Bond On Bond (5 page)

On the swift re-casting, actor Burt Kwouk, who played SPECTRE’s ‘Number 3’ in the movie recalled, ‘One day we were filming with Werich in the control booth, and then the next day I turned around and there was a different actor sitting in Blofeld’s chair.’

Whoever was in Blofeld’s chair, one somewhat unexpected – and unfortunate – occurrence came as a result of all the explosions on set: Blofeld’s trademark white Persian cat didn’t take too well to them, and frequently relieved itself on its master!

Two years later, in
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
, the feared head of SPECTRE returned in the guise of Telly Savalas. Given there was much more physicality involved in this movie – including skiing – director Peter Hunt didn’t feel the more diminutive Pleasence would be convincing as an athletic Blofeld. So he turned to Greek-born Savalas. Blofeld escapes – as he does in earlier films – but not before he and his sidekick Irma Bunt murder Bond’s new bride, Tracy. Understandably, Jim sets out on revenge and, in
Diamonds Are Forever
, tracks down his old nemesis – this time played by Charles Gray.

When George Lazenby was cast as 007, and thoughts were turned to introducing the different-looking character, Cubby had a dream about an opening scene where Jim comes out of a plastic-surgery operation. In the end, it was agreed they should just introduce a new actor and not really point it out, however, Cubby’s dream proved useful in explaining a different-looking Blofeld (and his doubles).

Charles Gray’s Blofeld was much lighter in style and tone – even appearing in drag at one point – which probably wouldn’t have suited Telly Savalas. Again, Blofeld eludes capture, but, thanks to the ongoing legal battle with Kevin McClory, doesn’t return to the series for a full ten years, and then isn’t actually referred to as Blofeld: John Hollis supplied his body and Robert Rietty his voice in the pre-title sequence of
For Your Eyes Only
. I ended up dropping him down an industrial chimney. Did he survive? Who knows?

Aside from the esteemed Number 1, SPECTRE has offered up many foes to Jimbo. There was of course crazed genius Dr. Julius No, as played by Joseph Wiseman, and as with all great Bond villains he has a physical anomaly: in developing nuclear energy for no-good uses, he lost his hands and they were replaced by a metallic pair. The good doctor actually met his maker after being lowered into his own reactor coolant and, being unable to grip anything with his metal hands, it was good night Vienna.

When casting ideas for
Dr. No
were first mooted, Ian Fleming suggested his friend Noël Coward to play the villainous doctor. A telegram was sent to the Master, which he answered with, ‘Dr. No? No! No! No!’ Harry Saltzman is said to have then chosen Wiseman because of his performance in a dark 1951 movie called
Detective Story
.

Ken Adam’s futuristic set of No’s base – and Ken’s sets are always a major contribution to the nutcase megalomaniac villain’s thoughts of superiority – featured a huge aquarium in the background of the dining room. It was described as being constructed from convex glass to give the impression of a ten-times magnification, making ‘minnows look like whales’. A classic touch was added on set when a reproduction of a Goya painting of the Duke of Wellington, which had actually been stolen in 1961, was placed on an easel next to the stairs; Bond stops to look as he passes it. Thankfully, the real portrait was recovered in 1965.

Rosa Klebb, as played by Lotte Lenya, was also known as ‘Number 3’ in SPECTRE ranking. A thoroughly unpleasant lady with a penchant for peculiar shoes, in
From Russia With Love
we learn that Klebb secretly defected from SMERSH and used her former rank to deceive and recruit Tatiana Romanova, who in turn assisted the British in acquiring a Russian Lektor decoding device. By sending in Red Grant (Robert Shaw) to kill Bond, the Lektor would then fall into the hands of SPECTRE, or so she reckoned.

Grant is first introduced to audiences in the pre-title sequence – the premiere in the series – stalking a 007 lookalike around SPECTRE Island. It was inspired by the film
L’année dernière à Marienbad
, which had a lush garden setting, complete with eerie statues to stalk amongst. Director Terence Young dressed the gardens at Pinewood Studios and introduced a few false hedgerows to achieve a similar setting.

When Red Grant later gave himself away as an imposter to Bond on board the Orient Express by not knowing his wine, one of the classic Bond fights ensued. Set in the confines of a train carriage, although the fight took just a few minutes of screen time, it took weeks of rehearsal.

And then there was Auric Goldfinger as played by German actor Gert Fröbe. He wasn’t a member of SPECTRE, though I’m sure they’d have welcomed him. His plan was simple, and known as Operation Grandslam: amass huge wealth through gold bullion, and then increase its value tenfold by setting off a nuclear device inside the US gold depository, Fort Knox, rendering it untouchable.

Auric Goldfinger was named after Ian Fleming’s neighbour, Ernő Goldfinger, a rather eminent architect and furniture designer. It was said that some of his less endearing character traits were borrowed from him too. When the book was published in 1959, Ernő Goldfinger was unhappy and consulted his lawyers, prompting Fleming to suggest renaming the character ‘Goldprick’, but Goldfinger eventually settled out of court in return for his legal costs, six copies of the novel and an agreement that the character’s first name ‘Auric’ would always be used.

Goldfinger’s lethal laser, seen here on set and in the Pinewood workshop, was not really able to cut through metal. Its beam was added in to the film later, optically.

In both the novel and film, Goldfinger is aided in his crimes by his manservant, Oddjob, a mute, monstrously strong Korean who ruthlessly eliminates any threat to his employer’s affairs. Another notable feature was Oddjob’s rather unusual taste in headgear.

When Jim’s captured by Goldfinger, we really do fear for his life. He’s laid out, spread-eagled on a table, hands and feet secured, with a powerful laser rising between his legs.

Bond: ‘Do you expect me to talk?’

Goldfinger: ‘No, Mr Bond. I expect you to die.’

Ah, classic lines.

In fact, the laser beam was added optically later on and the cutting effect was achieved by F/X engineer Bert Luxford lying underneath the aforementioned table, on his back, with a blowtorch. He slowly cut up towards Sean’s groin – having only a chalked line to tell him where he should stop. Sean was, understandably, rather anxious.

Gert Fröbe was cast after he impressed the producers and director Guy Hamilton as paedophile killer Schrott in the German/Swiss version of
The Pledge
. They asked his agent if he spoke English, and the reply came back, ‘Of course he does’. When Fröbe arrived at Pinewood to start shooting, he walked over to Guy Hamilton and said, ‘How do you do? I am very pleased to be here.’

Guy asked if his hotel was OK. ‘How do you do?’ Gert replied. ‘I am very pleased to be here.’ It soon became evident their lead villain spoke no English whatsoever!

Undaunted, Guy suggested they could dub him later, and asked Gert to speak the lines phonetically. In order to maintain a believable delivery pace, Guy asked him to speak very quickly rather than think about the words too much. In rushes the next day, the two producers couldn’t believe what they were seeing and hearing. It was total babble. Guy told them not to worry, and drafted in Michael Collins to provide the English voice, and his delivery matched the lip movement of Gert Fröbe brilliantly well.