Agree, the Blofeld in Spectre was a bit of a disappointment. The "Finish it!" part was quite 'non-Blofeld-like'. He should have offered Bond a delicatessen... in stainless steel. Very nice list Calvin!
+Ceterafan123 I'd have loved it if Spectre just ended with Blofeld offering Bond a delicastessen and he accepted and the end of the film was Bond opening up a butchers shop.
My favorite will always be Telly Savalas not only because of his phyicality, but also due to the smug and sleazy smile on his face. Waltz, however, comes second on my list because he has to be the most psychotic Blofeld ever and I actually like the way they rewrote his backstory. Now it's really personal between him and Bond. I love Donald Pleasence and the "Please, let me kill you!" type of look in his eyes, but I find his Blofeld inferior to those of Savalas and Waltz.
While he was great as Scaramanga, I feel that Christopher Lee would have made a wonderful Blofeld and would have been a more natural successor to the Dawson/Polhmann duo.
Fleming wanted Lee to play Dr No. Certaintly with his booming voice, that was also capable of being chillingly quiet and in control, he was perfect. At least we got him as Scaramanga (who in the book is just a standard American gangster). In real life, Lee had lived like Bond during the war, being involved in dangerous missions for The SAS.
Sorry, I don't think Lee would work as Blofeld. He's sinister but too cool and collected. Also too tall and due to his similar deep voice and dark features wouldn't have played well off of Connery.
@Qasim Hussain Because he's too similar to Connery and arguably just as cool. Blofeld isn't supposed to be "sexy" necessarily. The only reason Telly Savalas worked as a sexier Blofeld in OYMSS is because George Lazenby's Bond was so un-sexy, especially in his undercover role when he was mostly interacting with Blofeld.
Your average teen nowadays probably doesn't even know who Blofeld is but thanks to merchandising and parodies everyone knows who Vader is. Also every generation has their own Joker.
@@Ben-km4qy apparently his agent told him to do only one. it was stupid to make blofeld an action character...he is the brains...not the brawn...savalas sucked
+IMovie Makers I agree with you dude. I liked how Waltz had portrayed him with this disturbing domineer. But sadly like Belluci, he was underused and his back story/ motivation was just bad
Telly Savalas was the best by far. He was just a guy. His menace wasn’t in his scars. It was truly in his intimidating persona he displayed through his acting.
Agreed! Not only was Savalas a phenomenal actor, I think he read the book (OHMSS) to get insight into the part. It's pretty much how Fleming depicted Blofeld. If Pleasance had the same motivation and direction, he could have been great as well.
I really like Donald Pleasance's psychotic take on Blofeld, but I really like Savalas' "Lex Luthor" style; he's one of the few Bond evil masterminds that also exudes a sense of physical menace. They really should be thought of as 2 separate villains, even though their characters share the same name. Charles Gray was way too much like someone's doddering old uncle. Waltz was good.
The original design for Lex Luthor in Superman, the aimated series, was basically just an aimated version of Savalas Blofeld, but they changed it to resemble the aimated Luthor we know
I get you couldn't get past Savalas' accent, but Telly Savalas I feel made the character his own and different than Pleasance's character and portrayal. He added a sinister and menacing element to him and was truly Bond's match and adversary.
Telly Savalas gave the character some personality and here is a fact for you when he first captures Bond and stands with against the wall and holds his cigarette in a cool way , check out his index finger . It malformed , he usually hides it but its small and crooked . Even Ian Fleming would like him in the cast in since in his novels most of the characters had deformities .
My favorite part about Pleaseance's Blofeld is his relationships with his cat. At first, cat sits on his lap, and Blofeld strokes it. Then cat starts to hang like a ragdoll, as Blofel carries it around. Eventually, it tries to break free, as Blofeld obviously hurts it and holds against it's will. It speaks volume, that man is authoritarian and controlling even with his cat!
I really like the Savalas Blofeld. He fits the description that's given in the books quite well. And you can believe him as the boss of Klebb, Kronsteen, Largo and all the other. I dont see Pleasance scaring Klebb or being Largo's boss
Absolutely agree. That has always been my issue with Pleasance’s Blofeld. Savalas gave a much more grounded portrayal to his interpretation of the character, and you’re absolutely right that I can believe that villains like Dr. No, Rosa Klebb, and Largo would be afraid to fail him. I just could never see Largo being second in command to Pleasance’s Blofeld, but I could to without question envision Largo constantly having to be considered with failing Savalas’s Blofeld. You probably won’t agree with me and that’s okay, but even though I enjoy You Only Live Twice, I like to watch Thunderball and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service right after the other. I know that sounds idiotic, but for some reason I just think the films flow better that way than watching YOLT in between. It’s kind of like how if you read Fleming’s original novels in order of when they were published. It feels smoother to read Thunderball and OHMSS in that order, rather than read the book The Spy Who Loved Me, that was published in between those two novels.
@@martinpiekarski1512 Yeah, it wasn't necessarily bad, it was just rather campy. One negative thing I will say about DaF, though, is that it feels like a pretty underwhelming followup to OHMSS.
@@Traveler-VII But still entertaining in one way or another. But I'm not just talking about humorous elements of the movie. Anyway, OHMSS sure was a better movie but it could have been a lot better if few things were done differently. Overall, DAF feels like underwhelming sequel to OHMSS, whereas OHMSS feels like an underwhelming sequel to YOLT, which was like an almost perfect Bond movie.
savalas is definitely the best blofeld. waltz's blofeld is a petty, insecure brat with daddy issues. the character is completely neutered as any sort of menace. spectre ruined the flagship bond series villain.
I agree. Telly Savalas looks like the type of mad genius who could run an international criminal empire. Smart, strong, and violent. The criminal who can kill people who fail him without blinking an eye. Donald Pleasence second. Charles Grey played Henderson in You Only Live Twice and he's badly miscast as Blofeld. He's the type of person people kill on their way to the top. Christoph Waltz has to deal with the whole Austin Powers/Tommy Smothers; 'Step-daddy liked you better' nonsence. The reason Jon Hollis offers Roger Moore a delicatessen in stainless steel is because Albert Brocelli read that real gangster gave his friends delicatessen and He thought it sounded good. It's one of the worst lines in the history of the cinema.
1. Telly Savalas, the Physical/Literary Blofeld 2. Donald Pleasence, the Classic Blofeld 3. Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann, the Mysterious Blofeld 4. Christoph Waltz, the Troll Blofeld 5. Max von Sydow, the Wasted Blofeld 6. Charles Gray, the Campy Blofeld 7. John Hollis/Robert Rietty, the Nameless Blofeld
Nice listing. I also think Savalas has to be first, because he really acts like a psychopath. Donald Pleasance is a little over the top, which suits the film he is in, but is not the best portrayal of Blofeld as Bond's arch enemy.
I would put Max von Sydow above Christoph Waltz, based on charisma and sinister vibes. Waltz really was a letdown, while Sydow was brilliant as always.
Donald Pleasance and the Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann incarnations are actually tied for me. The Dawson/Pohlmann Blofeld just had this air of mystery about him, with that deep, intelligent voice and the fact that he was never seen besides the lower half of his body (and we musn't forget the cat) and a hint of slicked back hair. Like Calvin says, it's kept mainly up to your imagination, which is what gives him an edge. This is the incarnation that inspired Doctor Claw from Inspector Gadget, for Chrissakes! But when Blofeld needed to finally be shown, Donald Pleasance was more than satisfactory. Sure, he probably didn't look like what we were expecting, and he had a change in voice, but that's the genius of the character; he's a chameleon of a mastermind in the novels (taken up to eleven in DAF), always changing his appearance to take someone off-guard, and Pleasance certainly took us all off-guard with his light German accent and the dueling scar. I wish that they'd produced the films in such an order that MAYBE Pleasance could've been in at least one more film, but that probably would've been asking too much.
Has anyone ever noticed how Dr No in the Spider Room scene is like a precursor to Blofeld, in that we don't see him, only hear his threatening inhuman voice? Funnily enough he's terrifying Anthony Dawson, who'd switch places with that a year later.
