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Lee's age in contrast with Lazenby's would have been perfect. And at 47 at the time, although a bit younger than the novel's Blofeld, he would have been the same age as Savalas. But I guess the departure would have been too far from YOLT in the eyes of many. Savalas looked far more dangerous than Pleasence, but he was balding so people could buy they were the same character.
"[Fleming] invented an endless story about Graf Schlick, the local lord of the manor who lived in the big castle at the end of the valley, and had him committing the most terrible crimes and perpetuating unspeakable tortures. At the end of one of these stories, when the Graf had performed multiple villainies upon some unprotesting virgin, retribution caught up with him." [He contracted leprosy from her.]
Lycett gives more detail in his own Fleming biography:
"[Fleming] was fascinated by the exploits of the local aristocrats, the von Lambergs. The Graf (or Count) Max von Lamberg had a formidable reputation for drinking and womanizing. While his wife and three children lived in the family castle, a sugary Gothic confection called the Schloss Kaps, Graf Max camped out in a nearby chalet with a blonde mistress who worked in the photographer's shop and who was consequently known as the Photo-Grafin. Count Max's exotic sister, Paula, was a close neighbour in the Schloss Lebenberg. She was an artist and sportswoman, widely known as the best female ski-jumper in the world. She married a Czech adventurer who adopted the name 'Count Schlick' and who started the first ski club in Kitzbuhel. Schlick ran through her money, but not before introducing her to motor racing which led to her death. She was competing with her husband in a race in Salzburg, when she mysteriously fell out of the carand was killed. Local gossip had it that she was pushed by Schlick who, having inherited her castle and land, methodically sold it off piece by piece. Ian liked to concoct stories about the evils perpetuated by Schlick, including graphic details of tortures the Count devised."
Though Blofeld is less of a playboy than Schlick, he is also a wicked aristocrat (or self-styled aristo at least) plotting evil in Teutonic mountain hideout.
Something both novels have in common as well is a strong connection to food and nourishment. Of course Bond is often gluttonous in all his novels, but since Blofeld wants to destroy livestocks, the theme is particularly important here. In Dracula, we have Jonathan Harker describing his meals in details, Renfield eating live animals and of course the vampire's diet.
Fleming I think was influenced by Stoker's work, especially as he was familiar with the classic vampire tale, and did, as pointed out, even once reference the author in his own YOLT.
The YOLT Blofeld castle oozes Dracula imagery.
As an aside, fans of Stoker's original work, might be interested in the "offical sequel" penned by his nephew, Dracula Un-dead (2009) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_the_Un-dead
A readable spin on the original tale, although purists might find the spin to be a little too adventurous.
If one doesn't like the way the sequel plays out, one can just ignore it. It's a continuation novel after all.
"Bond was now getting drowsy. It was four o'clock and the horizon of jagged grey, porcelain-shingled roof-tops was lightening. He poured down the last of the sake. It had the flat taste of too much. It was time he was in bed. But Tiger was obviously obsessed with this lunatic business, and subtle, authentic glimpses of Japan were coming through the ridiculous, nightmare story with its undertones of Poe, Le Fanu, Bram Stoker, Ambrose Bierce. Tiger seemed unaffected by the lateness of the hour. The samurai face was perhaps etched in more sinister, more brutal lines. The hint of Tartar, tamed and civilized, lurked with less concealment, like a caged animal, in the dark pools of his eyes."
Oh and how could I have not mentioned it: Dracula is a Count, so is, or so he claims to be, Blofeld, as Comte de Bleuville. On their own, each every one of these similarities mean nothing, or very little. But as a whole, it seems to me that Dracula inspired OHMSS.
... with great success!
I am sold. You keep bolstering the case. Never caught this on my own, even though I had read Stoker. Well done!
Now that you have made me reread Dracula ;) :D (my pleasure, of course), I have found something funny. When the Demeter arrives in England, Stoker mentions the poem Casabianca and, guess what...
Fleming did mentioned Casabianca in Moonraker!
Probably nothing, but this is the place to mention it...
In both novels the hero and the villain don't confront each other directly until after the hero escape the villain's lair. This is also a major difference between OHMSS novel and movie.
You've reminded me that I really need to read that article. I ordered this issue a while back.
Vampires in general and Dracula in particular have hypnotic power over their victims. It's kind of fitting that this is what Blofeld uses to spread another kind of disease around the Europe.
It is also not coincidental that OHMSS is one of the very few novels when Bond falls in love and the only one when he gets married. As if his persona and background adopts Harker's.
Haha, good one.
Seconded. Damn sharp, @gumbolt! :)