more to my theory than circumstance, myworldisenough. I've been doing some research in this area.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited March 2013 Posts: 12,837
    Very well thought out, they are both old English gentlemanly types, although I'm not sure Fleming would have been seen dead in drag ;)
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    Could My Life as a Mankiewicz shed light on this?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Samuel001 wrote:
    Could My Life as a Mankiewicz shed light on this?

    I've only just been made aware of this book's existence. I'll have to purchase a copy as I'm researching the Guy Hamilton films in-depth at the moment for film reviews and Mankiewicz is obviously a key figure as screenwriter in this regard.
  • pachazopachazo Make Your Choice
    Posts: 7,314
    Interesting theory. I almost hope that it is true if only to give a reason why they turned Blofeld into Mr. Camp.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited March 2013 Posts: 11,189
    Those pictures do provide quite a good case I must admit.

    Regarding Grey I always felt he was more appropriately cast as Henderson than as Blofeld eventhough he plays two characters in (pretty much) the same way.

    While we shouldn't forget that Blofeld of the books was a somewhat "camp" character with his suit of armour he was also portrayed to be undeniably mad - something I'm not sure Grey's Blofeld was.
  • Batman23Batman23
    Posts: 72
    Well I don't know if he was trying to reference Fleming but he sure as hell made himself look stupid in DAF.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,125
    Interesting theory. In the novels, Blofeld was born the same year as Fleming, by the way, but I think there is the author in him only insofar as Blofeld is meant as Bond's Moriarty.

    Blofeld being an English gentleman has more to do with a gross misreading of the character by Makiewicz I think: he's the biggest Bond villain, Bond is British, let's make Blofeld a British villain. Makes no sense whatsoever. I am surprised it left some sort of mark on some fans: some theorise that Mallory was in fact Blofeld, or that Blofeld could pass as M, etc.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    i dont mind his performance as Blofeld.. IMO, i like it better than Pleasence - who really had no menace to him whatsoever.... while Gray's Blofeld really had no menace either, he had a dastardly sophistication to him that i always liked... he seemed so relaxed, and never ever threatened by Bond's presence - in fact, he always seemed quite amused by toying with 007..

    however none touch Savalas' Blofeld IMO - "I do put it like that."
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    HASEROT wrote:
    i dont mind his performance as Blofeld.. IMO, i like it better than Pleasence - who really had no menace to him whatsoever.... while Gray's Blofeld really had no menace either, he had a dastardly sophistication to him that i always liked... he seemed so relaxed, and never ever threatened by Bond's presence - in fact, he always seemed quite amused by toying with 007..

    however none touch Savalas' Blofeld IMO - "I do put it like that."

    But at least Pleasence has a somewhat creepy voice

  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    Posts: 4,399
    @BAIN123... in any other film yes.. and i can't help but to also say that he is the voice of the original Halloween..... but in YOLT, his voice is just too nasally, and annoying - i never found myself creeped out by it - on the contrary, i wanted to jump inside the film and dump his books his voice was so annoying lol.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,125
    HASEROT wrote:
    i dont mind his performance as Blofeld.. IMO, i like it better than Pleasence - who really had no menace to him whatsoever.... while Gray's Blofeld really had no menace either, he had a dastardly sophistication to him that i always liked... he seemed so relaxed, and never ever threatened by Bond's presence - in fact, he always seemed quite amused by toying with 007..

    however none touch Savalas' Blofeld IMO - "I do put it like that."

    I think the best Blofeld was/were Anthony Dawson and Erich Pohlmann. Together, so to speak.