At the moment I am reading Thunderball the book where Blofeld and SPECTRE make their first appearance. Blofeld was a Pole who sold secrets to the Nazis before they invaded Poland and he fled to Turkey for sanctuary where he offered them his scientific abilities. When the Nazis were losing the war Blofeld took the advantage and joined the Allies to make a name for himself.
Waltz's Blofeld didn't dedicate his life to pissing off Bond. He dedicated his life to SPECTRE. He created the organisation and masterminded the plans of the previous three movies and Bond happened to stumble into them. So Blofeld just took the opportunity to mess with him; he didn't create SPECTRE specifically with Bond in mind. After all, the Nine Eyes plan was just a good old take over the world scheme- not aimed directly at Bond. Although, I also do not agree with the "Finish it" bit.
I disagree, Alan. I thought the "Finish it" part worked quite well _for Daniel Craig's incarnation_. Blofeld was daring Bond to kill him in a moment of rage, but Bond took the upper hand and refused to let that grief and anger define him. Also, it tied in with the "A license to kill is also a license *not* to kill" speech from earlier.
Nicholas Tosoni My whole issue is that Blofeld's character doesn't fit that line. He's supposed to try and survive at all costs and avoid coming face-to-face with Bond. By trying to goad Bond into using his license to kill, he becomes a different character. On top of that, Waltz is bland. His performance is flat and the script doesn't give him anything to work with. Waltz as a villain should be like he was in Inglorious Bastards. I'm not saying he should be the same, but a Blofeld as menacing as that should work.
That'd be fine except that Craig's character kills thugs left and right. The only time a licence to kill is a licence not to kill is when dealing with innocents, or people who could be useful later. And even then, the last time Bond killed a lead(Patrice in Casino Royale), the most he got from M was "well that sucks". There should be absolutely no consequences for Craig, moral or otherwise, from killing Blofeld.
Thank you! Finally someone admitted that this "adopted brother thing" sucks. I hated the whole movie because of it. Sir Ian Fleming never write something like this. Why they wanna change the past of Bond. They should not mess with the legacy. Same goes for the new "Star Trek Films" as well.
As much I enjoyed Charles Gray as Blofeld my favourite performance of his was as Mycroft Holmes alongside Jeremy Brett as Sherlock in the ITV series. I also loved Gray's parting line in "The Devil Rides Out" : "I shall not be back....but something will".
My favourite Blofeld will always be Donald Pleasence. He was the first Blofeld I saw and since he was the first Blofeld, I see him as the best Blofeld.
I LOOOOVE Telly Savalas as Blofeld. He was physically and ethnically a perfect match for who Fleming described. Not only that, he exuded an animalistic power, the casual arrogance of an apex predator, that none of the other actors seemed to be able to match. This Blofeld fought Bond 1 on 1 and all but defeated him. He also killed Tracy, the only woman Bond truly ever loved, hence he's the Bond villain who inflicted the most emotional trauma on Bond. His full baritone has all the menace of the first appearances of Blofeld in FRWL and Thunderball. Savalas truly brought something special to the character.
While not completely book accurate (he still looks very different, for example), Savalas' Blofeld comes the closest to how Blofeld is portrayed in the books. He's not just an over-the-top mastermind, he's actually a rather charming-yet-intimidating man with a real physical presence who's a true match for Bond in every way. It's the only screen portrayal of Blofeld where he felt like a true nemesis to Bond. A Moriarty to Bond's Holmes While Im not saying Constance's version was bad, he just felt rather--not sure if "hammy" is the right word, but he felt rather like a cartoon character by comparison to both the book and OHMSS portrayals of Blofeld. He didnt feel like a true nemesis to Bond in the way that book or Savalas's Blofeld did
I think blofield in Spectre was the best I study psychology and u have no idea how many cases I see where the most disturbed people, remain calm while having a mental break and not even kidding 75% of all mental cases are caused with either a childhood tragedy or mother or father issues. And blofield plan in this film would have to be the most realistic.
Great review Calvin. I absolutely agree. Especially with your No 1. Blofeld is so much more frightening if his appearance is left to our imagination. He also always should be ahead of the film's villains Bond has to fight against. He also should not be in the center of the film but giving instructions to the villains in the beginning.
I think Mark Strong would make a great Blofeld. He rocks the bald look, he can play villain, physically very fit and has played various nationalities and ethnicities in other films e.g. Arabs, Italians and South Africans. His family background is Italian and Austrian and grew up in the UK.
OHMSS is the most underrated Bond film of all time imo. First Bond to have any sort of emotional depth/ vulnerability. Beautiful visuals and stellar actions sequences, chases etc.
Donald Pleasence is brilliant. His Heinrich Himmler in Eagle Has Landed was genuinely terrifying. Partly because what I'd already known about that limping psychopath, but, damn, Pleasence did that part justice and a half. That said, I agree, the obscured Bofeld is the best.
Definetly Donald Pleasence! The way he acts in this role in YOLT is just stunning! He was the one who gave the supervillain a face! He only got few screen time! Much to less! But the way he managed to introduce Ernst Stavro Blofeld is totally perfect! His Ernst Stavro Blofeld is the totally perfect completion! Face => perfect! Especially the way he is looking towards Bond or his subordinates is perfectly menacing, threatening, creepy , eerie, supernatural, terrifying, megalomaniacal, superhuman, pure evil (beyond a human being's ability to be only evil in every manner), selfish, self-centered, self-seeking and all these characteristics he is perfectly showing off with his view and with his calm but anytime sinister voice! His style is perfect as well wearing this gorgeous, noble, beige, tailor-made designer pantsuit out of pure noble-silk. This pantsuit is perfectly elegant with its narrow pants and the chic high-collared blazer with these five stylish nacre-buttons closing the blazer up to Blofeld's neck. His masterplan is also totally perfect and completely megalomaniac! Taking over Space-command by hijacking American and Soviet Space ships to bring extreme hostility between these two countries and thereby evoking and perfectly inaugurating a war that will cause an unstable world situation with a huge lack of power - mainly financed by primitive double-crossed and subsequently extorted Red China that is totally exploited by the ingenious masterplan of Ernst Stavro Blofeld to unite the almighty potency to himself! Afterwards it will be Ernst Stavro Blofeld who will perfectly use the gained mightiness and force to increase his own potency to immensity and thereby Ernst Stavro Blofeld will become almighty and transforming himself to become the embodiment of the new super-power dominating the wortd! I know it's over the top! But who - if not the world's most ingenious megalomaniac and greatest supervillain ever - will then be a being that obesses over power and domination so much to become "over the top"?! And Donald Pleasence embodies such a supernatural supervillain totally perfect in every manner so his portrayal of Ernst Stavro Blofeld resembles the flawless completion of the greatest and most ingenious supervillain of any times! Not only in the Bond franchise!
I always loved Donald Pleasance as Blofeld, but growing older I've started leaning more towards the Telly Savalas and Faceless Blofelds. A part of me wishes they had followed up on the Dawson/Pohlmann take by matching the characters physical description. But one could think that in the aftermath of operation Thunderball, Blofeld received a horrible plastic surgery attempt that left him the scar, and ended up shaving his hair off. I always thought the Faceless Blofeld would look like a Cary Grant looking male, with his smoothe voice and all.
I think Telly Savalas’ Blofield was my favorite. I liked the idea of Blofield being a liar and con about his history and pedigree, the gangster with a thin sophisticated accent seeking to be seen as European aristocracy. A lead villain happy to have his minions deal with problems, so he can work in the lab himself, but having the physicality to take on Bond mono e mono if necessary and with sufficient back-up. On the surface he was just charming enough, but his threatening barbs still were made plain and his willingness to kill or sacrifice his own was unquestionably demonstrated.
Nice video. One thing I've always wondered is why 'Swiss clinic' Blofeld doesn't recognise James Bond as Bray. They'd only recently met in his volcano lair in Japan.
For me Telly Savalas is the best Blofeld. On top of being the only Blofeld that could pose a physical threat to Bond, he's also incredibly suave and menacing.
I'm guessing they did re-writes to suit Charles Gray [and maybe some of the characters writing is left over from the 'Goldfinger's twin brother' idea] but the 'Diamonds' Blofeld certainly feels 'in name only' and is best viewed as a separate character as he is so different from any other portrayal.
