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"Come come my dear" Rosa Klebb apreciation

do_me_nicelydo_me_nicely Banned
edited August 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 106
An underlooked Bond girl . her red hair , Lesbian attracted to Tania and a Colonol to boot (good attack on bond w/ a boot) . Do you like her too ??

Tell me here

Comments

  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    one of my favourites.

    A nice switch from Dr No in that she is a rather unpleasant woman in late middle age who is incogruous but extremely deadly.

    I am not sure about the lesbian tendencies (as in the book) whether they were meant to be one of the villains evil foibles ie pincer arm, bowler hat. If so - that is a wee bit homophobic.

    Her career backstory in the novel is fantastic.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    In the book the lesbian tendencies are FAR worse. Let's not pretend that Fleming had angelic views in that department.

    A teriffic character both in the book and on film.
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    Fantastic, memorable character. Not sure how it played in '63 with only one other Bond film out before but in the whole of the series she's one of the best villians/henchwomen. Nice and different compared to most of the other Bond films.

    Think of how well she'd fit into a Craig style Bond film...
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited August 2011 Posts: 24,186
    A great actress, a powerful and menacing appearance on screen. Sure, Rosa Klebb ranks high in the pantheon of Bond villains. Not quite the lovely lady Morzeny seems to think she is though. ;;) And obviously the whole lesbian act isn't an issue. Next film, Bond seduces a lesbian, so who cares. It should unmistakably be noted that since then, no overtly homosexual characters have appeared in a Bond film, at least not characters of any importance in the story...

    EDIT: ... with the exception of Wint and Kidd.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    I would say Wint and Kidd were characters of enough imporatance.
  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    In the book the lesbian tendencies are FAR worse. Let's not pretend that Fleming had angelic views in that department.

    A teriffic character both in the book and on film.
    Yes, he did have a couple of remarks about gays in the books especially Diamonds and how they were a security risk. And of course gays in the secret service were open to blackmail by the Soviets.

    But at the same time he enjoyed the company of Cyril Connolly and Noel Coward - very close friends of his wife.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    In the book the lesbian tendencies are FAR worse. Let's not pretend that Fleming had angelic views in that department.

    A teriffic character both in the book and on film.
    Yes, he did have a couple of remarks about gays in the books especially Diamonds and how they were a security risk. And of course gays in the secret service were open to blackmail by the Soviets.

    But at the same time he enjoyed the company of Cyril Connolly and Noel Coward - very close friends of his wife.
    I suspect there was an element of snobbery in that department. Fleming probably overlooked Cowards sexual preference because he was a gateway into the world of the elit. If Coward had been an average Joe I doubt Fleming would have associated with him.
  • actonsteveactonsteve
    Posts: 1,492
    In the book the lesbian tendencies are FAR worse. Let's not pretend that Fleming had angelic views in that department.

    A teriffic character both in the book and on film.
    Yes, he did have a couple of remarks about gays in the books especially Diamonds and how they were a security risk. And of course gays in the secret service were open to blackmail by the Soviets.

    But at the same time he enjoyed the company of Cyril Connolly and Noel Coward - very close friends of his wife.
    I suspect there was an element of snobbery in that department. Fleming probably overlooked Cowards sexual preference because he was a gateway into the world of the elit. If Coward had been an average Joe I doubt Fleming would have associated with him.
    You are probably right, Sean Connery described Fleming as a "terrible snob".
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,186
    I would say Wint and Kidd were characters of enough imporatance.
    I keep hitting myself. How . Could . I . Forget? Thanks, Kerim. ;;)

  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    No need to bang your head on the desk on my account. ;-)

    Back to the subject matter. Klebb was a great character. I honestly would have been more afraid of her than most of the other characters, definitely amongst the female characters. Pulling up the bedsheets to see Klebb instead of Bunt would have scared me more.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Yes, Rosa Klebb was a fantastic villain! One of the classics, thanks to her poison-tipped shoe. One thing I can't understand though is why her screen time was so limited? Also, as the old question goes, was she the main villain technically, or just a henchwoman like Irma Bunt? I mean, Emilio Largo was considered the main villain of Thunderball, yet he was acting on orders from Blofeld. Sorry, but this puzzels me!
  • DB5DB5
    Posts: 408
    Rosa Klebb is a fantastic character and Lotte Lenya was the perfect actress to portray her. I really wouldn't consider her the main villain though, after all, it is Kronsteen who devises the plan; Klebb is just responsible for choosing Grant and involving Tatiana in SPECTRE's scheme. In regard to the lebians in Bond novels and films, in addition to Rosa Klebb and Pussy Galore there is also Tilly Masterson. This is explicit in the novel but only hinted at in the film (i.e. she berates Bond for blowing out her tires instead of stripping naked and having sex with him).
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Never was that intrigued with the character, poison spiked shoes may have been a neat idea in 1963 but by todays standards look possibly Jurassic Park

    Donald Grant was the real bad guy of that movie, everyone remembers the train ride

  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    I think Klebb was underused. Like it has been said, Shaw made Grant the biggest villain of the film, even knocking Blofeld out of the running. So I guess Klebb did what she could to set up Grant and Tatiana, then sat back and watched the plan go through, which is what both Grant and Tatiana were to be doing. I can't critique the film for that, it makes the most sense and I wouldn't want it any other way.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7: Yes, Klebb was underused most definitely. She could have been a much bigger villain with a few more important scenes than she was actually given.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    Yes, Rosa Klebb was a fantastic villain! One of the classics, thanks to her poison-tipped shoe. One thing I can't understand though is why her screen time was so limited? Also, as the old question goes, was she the main villain technically, or just a henchwoman like Irma Bunt? I mean, Emilio Largo was considered the main villain of Thunderball, yet he was acting on orders from Blofeld. Sorry, but this puzzels me!
    I've always considered Klebb as the main villian in FRWL. True, like Largo in TB, she is taking her orders from Blofeld. However, it is Klebb who recruits and selects Grant as the muscle against Bond. Since Grant is working for Klebb, he's a henchman. Klebb uses Tatiana to set the Lektor and seduction trap on Bond. I wouldn't consider Kronsteen as the main villian as he is mostly the planner and isn't out and about to oversee his plan, whereas Klebb is the main coordinator for SPECTRE's plan. Since Klebb is the face of the plot against MI6, I feel she is the main villian in FRWL.

  • Monsieur_AubergineMonsieur_Aubergine Top of the Eiffel Tower with a fly in my soup!
    Posts: 642
    "you are NOT here to ask questions, you forget to whom you are speaking?" - gotta love this woman. I used to go to school with a girl who had glasses just like hers!

    I love her little reaction when she moves her arm away rather than be guided by a man on arrival at Spectre island.."take me to the lake"
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    Not lesbian, "[f]or Rosa Klebb belonged to the rarest of all sexual types. She was neuter [...] The stories of men and, yes, of women, were too circumstantial to be doubted. She might enjoy the act physically, but the instrument was of no importance. For her, sex was nothing more than an itch" (FRWL, VII, p.63).
  • CrabKeyCrabKey
    Posts: 1,996
    Lots of memorable small roles in those early Bond films.
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