    But anyway, my main problem with DAF's Blofeld is that he is such a far cry from the early and also the original Blofeld. With all the flaws of Pleasence's Blofeld at least there was remnants of the source material.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Nice all the same to see a little love for Charles Gray's different version of Blofeld. When all's said and done he has more character in him than that mere cypher and stock figure, the first facial Blofeld Donald Pleasdance, who lets his bald head and facial duelling scar do all of the acting for him IMHO.
  • MaidenDethMaidenDeth
    Posts: 60
    Voice wise, the Blofeld from "From Russia With Love" and "Thunderball" were by a long shot the most menacing and intimidating sounding.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,125
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Nice all the same to see a little love for Charles Gray's different version of Blofeld. When all's said and done he has more character in him than that mere cypher and stock figure, the first facial Blofeld Donald Pleasdance, who lets his bald head and facial duelling scar do all of the acting for him IMHO.

    I am not a fan of YOLT, not by a long shot, but I would take the dialogues between Bond and Blofeld in it over the ones of DAF.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,125
    MaidenDeth wrote:
    Voice wise, the Blofeld from "From Russia With Love" and "Thunderball" were by a long shot the most menacing and intimidating sounding.

    Oh absolutely.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Yes, but I think that Pleasance has less character to him - no background etc. as in the Fleming novels. Blofeld's one of the weaker villans in the series for this reason, IMHO. The Dr Evil parody rather takes away the credibility of the performance from Pleasance, whereas Gray at least has more character to him (and anonymity through most of the film). I like Telly Savalas' Blofeld the best, though.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,125
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Yes, but I think that Pleasance has less character to him - no background etc. as in the Fleming novels. Blofeld's one of the weaker villans in the series for this reason, IMHO. The Dr Evil parody rather takes away the credibility of the performance from Pleasance, whereas Gray at least has more character to him (and anonymity through most of the film). I like Telly Savalas' Blofeld the best, though.

    Because Charles Gray's Blofeld has any background? He is not even remotely the same character! At least Plesence's Blofeld had some elements from the early Blofeld, even though it was a much weaker, diluted version. There was still something ruthless about him, or trying to be. In DAF the character was so badly written. He has character, but it's all wrong. The scriptwriter seemed to have no interest into building from the source material OR the earlier movies.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Yes, I see what you mean. Gray should have just played a character called Randolph Stavros and they should have forgotten about the Blofeld link, otherwise they needed to go back to the books and do their homework.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    HASEROT wrote:
    i wanted to jump inside the film and dump his books

    I'm sorry?

    To paraphrase a certain Mr Drax 'You must excuse me gentlemen. Not being American I sometimes find your language difficult to follow.'
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341
    Actually Gray's Blofeld was based on playwrite Noel Coward.
    I think I read that somewhere...
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    OHMSS69 wrote:
    Actually Gray's Blofeld was based on playwrite Noel Coward.
    I think I read that somewhere...

    So, that's who we have to blame?
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,125
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Nice all the same to see a little love for Charles Gray's different version of Blofeld. When all's said and done he has more character in him than that mere cypher and stock figure, the first facial Blofeld Donald Pleasdance, who lets his bald head and facial duelling scar do all of the acting for him IMHO.

    Or call him Jack Spang, or Seraffimo Spang. That still would have been a defamation of Fleming's characters, and DAF would have still sucked, but at least Blofeld would not have been that joke.
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    edited March 2013 Posts: 4,399
    TheWizardOfIce wrote:
    HASEROT wrote:
    i wanted to jump inside the film and dump his books

    I'm sorry?

    To paraphrase a certain Mr Drax 'You must excuse me gentlemen. Not being American I sometimes find your language difficult to follow.'

    dumping ones books, is exactly how it sounds.... it's the act of smacking the books out of the hands of someone carrying them... you traditionally see this in the stereotypical high school scenes from a movie, where someone (usually the prototypical nerd) is carrying a mountain of books, and someone walks by and smacks the books, causing them to dump to the floor..

    hence, book dumping..

    it's a phrase i picked up from the show Mystery Science Theater 3000 - they would often times use it when a character in the film they were watching, looked or acted a little too nerdy. lol.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    And how does this phrase relate to Gray's portrayal of Blofeld?

    Is he too pretensious/civilised?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,281
    Anyone else ever thought of this theory of mine before while viewing DAF or am I alone on this one at all?
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