Telly Savalas was the ultimate Blofeld, in fact he was best part of OHMMS and why I still love watching that movie to this day. Donald Pleasance was creepy good, but he hardly had any screen time. I'm glad they rebooted the Blofeld Character, even if they did turn him into some 90's emo with abandonement issues, and I hated that he got arrested at the end of SPECTRE. I hope they find some way to make him into a real blofeld in the next Bond movie.
I totally agree with your top pick - the unseen blofeld was the best one. Donald Pleasance definitely did not live up to the image that was implied by the unseen blofeld. You know who could have lived up to that image- Christopher Lee. They eventually cast him as Francisco Scaramanga, but they should have cast him as the original Blofeld.
1. Kojak 2. Faceless 3. Pleasence 4. Von Sydow 5. Gray 6. Waltz 7. Delicatessen Telly's accent doesn't bother me, and I actually really like the idea that Blofeld is a glorified thug behind all the smoke and mirrors. I might have ranked Doctor Loomis over Dawson if Pohlmann had dubbed Donald for most of the movie (implying that ol' Ernst was using a voice modifier on his mic to sound more intimidating). Despite not having much of a presence in NSNA, Max never slips into bad territory, and he physically matches Dawson more closely than his predecessors did. I love the Criminologist as much as anyone, but he was an embarrassment after the wife-murdering Savalas. Waltz was mostly hampered by the idiotic decisions regarding his backstory, identity, and motivations, but even without those problems, I still wouldn't stick him higher than fourth place. And even Doctor Evil is a more legitimate take on Blofeld than that farce of a character in FYEO (but that silly line does make for a good in-joke among fans).
6: For Your Eyes Only 5: Never Say Never Again 4: Diamonds Are Forever 3: Spectre 2: On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1: You Only Live Twice I just find Donald Pleasance's appearance more iconic and memorable, but that doesn't mean I don't love Telly Savalas' appearance as Blofeld!
When reading the book description of Blofeld in Thunderball, I imagine him looking like Brian Dennehey in First Blood. He is meant to be huge, and a former weightlifter. And in the YOLT book, he is strong enough to give Bond a hard fight physically.
1. From Russia With Love & Thunderball 2. You Only Live Twice 3. Spectre 4. Diamonds Are Forever 5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service 6. For Your Eyes Only 7. Never Say Never Again
From Russia with Love: DECOY. Thunderball: DECOY. On Her Majesty's Secret Service: DECOY. Diamonds Are Forever: DECOY. The Spy Who Loved Me: DECOY. For Your Eyes Only: DECOY. Never Say Never Again: DECOY. *SPECTRE: LEGIT - THE REAL DEAL.*
1. Telly Savalas/Donald Pleasance/Dawson/Pohlmann 2. Charles Gray 3. Christoph Waltz (brilliant actor, and does what he can with the material, but for god's sake - what a way to **** a character up! Giving a personal connection to Bond completely undermined the essence of both Bond and Blofeld.
All rumors right now. The movie has actually been delayed for 2018 because they really want to convince him to stay. I hope he sucks it up and does. We just need one more from him. Now that Blofeld has been introduced, we can dedicate a whole movie to his battle with Bond and finally get the perfect Blofeld that we have yet to have.
Don't ask me why I delayed comment until now. Eric Pohlmann was my father. Of course I knew about his appearances as Blofeld. For years, I would tell the story that they saved money by using his voice, needing only an unknown as the unidentified body. So I was mightily surprised to be told that they had used Anthony Dawson, a name. Not quite sure why they chose not to use my father's body. It certainly suited his voice better. Perhaps it was too large for the lens. Who was the best Blofeld? Well, I might have chosen Donald Pleasance. He was sinister; his small frame was part of that whole image. And he was a personal friend of ours. So he would get my vote...if I were not Eric Pohlmann's son. Check out 'Frau in Weiss', a terrific German production of 'Wilkie Collins 'Woman in White'. My father played the role of Count Fosco. He was exceptional. Some liked to say that Collins had my father in mind for the part, despite living 100 years before. Fosco is considered the first mafia character in literature. He was charming, yet sinister. While stroking white mice that accompanied him everywhere, he would have no trouble plotting evil. White cats and mice. I vote Eric Pohlmann.
I always had a theory about Diamonds. The real Blofield isn’t in the film, instead these are all of his decoy’s. While the real fella is off recovering from his broken neck, he’s sent in his decoys to finish the work. Bond being on “holiday” was supposed to be his honeymoon but obviously THAT happened and he spent the whole holiday tracking down who he thought was Blofield. That’s my headcannon to make the transition from OHMSS to Diamonds work better and later FYEO.
Disappointed Savalas is at 4 but number 1 is an inspired choice, totally agree with it. Flemings description of Blofelds appearance in the books changes a lot, he goes from, ''20 stone with a black crew cut'' to ''thin with long silver hair'', quite the shapeshifter, so Charles Grey dressing in drag is quite uncannily close to his vision... Well maybe not. lol
Donald Pleasence, Charles Gray, Telly Savalas, Anthony Dawson, Max Von Sydow, Christoph Waltz. I would have preferred Henry Blofeld to Christoph Waltz but overall Charles Gray is a marmite Blofeld but I like him. He’s witty and charming.
I get what your saying about the lack of identity being better... but for me, now I’ve seen pleasence in the role, anytime I rewatch the ones where blofeld is kept hidden, I see pleasences blofeld despite him not fitting the size or build 🤷♂️ he played it perfectly and made it his own
Professor Moriarty was the first and best supervillain, imho-followed by Dracula and Fu Manchu. Donald Pleasance is my favorite Blofeld. All four characters have literary roots.
Blofeld being Bond's brother was...just...the most cliche, anti-Bond (thematically) thing they could ever do. I hated that so much. Made no sense at all. That being said, I think Charles Gray was my favorite Blofeld.
I just wanted to get off my chest how much I appreciate most of your videos. I rarely ever agree with you but I love the way in which you explain your choices. I can't *believe* your channel has so few subscribers, and I try to direct as many people as I can to it.
Good to see Charles Gray up near the top. He's my personal favourite (he is, as you say, camp and witty) but I accept you can make a decent argument for Pleasance and Dawson/Pohlmann.
And he actually had villainous plans, seemed like an untouchable head of the world's most dangerous and secret organization and wasn't James Bond's brother... These writers are the most amateurish hacks ever, how they are still being hired is beyond me. They should have been fired after The World is Not Enough, let alone Die Another Day.
1.) Donald Pleasance 2.) Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlman 3.) Telly Savalas 4.) Christoph Waltz 5.) John Hollis/Robert Rietty 6.) Charles Gray 7.) The unofficial Max Von Sydow
Diamonds are Forever was the film I watched the most as a kid. Charles Grey amuses the shit out of me. I like Donald Pleasence better but I still love Greys performance.
Awesome video as always! My top would be: 1) From Russia With Love & Thunderball 2) You Only Live Twice 3) On Her Majesty's Secret Service 4) For Your Eyes Only 5) SPECTRE 6) Diamonds Are Forever I've only seen Never Say Never Again once, so I can't really judge about Max :P
These old portrayals of Blofeld were surely good but my problem with those is that the character is played by a different actor each time. Even though not much time has passed between the movies. Salavas was very charismatic, Gray was okay, but Pleasence was simply the best as Blofeld - truly menacing and intimidating. In my op it'd be the best if all of pre-Crag era Blofeld portrayals were done by Pleasence so the contnuity is coherent and believable. Same thing with Sean Connery not being recasted by Lazenby (which turned out to be a mistake anyway). The thing I actually liked about Waltz's blofeld was that there was a continuity - he was not replaced by anyone as if it was some other character. In old Bond's this continuity is kinda vague, on the other hand. These movies can be interpreted as being relevant to each other as well as being treated entirely as stand-alones. Anyway, my only problem with Waltz's portrayal was that he was just not as menacing for some reason. His role in Inglorous Basterds may have been fine but for some reason Waltz's face is not very fitting for roles of villains. Or maybe it's done on purpose - he's got such an inconspcious face that nobody could expect him to be a leader of some really fearsome underground organization.
