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Comments
Oh, sorry. Didn't notice it at first.
Yeah, I can agree with this. This could be one reason as to why Charles Gray's Blofeld is so different to the previous incarnations not only visually but the personality as well. That also explains the disappearance of the broken neck.
To me, Pleasence is "Duke of New York *blamblamblamblam* A number one!" *blamblamblamblam* :))
Yes! Donald Pleasence could not hang with 007 in a hand to hand combat. But I thought he was really good as Blofeld. IEven though Savalas was better Donald Pleasence in terms of hand to hand combat) :)
Oops! I misunderstood the question!
Seriously now, definitely Savalas or Pleasance. I can't decide between the two, although I quite enjoy the FRWL/TB incarnation's eloquent voice and overall mystique.
The Blofeld cat of my choosing? It would have to be the one from FRWL, because she lives on a healthy diet of Siamese fighting fish and is just oh-so cute! ;;)
I liked the Blofeld cat in NSNA- it recognized & reacted to a film of a nuclear detonation. My cats don't even see the fish in our tank. :-??
For Your Eyes Only PTS follows On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Diamonds Are Forever follows You Only Live Twice.
Two separate timelines in a way.
Telly Savalas was not far behind. He didn't have the look the same way Pleasance did, but he did do a very interesting take on the character (much more interesting, IMO, than Lazenby's take on Bond in the same movie).
Charles Grey comes in last, but he's far from the worst thing about DAF.
Pleasance was sinister and fun but suffers wildly from Austin Power nowadays. He just is too corny and cartoony for my taste.
Savalas had a great arrogant side and was more how I picture Blofeld visually, but he didn't seem brutal and dangerous to me. He just didn't feel intimidating enough imo.
Charles Grey was an enjoyable villain but not Blofeld, period. He was fantastically arrogant and sinister but overall, he just wasn't Blofeld.
FYEO should not have brought back Blofeld, even though I like the PTS.
I have almost no recollection of NSNA. So I can't rate Max von Sydow.
Joseph Wiseman was too thin and had not the physical presence of Blofeld.
So my pick would be Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann.
I agree, my pick as well, I don't think Blofeld has really been done justice of film, I still hope that one day his character may return to the series, but Austin Powers has probably put the last nail in that coffin.
Agreed, he's the only one that comes by any way close to the character Fleming created.
I've never heard of that strange fan misconception before!
1. Dawson & Pohlmann, From Russia With Love & Thunderball
2. Telly Savalas, On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3. Donald Pleasance, You Only Live Twice
Sizable gap.
4. Charles Gray, Diamonds are Forever
5. I can't believe it's not Blofeld, For Your Eyes Only
IMO Pohlmann was and is still the best, albeit he had the advantage of being just a voice. I wonder if he could have made the real Blofeld in YOLT and OHMSS. The best "physical" Blofeld was probably Savalas, but even he lacked something. I think the definitive Blofeld remains to be seen.
I found Pleasence's Blofeld weak overall, however I did enjoy his conversations with Bond, maybe the best part of YOLT.
Yes, as up to that point he was little more than a recreation of the Blofeld in FRWL and TB, wasn't he? I think though that the Pleasance Blofeld is regarded by aficianados and the general public as THE definitive Blofeld (probably as he was the first one that we actually saw facially), though as I said above that's very wide of the mark as far as I'm concerned. Savalas' Blofeld was easily the best of the lot.
Savalas, for me, remains one of the best Blofeld incarnations. Though technically the baldness wasn't part of Fleming's idea of Blofeld, Savalas was at least given a script that's immensely close to its source novel.
I honestly think all Blofeld actors are great performers in their own right. Even the often disrespected Charles Gray was a charismatic actor back in the day. Just watch Hammer's terrific The Devil Rides Out for proof of that. It were the scripts, I think, that got it wrong most of the time. Perhaps a Casino Royale quality of script today could deliver us the best Blofeld ever.
Pleasance's iteration oozed pure power and control. He did not need to fight toe to toe with Bond because it would never come to that... he has an army of lackeys, Hans, and his piranha pool apartment to keep his foes at bay.
And they sure as hell never offered Bond a delicatessan in stainless steel.
My vote for a new actor to play Blofeld (the head of Quantum or a revitalized SPECTRE)? David Straitharn (not bald of course). Think about it. He's a well read respected thespian who could bring prestige to the next Bond film.
You make some interesting points, but I wouldn't go so far as to say he's a joke. His manner of speaking, his scar, and the very way he carries himself come as somewhat unnerving, as opposed to Gray, who's not even vaguely threatening or believable as an evil genius.
Savalas's face was very close to Fleming's Blofeld, but the Blofeld of TB. When I read the novel, this is the face I see, Savalas with a crew cut and heavier, but with Phohlmann's voice. Or I see Ciaran Hinds, who I think looks a lot like Blofeld.