I think blofeld had to be played by Donald pressance to become so iconic, if they had done anything else, like cast another actor or remove the scar and give him hair, he wouldn’t have been so memorable
I don’t know how you could say that Charles Gray was better than Christoph Waltz because Charles Gray is easily the worst Blofeld ever. Dreadfully miscast!! For me it goes: 7. Charles Gray 6. John Hollis, Robert Rietty 5. Max von Sydow 4. Christoph Waltz 3. Anthony Dawson, Anthony pohlmann 2. Telly savalas 1. Donald Pleasance
I was watching the extra features on the 1979 Dracula Blu-ray and Frank Langella said that Donald Pleasence was a "Handkerchief actor". This meant that he would do things other than speaking on camera, most likely to give more personality to his character and also to get more on screen time. This would include blowing his nose in a handkerchief or eating a candies during after saying a line. This scar being an idea of his seems very much in character for him. Also, have you seen the the 1979 Dracula? There's actually a scene in it that was filmed by Maurice Binder in a very similar fashion to the opening bond titles he did.
Great video 1 On Her Majesty's Secret Service 2 From Russia With Love and Thuderball 3 You Only Live Twice 4 Diamonds Are Forever 5 Spectre 6 For Your Eyes Only 7 Never Say Never Again
I like Donald Pleasance the best because of the creep factor and his look. Charles Gray was the funniest, IMO. I was the most disappointed with Christoph Waltz. Also, John Hollis also played Lobot in The Empire Strikes Back!
That was how his character was written & directed. It is unfair to use his Rocky Horror performance against him because this was later, but I understand its popularity & why people associate him with this. He was very different in The Devil Rides Out, in which he gave quite a chilling performance as Mocata. This was made soon after You Only Live Twice so I can understand why they wanted to cast him in Diamonds are Forever.
Great analysis and I mostly agree. However for me hands down the best the Charles Gray. The man oozes class and has an understated menace. He had the range to build on the character more than screen-time allowed.
My favorite is Savalas, Great performance, presence and are in his movie throughout. Pleasance may be more iconic, but I find his acting a little stiff and he's only in YOLT at the end for about 15-20 mins. Gray and Waltz both miscasted and wasted, but maybe Waltz will be better in the No Time to Die
Pleasence is like paranoid scientist. I prefer him in the role of Henderson. Ηis murder would not be true - like Bond in Hong Kong - and in the volcano he would say that he is Blofeld's half brother.
I'm going to limit my list to actors who played Blofeld on their own. #5 Max Von Sydow...He was just there, nothing more to say about him, let's move on. #4 Charles Gray...Anyone who's seen "The Devil Rides Out" knows how sinister this man can be, so I'm convinced poor direction is to blame for his poor performance. #3 Telly Savalas...A great actor and a great villain, but he just wasn't right for Blofeld. However, were it not for him, we never would have gotten Clancy Brown as the best Lex Luthor. #2 Donald Pleasance...Cold, detached, and inhuman. Nothing about this man seems natural, he's a virtually emotionless sociopath. Those are the kinds of people you should be afraid of, the ones who aren't physically imposing, but you can tell there's just something very wrong with them. #1 Christoph Waltz...I'm sorry, but I don't think you're giving this Blofeld enough credit. His petty motives and the nonchalant ways he goes about his evil deeds make him scary to me, not pathetic as with some villains. He's a gleeful, high-functioning sociopath and the perfect foil to the psychologically damaged Bond. Being so smug and soft-spoken even after Bond scars him makes sense because he's still holding all the cards. Bond didn't take away anything that Blofeld can't replace, but Blofeld is so close to taking away someone else that Bond cares about that he can practically taste it, which is why he can't help but snicker as he presses the detonator. As for the "Finish it" scene, I like to think Blofeld was using some sort of reverse-psychology. There's something about villains you just can't figure out that fascinates me.
Where is a video: Blofeld's Cat: Worst to Best?
That poor cat in YOLT! At th-cam.com/video/8m0THkQ1MuQ/w-d-xo.html it looks like Hans is going to shoot it, to put it out of it's misery.
@@davidjames579
I've heard the poor cat was peeing over, and scratching the hell out of Donald Pleasance, with all the explosions!
@@paulrawes Supposedly it ran off and it took hours of searching the life size Volcano set to find it!
paul rawes you can see in YOLT when the explosives go off the cat goes all crazy
I think there was only one cat
Agree, the Blofeld in Spectre was a bit of a disappointment. The "Finish it!" part was quite 'non-Blofeld-like'. He should have offered Bond a delicatessen... in stainless steel. Very nice list Calvin!
+Ceterafan123 I'd have loved it if Spectre just ended with Blofeld offering Bond a delicastessen and he accepted and the end of the film was Bond opening up a butchers shop.
"We meat again, Mr Bond."
Peter Evans That's for the gay porno parody! 😂😂
My favorite will always be Telly Savalas not only because of his phyicality, but also due to the smug and sleazy smile on his face. Waltz, however, comes second on my list because he has to be the most psychotic Blofeld ever and I actually like the way they rewrote his backstory. Now it's really personal between him and Bond. I love Donald Pleasence and the "Please, let me kill you!" type of look in his eyes, but I find his Blofeld inferior to those of Savalas and Waltz.
@@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures "I'm cheeesed to see you, Blofeld"
While he was great as Scaramanga, I feel that Christopher Lee would have made a wonderful Blofeld and would have been a more natural successor to the Dawson/Polhmann duo.
Fleming wanted Lee to play Dr No. Certaintly with his booming voice, that was also capable of being chillingly quiet and in control, he was perfect. At least we got him as Scaramanga (who in the book is just a standard American gangster). In real life, Lee had lived like Bond during the war, being involved in dangerous missions for The SAS.
Sorry, I don't think Lee would work as Blofeld. He's sinister but too cool and collected. Also too tall and due to his similar deep voice and dark features wouldn't have played well off of Connery.
@Qasim Hussain Because he's too similar to Connery and arguably just as cool. Blofeld isn't supposed to be "sexy" necessarily. The only reason Telly Savalas worked as a sexier Blofeld in OYMSS is because George Lazenby's Bond was so un-sexy, especially in his undercover role when he was mostly interacting with Blofeld.
@@mikesteelheart in the books I think Blofeld is even taller than 007
@@davidjames579I thought Fleming wanted Lee to play Bond since they’re cousins in law
Calvin: “Ernst Stavro Blofeld is simply the most iconic villain in all of cinema”
I find your lack of faith disturbing.
How about another joke Calvin?
Long live the king
Your average teen nowadays probably doesn't even know who Blofeld is but thanks to merchandising and parodies everyone knows who Vader is. Also every generation has their own Joker.
i think he is right. he is the one most often copied and parodied
That quote came from Darth Vader
Donald Pleasance was the best Blofield.
Donald did the most to make it an iconic character.
Yes should have had another movie
@@Ben-km4qy apparently his agent told him to do only one. it was stupid to make blofeld an action character...he is the brains...not the brawn...savalas sucked
@@thewkovacs316 Really I thought EON didn't want him anymore.
Definitely but I also loved From Russia With Love
I think Waltz is creepy and menacing but underused in Spectre
He is not a physical match for Craig's Bond
+IMovie Makers I agree with you dude. I liked how Waltz had portrayed him with this disturbing domineer. But sadly like Belluci, he was underused and his back story/ motivation was just bad
The whole film was underused .
i feel he'll be back in Bond 25
Waltz is underappreciated.
Telly Savalas was the best by far. He was just a guy. His menace wasn’t in his scars. It was truly in his intimidating persona he displayed through his acting.
Agreed! Not only was Savalas a phenomenal actor, I think he read the book (OHMSS) to get insight into the part. It's pretty much how Fleming depicted Blofeld. If Pleasance had the same motivation and direction, he could have been great as well.
EH to me he was just Telly Sevalas being Telly. He is cool, but I just don't see him as Blofeld. Pleasance was a total transformation
@@lukesmale24 pleasance doesn't really seem as believable as a threatening boss to rosa klebb, largo and dr no.
Savalas was the worst ESB. Too American. Blofeld needed to be an aloof Euro-villain.
I agree. I also liked OHMSS, the Angels of Death, the lair, Blofeld being tough and fun. I know Lazenby is not great, but that movie is terrific
Totally agree with the whole "adopted brother thing". It sucked. Poor and constructed attempt at increased drama.
It made the Austin Powers movies more spot on for some reason for Bond movie parodies.
Reminded me of Goldmember 😂
I really like Donald Pleasance's psychotic take on Blofeld, but I really like Savalas' "Lex Luthor" style; he's one of the few Bond evil masterminds that also exudes a sense of physical menace. They really should be thought of as 2 separate villains, even though their characters share the same name. Charles Gray was way too much like someone's doddering old uncle. Waltz was good.
Waltz Is The Most Psychotic
The original design for Lex Luthor in Superman, the aimated series, was basically just an aimated version of Savalas Blofeld, but they changed it to resemble the aimated Luthor we know
I get you couldn't get past Savalas' accent, but Telly Savalas I feel made the character his own and different than Pleasance's character and portrayal. He added a sinister and menacing element to him and was truly Bond's match and adversary.
I like Savalas, also, but for sinister, I don't think he matches reptilian Pleasance's shrill, Hitlerian scream to "KILL BOND!"
Telly Savalas gave the character some personality and here is a fact for you when he first captures Bond and stands with against the wall and holds his cigarette in a cool way , check out his index finger . It malformed , he usually hides it but its small and crooked . Even Ian Fleming would like him in the cast in since in his novels most of the characters had deformities .
@@varanid9 Donald Pleasance also played Himmler, and had experience playing Nazi's in many films.
He was definitely better than Gray. LOL
My favorite part about Pleaseance's Blofeld is his relationships with his cat. At first, cat sits on his lap, and Blofeld strokes it. Then cat starts to hang like a ragdoll, as Blofel carries it around. Eventually, it tries to break free, as Blofeld obviously hurts it and holds against it's will. It speaks volume, that man is authoritarian and controlling even with his cat!
Great analysis!
I really like the Savalas Blofeld. He fits the description that's given in the books quite well. And you can believe him as the boss of Klebb, Kronsteen, Largo and all the other.
I dont see Pleasance scaring Klebb or being Largo's boss
Absolutely agree. That has always been my issue with Pleasance’s Blofeld. Savalas gave a much more grounded portrayal to his interpretation of the character, and you’re absolutely right that I can believe that villains like Dr. No, Rosa Klebb, and Largo would be afraid to fail him. I just could never see Largo being second in command to Pleasance’s Blofeld, but I could to without question envision Largo constantly having to be considered with failing Savalas’s Blofeld. You probably won’t agree with me and that’s okay, but even though I enjoy You Only Live Twice, I like to watch Thunderball and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service right after the other. I know that sounds idiotic, but for some reason I just think the films flow better that way than watching YOLT in between. It’s kind of like how if you read Fleming’s original novels in order of when they were published. It feels smoother to read Thunderball and OHMSS in that order, rather than read the book The Spy Who Loved Me, that was published in between those two novels.
@@cooperwolfe5478 I think Telly Savalas was the authentic, all-rounder Blofeld while Pleasance was just a mastermind.
Savalas represents a villain who can be both the brains and the muscle-like Adolfo Celi.
You gotta give Charles Gray credit, he at least knew he was making a bad movie, so he went all in on hamming it up
C'mon, Diamonds are Forever was not all that bad of a movie. I don't get why people hate it so much.
Charles Gray,He Portrays Blofeld, Camp, Tongue In Cheek, Laughing To Theatre Audiences Cartoonists To The Absurb.
@@martinpiekarski1512 Yeah, it wasn't necessarily bad, it was just rather campy. One negative thing I will say about DaF, though, is that it feels like a pretty underwhelming followup to OHMSS.
@@Traveler-VII But still entertaining in one way or another. But I'm not just talking about humorous elements of the movie. Anyway, OHMSS sure was a better movie but it could have been a lot better if few things were done differently. Overall, DAF feels like underwhelming sequel to OHMSS, whereas OHMSS feels like an underwhelming sequel to YOLT, which was like an almost perfect Bond movie.
@@martinpiekarski1512 neither do I. I also don't find Never Say Never Again to be bad, and think Brandauer is underrated as Largo.
My favorite is Savalas, easily.
Yeah, I agree. Telly had a sinister nature to him in the film. I think Waltz has the possibility to develop into a great Blofeld if he comes back.
Hands down , Telly put class in Blofled and made him more than a cartoon villain
savalas is definitely the best blofeld. waltz's blofeld is a petty, insecure brat with daddy issues. the character is completely neutered as any sort of menace. spectre ruined the flagship bond series villain.
totally agree for Savalas. manners are damn menacing
I agree. Telly Savalas looks like the type of mad genius who could run an international criminal empire. Smart, strong, and violent. The criminal who can kill people who fail him without blinking an eye. Donald Pleasence second. Charles Grey played Henderson in You Only Live Twice and he's badly miscast as Blofeld. He's the type of person people kill on their way to the top. Christoph Waltz has to deal with the whole Austin Powers/Tommy Smothers; 'Step-daddy liked you better' nonsence. The reason Jon Hollis offers Roger Moore a delicatessen in stainless steel is because Albert Brocelli read that real gangster gave his friends delicatessen and He thought it sounded good. It's one of the worst lines in the history of the cinema.
1. Telly Savalas, the Physical/Literary Blofeld
2. Donald Pleasence, the Classic Blofeld
3. Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann, the Mysterious Blofeld
4. Christoph Waltz, the Troll Blofeld
5. Max von Sydow, the Wasted Blofeld
6. Charles Gray, the Campy Blofeld
7. John Hollis/Robert Rietty, the Nameless Blofeld
Nice listing. I also think Savalas has to be first, because he really acts like a psychopath. Donald Pleasance is a little over the top, which suits the film he is in, but is not the best portrayal of Blofeld as Bond's arch enemy.
Word! I second your notion, sir.
Trollfeld
I would put Max von Sydow above Christoph Waltz, based on charisma and sinister vibes. Waltz really was a letdown, while Sydow was brilliant as always.
Donald Pleasance and the Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlmann incarnations are actually tied for me.
The Dawson/Pohlmann Blofeld just had this air of mystery about him, with that deep, intelligent voice and the fact that he was never seen besides the lower half of his body (and we musn't forget the cat) and a hint of slicked back hair. Like Calvin says, it's kept mainly up to your imagination, which is what gives him an edge. This is the incarnation that inspired Doctor Claw from Inspector Gadget, for Chrissakes!
But when Blofeld needed to finally be shown, Donald Pleasance was more than satisfactory. Sure, he probably didn't look like what we were expecting, and he had a change in voice, but that's the genius of the character; he's a chameleon of a mastermind in the novels (taken up to eleven in DAF), always changing his appearance to take someone off-guard, and Pleasance certainly took us all off-guard with his light German accent and the dueling scar. I wish that they'd produced the films in such an order that MAYBE Pleasance could've been in at least one more film, but that probably would've been asking too much.
Has anyone ever noticed how Dr No in the Spider Room scene is like a precursor to Blofeld, in that we don't see him, only hear his threatening inhuman voice? Funnily enough he's terrifying Anthony Dawson, who'd switch places with that a year later.
At the moment I am reading Thunderball the book where Blofeld and SPECTRE make their first appearance. Blofeld was a Pole who sold secrets to the Nazis before they invaded Poland and he fled to Turkey for sanctuary where he offered them his scientific abilities. When the Nazis were losing the war Blofeld took the advantage and joined the Allies to make a name for himself.
Is Calvin wearing a SPECTRE ring?
Is Calvin a member of SPECTRE?
;-)
+joel1975 Is Calvin actually Blofeld? Somebody donate him a swivel chair and a cat.
He’s too much of an English Twit
@@colindoyle6130 You're just butthurt that you don't own the delicatessen... In stainless steel!
@@HOTD108_ I dont listen to the opinions of gun loving rapists
Think one could say Darth Vader is more iconic
yeah can't Blofeld is the most in ALL of cinema. Tha'ts a wde range of films.
Dr. Evil made Blofeld almost as iconic.
not really
I immediately thought that.
Tyrel J. Star wars will never die
Waltz's Blofeld didn't dedicate his life to pissing off Bond. He dedicated his life to SPECTRE. He created the organisation and masterminded the plans of the previous three movies and Bond happened to stumble into them. So Blofeld just took the opportunity to mess with him; he didn't create SPECTRE specifically with Bond in mind. After all, the Nine Eyes plan was just a good old take over the world scheme- not aimed directly at Bond. Although, I also do not agree with the "Finish it" bit.
+Alan Sunter Thank you for mentioning that! :D
I disagree, Alan. I thought the "Finish it" part worked quite well _for Daniel Craig's incarnation_. Blofeld was daring Bond to kill him in a moment of rage, but Bond took the upper hand and refused to let that grief and anger define him.
Also, it tied in with the "A license to kill is also a license *not* to kill" speech from earlier.
Nicholas Tosoni My whole issue is that Blofeld's character doesn't fit that line. He's supposed to try and survive at all costs and avoid coming face-to-face with Bond. By trying to goad Bond into using his license to kill, he becomes a different character.
On top of that, Waltz is bland. His performance is flat and the script doesn't give him anything to work with. Waltz as a villain should be like he was in Inglorious Bastards. I'm not saying he should be the same, but a Blofeld as menacing as that should work.
Alan Sunter I've always felt messing with bond was just a side benefit
That'd be fine except that Craig's character kills thugs left and right. The only time a licence to kill is a licence not to kill is when dealing with innocents, or people who could be useful later.
And even then, the last time Bond killed a lead(Patrice in Casino Royale), the most he got from M was "well that sucks".
There should be absolutely no consequences for Craig, moral or otherwise, from killing Blofeld.
Charles *_JUST A JUMP TO THE LEFT_* Gray
Place your hands on your hips.
YES!! He was by far the best. Good man.
AND PULL YOUR KNEES IN TII-IIGHTT!!!
Thank you! Finally someone admitted that this "adopted brother thing" sucks. I hated the whole movie because of it. Sir Ian Fleming never write something like this. Why they wanna change the past of Bond. They should not mess with the legacy. Same goes for the new "Star Trek Films" as well.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaam Calvin back at it again with the great content!! Lol, love to see the TWO videos, you're really treating us this month.
Telly was my favorite Blofeld, I even mimic the way he smokes a cigarette!
Personally, I think Christoper Lee could have been a great Blofeld for You Only Live Twice. His physique is closer to Dawson, and he has deep voice.
"It won't be the nicotine that kills you Mr Bond"- Lee delivering that line would send shivers down your spine!
@David James sure.
@@davidjames579 Lee delivering nearly any line could do that. Imagine receiving an order of coffee from him. lol
@@Maximillian200HP "One Skinny Latte, was it?"
He was too tall and he would be ridiculous as a begging Blofeld.
As much I enjoyed Charles Gray as Blofeld my favourite performance of his was as Mycroft Holmes alongside Jeremy Brett as Sherlock in the ITV series. I also loved Gray's parting line in "The Devil Rides Out" : "I shall not be back....but something will".
My favourite Blofeld will always be Donald Pleasence. He was the first Blofeld I saw and since he was the first Blofeld, I see him as the best Blofeld.
And he did it with not a lot of screen time.
I LOOOOVE Telly Savalas as Blofeld. He was physically and ethnically a perfect match for who Fleming described. Not only that, he exuded an animalistic power, the casual arrogance of an apex predator, that none of the other actors seemed to be able to match. This Blofeld fought Bond 1 on 1 and all but defeated him. He also killed Tracy, the only woman Bond truly ever loved, hence he's the Bond villain who inflicted the most emotional trauma on Bond. His full baritone has all the menace of the first appearances of Blofeld in FRWL and Thunderball. Savalas truly brought something special to the character.
12:11 A scar so terrifying even the cat wants to get the hell away from him.
telly savalas or donald pleasence ... both brilliant
I thought Waltz's performance was great. I think it's a good change to the character as the newer movies are more serious.
While not completely book accurate (he still looks very different, for example), Savalas' Blofeld comes the closest to how Blofeld is portrayed in the books. He's not just an over-the-top mastermind, he's actually a rather charming-yet-intimidating man with a real physical presence who's a true match for Bond in every way. It's the only screen portrayal of Blofeld where he felt like a true nemesis to Bond. A Moriarty to Bond's Holmes
While Im not saying Constance's version was bad, he just felt rather--not sure if "hammy" is the right word, but he felt rather like a cartoon character by comparison to both the book and OHMSS portrayals of Blofeld. He didnt feel like a true nemesis to Bond in the way that book or Savalas's Blofeld did
Telly Savalas. A memorable performance.
I liked Donald Pleasant's nasty, monocle shaped scar, but you gotta love Charles, "a man in search of a neck," Gray.
I think blofield in Spectre was the best
I study psychology and u have no idea how many cases I see where the most disturbed people, remain calm while having a mental break and not even kidding 75% of all mental cases are caused with either a childhood tragedy or mother or father issues. And blofield plan in this film would have to be the most realistic.
psychology is bullshit science.
@@centralprocessingunit2564 Bullshit
@@randallrutherford1384 yep
I disagree completely, he sucks!
Great review Calvin. I absolutely agree. Especially with your No 1. Blofeld is so much more frightening if his appearance is left to our imagination. He also always should be ahead of the film's villains Bond has to fight against. He also should not be in the center of the film but giving instructions to the villains in the beginning.
My view eggsactly!
I think Mark Strong would make a great Blofeld. He rocks the bald look, he can play villain, physically very fit and has played various nationalities and ethnicities in other films e.g. Arabs, Italians and South Africans. His family background is Italian and Austrian and grew up in the UK.
What i like about Donald Pleasance's Blofeld is he rarely or never blinks
OHMSS is the most underrated Bond film of all time imo. First Bond to have any sort of emotional depth/ vulnerability. Beautiful visuals and stellar actions sequences, chases etc.
Donald Pleasence is brilliant. His Heinrich Himmler in Eagle Has Landed was genuinely terrifying. Partly because what I'd already known about that limping psychopath, but, damn, Pleasence did that part justice and a half.
That said, I agree, the obscured Bofeld is the best.
in spectre he says "i am ernst stavro blofeld" in such a non- chilling voice he sounds like a kid
'I am the milky bar kid'
Definetly Donald Pleasence! The way he acts in this role in YOLT is just stunning! He was the one who gave the supervillain a face! He only got few screen time! Much to less! But the way he managed to introduce Ernst Stavro Blofeld is totally perfect! His Ernst Stavro Blofeld is the totally perfect completion! Face => perfect! Especially the way he is looking towards Bond or his subordinates is perfectly menacing, threatening, creepy , eerie, supernatural, terrifying, megalomaniacal, superhuman, pure evil (beyond a human being's ability to be only evil in every manner), selfish, self-centered, self-seeking and all these characteristics he is perfectly showing off with his view and with his calm but anytime sinister voice! His style is perfect as well wearing this gorgeous, noble, beige, tailor-made designer pantsuit out of pure noble-silk. This pantsuit is perfectly elegant with its narrow pants and the chic high-collared blazer with these five stylish nacre-buttons closing the blazer up to Blofeld's neck. His masterplan is also totally perfect and completely megalomaniac! Taking over Space-command by hijacking American and Soviet Space ships to bring extreme hostility between these two countries and thereby evoking and perfectly inaugurating a war that will cause an unstable world situation with a huge lack of power - mainly financed by primitive double-crossed and subsequently extorted Red China that is totally exploited by the ingenious masterplan of Ernst Stavro Blofeld to unite the almighty potency to himself! Afterwards it will be Ernst Stavro Blofeld who will perfectly use the gained mightiness and force to increase his own potency to immensity and thereby Ernst Stavro Blofeld will become almighty and transforming himself to become the embodiment of the new super-power dominating the wortd!
I know it's over the top! But who - if not the world's most ingenious megalomaniac and greatest supervillain ever - will then be a being that obesses over power and domination so much to become "over the top"?! And Donald Pleasence embodies such a supernatural supervillain totally perfect in every manner so his portrayal of Ernst Stavro Blofeld resembles the flawless completion of the greatest and most ingenious supervillain of any times! Not only in the Bond franchise!
I always loved Donald Pleasance as Blofeld, but growing older I've started leaning more towards the Telly Savalas and Faceless Blofelds. A part of me wishes they had followed up on the Dawson/Pohlmann take by matching the characters physical description. But one could think that in the aftermath of operation Thunderball, Blofeld received a horrible plastic surgery attempt that left him the scar, and ended up shaving his hair off. I always thought the Faceless Blofeld would look like a Cary Grant looking male, with his smoothe voice and all.
I'm sure he threw the plastic surgeon into his piranha pool
I think Telly Savalas’ Blofield was my favorite. I liked the idea of Blofield being a liar and con about his history and pedigree, the gangster with a thin sophisticated accent seeking to be seen as European aristocracy. A lead villain happy to have his minions deal with problems, so he can work in the lab himself, but having the physicality to take on Bond mono e mono if necessary and with sufficient back-up. On the surface he was just charming enough, but his threatening barbs still were made plain and his willingness to kill or sacrifice his own was unquestionably demonstrated.
Nice video. One thing I've always wondered is why 'Swiss clinic' Blofeld doesn't recognise James Bond as Bray. They'd only recently met in his volcano lair in Japan.
It was the glasses. Sort of like Lois Lane could never figure out Clark Kent was Superman b/c Clark wore glasses.
12:14 cat going ABSOLUTELY MENTAL.
"He WOULD HAVE been me in a matter of days if you'd given the poor fellow a chance."
You Only Live Twice is my favorite "old" Bond movie and I love Donald Pleasance in it!
For me Telly Savalas is the best Blofeld. On top of being the only Blofeld that could pose a physical threat to Bond, he's also incredibly suave and menacing.
I'm guessing they did re-writes to suit Charles Gray [and maybe some of the characters writing is left over from the 'Goldfinger's twin brother' idea] but the 'Diamonds' Blofeld certainly feels 'in name only' and is best viewed as a separate character as he is so different from any other portrayal.
1.Donald Pleasence
2.Telly Savalas
3.Charles Gray
4.Christoph Waltz
Telly Savalas was the ultimate Blofeld, in fact he was best part of OHMMS and why I still love watching that movie to this day. Donald Pleasance was creepy good, but he hardly had any screen time. I'm glad they rebooted the Blofeld Character, even if they did turn him into some 90's emo with abandonement issues, and I hated that he got arrested at the end of SPECTRE. I hope they find some way to make him into a real blofeld in the next Bond movie.
I totally agree with your top pick - the unseen blofeld was the best one. Donald Pleasance definitely did not live up to the image that was implied by the unseen blofeld. You know who could have lived up to that image- Christopher Lee. They eventually cast him as Francisco Scaramanga, but they should have cast him as the original Blofeld.
I love Savala's Blofeld! Absolutely adore him. On the other side of the spectrum (no pun intended) I put Gray's, I just can't stand his Blofeld.
Donald Pleasance is my favourite. Even though the actor was British, the accent was done perfectly by him
1. Kojak
2. Faceless
3. Pleasence
4. Von Sydow
5. Gray
6. Waltz
7. Delicatessen
Telly's accent doesn't bother me, and I actually really like the idea that Blofeld is a glorified thug behind all the smoke and mirrors. I might have ranked Doctor Loomis over Dawson if Pohlmann had dubbed Donald for most of the movie (implying that ol' Ernst was using a voice modifier on his mic to sound more intimidating). Despite not having much of a presence in NSNA, Max never slips into bad territory, and he physically matches Dawson more closely than his predecessors did.
I love the Criminologist as much as anyone, but he was an embarrassment after the wife-murdering Savalas. Waltz was mostly hampered by the idiotic decisions regarding his backstory, identity, and motivations, but even without those problems, I still wouldn't stick him higher than fourth place. And even Doctor Evil is a more legitimate take on Blofeld than that farce of a character in FYEO (but that silly line does make for a good in-joke among fans).
I like your naming system
Yeah Pleasance literally stares into your soul
Where's Dr. Evil?
6: For Your Eyes Only
5: Never Say Never Again
4: Diamonds Are Forever
3: Spectre
2: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
1: You Only Live Twice
I just find Donald Pleasance's appearance more iconic and memorable, but that doesn't mean I don't love Telly Savalas' appearance as Blofeld!
When reading the book description of Blofeld in Thunderball, I imagine him looking like Brian Dennehey in First Blood. He is meant to be huge, and a former weightlifter. And in the YOLT book, he is strong enough to give Bond a hard fight physically.
I think you nailed it, I completely agree with your order.
1. From Russia With Love & Thunderball
2. You Only Live Twice
3. Spectre
4. Diamonds Are Forever
5. On Her Majesty's Secret Service
6. For Your Eyes Only
7. Never Say Never Again
+BookyReviewZola We have a pretty similar list! Apart from Spectre of course ;)
+Calvin Dyson | James Bond Reviewer I think I like Waltz's Blofeld more than others because I just love Christolph Waltz.
From Russia with Love: DECOY. Thunderball: DECOY. On Her Majesty's Secret Service: DECOY. Diamonds Are Forever: DECOY. The Spy Who Loved Me: DECOY. For Your Eyes Only: DECOY. Never Say Never Again: DECOY. *SPECTRE: LEGIT - THE REAL DEAL.*
1. Telly Savalas/Donald Pleasance/Dawson/Pohlmann
2. Charles Gray
3. Christoph Waltz (brilliant actor, and does what he can with the material, but for god's sake - what a way to **** a character up! Giving a personal connection to Bond completely undermined the essence of both Bond and Blofeld.
I do hope they do more with Blofeld in the Craig movies. To be fair, it was a nice base to start things up on.
Yep, I would love to see Waltz's Blofeld having more development as a character.
but Daniel Craig has resigned
yep
All rumors right now. The movie has actually been delayed for 2018 because they really want to convince him to stay.
I hope he sucks it up and does. We just need one more from him. Now that Blofeld has been introduced, we can dedicate a whole movie to his battle with Bond and finally get the perfect Blofeld that we have yet to have.
! thanks
Don't ask me why I delayed comment until now. Eric Pohlmann was my father. Of course I knew about his appearances as Blofeld. For years, I would tell the story that they saved money by using his voice, needing only an unknown as the unidentified body. So I was mightily surprised to be told that they had used Anthony Dawson, a name.
Not quite sure why they chose not to use my father's body. It certainly suited his voice better. Perhaps it was too large for the lens.
Who was the best Blofeld? Well, I might have chosen Donald Pleasance. He was sinister; his small frame was part of that whole image. And he was a personal friend of ours. So he would get my vote...if I were not Eric Pohlmann's son. Check out 'Frau in Weiss', a terrific German production of 'Wilkie Collins 'Woman in White'. My father played the role of Count Fosco. He was exceptional. Some liked to say that Collins had my father in mind for the part, despite living 100 years before. Fosco is considered the first mafia character in literature. He was charming, yet sinister. While stroking white mice that accompanied him everywhere, he would have no trouble plotting evil.
White cats and mice.
I vote Eric Pohlmann.
10:58 Doctor Loomis, is that you? Did you come back? Did you come back from the ground mausoleum?
I always had a theory about Diamonds.
The real Blofield isn’t in the film, instead these are all of his decoy’s. While the real fella is off recovering from his broken neck, he’s sent in his decoys to finish the work. Bond being on “holiday” was supposed to be his honeymoon but obviously THAT happened and he spent the whole holiday tracking down who he thought was Blofield.
That’s my headcannon to make the transition from OHMSS to Diamonds work better and later FYEO.
Disappointed Savalas is at 4 but number 1 is an inspired choice, totally agree with it. Flemings description of Blofelds appearance in the books changes a lot, he goes from, ''20 stone with a black crew cut'' to ''thin with long silver hair'', quite the shapeshifter, so Charles Grey dressing in drag is quite uncannily close to his vision... Well maybe not. lol
+Sean Brosnan interesting that the description changed from book to book! I didn't know that.
@@calvindyson Maybe Blofeld, like The Dread Pirate Roberts or Zorro, is actually several people. And so can never die. Blofeld Codename Theory!
Donald Pleasence, Charles Gray, Telly Savalas, Anthony Dawson, Max Von Sydow, Christoph Waltz. I would have preferred Henry Blofeld to Christoph Waltz but overall Charles Gray is a marmite Blofeld but I like him. He’s witty and charming.
the best Blofeld? Dr. Evil, of course!
I get what your saying about the lack of identity being better... but for me, now I’ve seen pleasence in the role, anytime I rewatch the ones where blofeld is kept hidden, I see pleasences blofeld despite him not fitting the size or build 🤷♂️ he played it perfectly and made it his own
Donald was simply the best and Waltz was simply the worse!
Professor Moriarty was the first and best supervillain, imho-followed by Dracula and Fu Manchu. Donald Pleasance is my favorite Blofeld. All four characters have literary roots.
Blofeld being Bond's brother was...just...the most cliche, anti-Bond (thematically) thing they could ever do. I hated that so much. Made no sense at all.
That being said, I think Charles Gray was my favorite Blofeld.
Why people hate it that much? Just curious, i didnt like it that much but its not that terrible imo
@@mariogv4083, it's pretty cliche that in a spy thriller, the big bad guy terrorist ends up being James Bond's brother.
Donald pleasence is by far the best Blofeld, he even continued acting as Blofeld even after being scratched by the cat 20 times. Now that’s commitment
Lol
The producers admitted that Charles Gray was utterly miscast.
"You only live once mr bond" this line...I can't find it in the movie.
I have not hated any video, keep up the good work Calvin
+Tommy Barlow Quite the compliment! Thanks, Tommy!
+Calvin Dyson | James Bond Reviewer 👍
+Calvin Dyson | James Bond Reviewer wouldn't you agree, you would shoot Blofeld at the end of Spectre? Calvin it's up to you, I would because OHMSS, 😐
I just wanted to get off my chest how much I appreciate most of your videos. I rarely ever agree with you but I love the way in which you explain your choices. I can't *believe* your channel has so few subscribers, and I try to direct as many people as I can to it.
Mabye Bond has a secret love of coleslaw.
+Harry Noke Everyone knows that 007 is a quiche man.
Good to see Charles Gray up near the top. He's my personal favourite (he is, as you say, camp and witty) but I accept you can make a decent argument for Pleasance and Dawson/Pohlmann.
05:54 He would probably offer him a delicatessen in stainless steel.
Yup...the best Blofeld was the one we never saw. He was calm, cold and collected.
And he actually had villainous plans, seemed like an untouchable head of the world's most dangerous and secret organization and wasn't James Bond's brother... These writers are the most amateurish hacks ever, how they are still being hired is beyond me. They should have been fired after The World is Not Enough, let alone Die Another Day.
1.) Donald Pleasance
2.) Anthony Dawson/Eric Pohlman
3.) Telly Savalas
4.) Christoph Waltz
5.) John Hollis/Robert Rietty
6.) Charles Gray
7.) The unofficial Max Von Sydow
Diamonds are Forever was the film I watched the most as a kid. Charles Grey amuses the shit out of me. I like Donald Pleasence better but I still love Greys performance.
Awesome video as always!
My top would be:
1) From Russia With Love & Thunderball
2) You Only Live Twice
3) On Her Majesty's Secret Service
4) For Your Eyes Only
5) SPECTRE
6) Diamonds Are Forever
I've only seen Never Say Never Again once, so I can't really judge about Max :P
These old portrayals of Blofeld were surely good but my problem with those is that the character is played by a different actor each time. Even though not much time has passed between the movies. Salavas was very charismatic, Gray was okay, but Pleasence was simply the best as Blofeld - truly menacing and intimidating. In my op it'd be the best if all of pre-Crag era Blofeld portrayals were done by Pleasence so the contnuity is coherent and believable. Same thing with Sean Connery not being recasted by Lazenby (which turned out to be a mistake anyway). The thing I actually liked about Waltz's blofeld was that there was a continuity - he was not replaced by anyone as if it was some other character. In old Bond's this continuity is kinda vague, on the other hand. These movies can be interpreted as being relevant to each other as well as being treated entirely as stand-alones. Anyway, my only problem with Waltz's portrayal was that he was just not as menacing for some reason. His role in Inglorous Basterds may have been fine but for some reason Waltz's face is not very fitting for roles of villains. Or maybe it's done on purpose - he's got such an inconspcious face that nobody could expect him to be a leader of some really fearsome underground organization.
Telly Savalas was my favorite.
I think blofeld had to be played by Donald pressance to become so iconic, if they had done anything else, like cast another actor or remove the scar and give him hair, he wouldn’t have been so memorable
I don’t know how you could say that Charles Gray was better than Christoph Waltz because Charles Gray is easily the worst Blofeld ever. Dreadfully miscast!!
For me it goes:
7. Charles Gray
6. John Hollis, Robert Rietty
5. Max von Sydow
4. Christoph Waltz
3. Anthony Dawson, Anthony pohlmann
2. Telly savalas
1. Donald Pleasance
I was watching the extra features on the 1979 Dracula Blu-ray and Frank Langella said that Donald Pleasence was a "Handkerchief actor". This meant that he would do things other than speaking on camera, most likely to give more personality to his character and also to get more on screen time. This would include blowing his nose in a handkerchief or eating a candies during after saying a line. This scar being an idea of his seems very much in character for him. Also, have you seen the the 1979 Dracula? There's actually a scene in it that was filmed by Maurice Binder in a very similar fashion to the opening bond titles he did.
Great video
1 On Her Majesty's Secret Service
2 From Russia With Love and Thuderball
3 You Only Live Twice
4 Diamonds Are Forever
5 Spectre
6 For Your Eyes Only
7 Never Say Never Again
I like Donald Pleasance the best because of the creep factor and his look. Charles Gray was the funniest, IMO. I was the most disappointed with Christoph Waltz.
Also, John Hollis also played Lobot in The Empire Strikes Back!
where's Dr evil?
I think you've summed up my liking for Charles Gray. I wouldn't say he was my favourite Blofeld, but I always really liked his portrayal.
That was how his character was written & directed. It is unfair to use his Rocky Horror performance against him because this was later, but I understand its popularity & why people associate him with this. He was very different in The Devil Rides Out, in which he gave quite a chilling performance as Mocata. This was made soon after You Only Live Twice so I can understand why they wanted to cast him in Diamonds are Forever.
Great analysis and I mostly agree. However for me hands down the best the Charles Gray. The man oozes class and has an understated menace. He had the range to build on the character more than screen-time allowed.
Hugely enjoyable, thank you!
Thank YOU for watching :D
My favorite is Savalas, Great performance, presence and are in his movie throughout. Pleasance may be more iconic, but I find his acting a little stiff and he's only in YOLT at the end for about 15-20 mins. Gray and Waltz both miscasted and wasted, but maybe Waltz will be better in the No Time to Die
Donald Pleasence was undoubtedly the best, brilliant actor, piercing eyes, legendary voice. Everything you need in a villainous character!!
Pleasence is like paranoid scientist. I prefer him in the role of Henderson. Ηis murder would not be true - like Bond in Hong Kong - and in the volcano he would say that he is Blofeld's half brother.
I'm going to limit my list to actors who played Blofeld on their own.
#5 Max Von Sydow...He was just there, nothing more to say about him, let's move on.
#4 Charles Gray...Anyone who's seen "The Devil Rides Out" knows how sinister this man can be, so I'm convinced poor direction is to blame for his poor performance.
#3 Telly Savalas...A great actor and a great villain, but he just wasn't right for Blofeld. However, were it not for him, we never would have gotten Clancy Brown as the best Lex Luthor.
#2 Donald Pleasance...Cold, detached, and inhuman. Nothing about this man seems natural, he's a virtually emotionless sociopath. Those are the kinds of people you should be afraid of, the ones who aren't physically imposing, but you can tell there's just something very wrong with them.
#1 Christoph Waltz...I'm sorry, but I don't think you're giving this Blofeld enough credit. His petty motives and the nonchalant ways he goes about his evil deeds make him scary to me, not pathetic as with some villains. He's a gleeful, high-functioning sociopath and the perfect foil to the psychologically damaged Bond. Being so smug and soft-spoken even after Bond scars him makes sense because he's still holding all the cards. Bond didn't take away anything that Blofeld can't replace, but Blofeld is so close to taking away someone else that Bond cares about that he can practically taste it, which is why he can't help but snicker as he presses the detonator. As for the "Finish it" scene, I like to think Blofeld was using some sort of reverse-psychology. There's something about villains you just can't figure out that fascinates me.