Bond Villains of the 1970's - and their Henchmen

As the 70's began the shock of Bond not winning outright was the shock which started the decade when Telly Savalas' Blofeld brought a crule blow to Bond by killing his wife. This meant that a new level of villain would have to emerge, and equally a more interesting strain of minion.

In 1971 this started with a surprise. George Lazenby had let Hubris go to his head and the Bond Producers, Albert R. Brocolli and Harry Saltzman, had to go back to Sean Connery - who in turn greatly inflated his fee to appear (the irony being he donated the entire sum to a charity close to his heart). Blofeld had to re-appear but Telly Savalas was preparing for the role which would define his career.

Diamonds Are Forever

The role of Blofeld was offered to Charles Gray. He had previously appeared in You Only Live Twice as a contact for Bond who met an untimely end.

His stocky look and manner led him to become a character actor. His main breakthrough role was in the epic thriller "Night of the Generals" but he had also built up a good portfolio on Television. He also appeared in The Rocky Horror Picture Show and many other films. He also acted as the vocal double for Jack Hawkins, whose voicebox had been removed due to cancer. He also ended up playing Myecroft Holmes both in cinema adaptations of Sherlock Holmes. His calm diffident but also witty presence added a curiously camp but also effective villainous touch to Blofeld. Far from being a snarling villain he portrayed Blofeld as a man who wanted to do what he was planning and had no inkling that he was doing anything wrong and that the presence of Bond was an inconvenience and irritation - while all the time retaining a level of politeness as if he held all the cards. He died at the age of 70

The voice-changer featured in the film is now something which can be added to a modern mobile phone for pranks.

But necessary to his operations where the actions and activities of two assassins whose tone and presence reflected a new realisation and dry wit - Mr Wint and Mr Kidd. They portrayed the first openly gay characters in the Bond Films with a bickering and also close relationship while never looking camp. Their murderous trail stretching form South Africa where they committed their crimes with a sense of irony and joy as if they were merely playing pranks on the poor victims.

Mr Wint was portrayed by Bruce Glover. He had often played villains on television and went on to play some memorable parts in classic films like Chinatown and Hard Times. He is also the father of the actor Crispin Glover. He is still with us.

Mr Kidd was played by the Jazz Musician Patrick Verne "Putter" Smith. He was spotted by the Director, Guy Hamilton and invited to play the part. The fact he looks the very antithesis of a hitman being overweight and with a decidedly unfeline grace. But they definitely added a layer of character and interest to what could easily have been dismissed as minor throwaway characters.

Live and Let Die

Live and Let Die was the introduction of Roger Moore as James Bond. The changing and emerging technologies being reflected by James Bond showing of the first digital watch many of us had ever seen.

The film reflected many changes which were emerging in cinema regarding censorship and the portrayal of the realities of life in inner-city New York. These realities actually caused the production some exensive problems as they had to pay protection money to ensure the filming took place.

The main villain was played by the young actor Yaphet Kotto who as only 33 when filming commenced. In one way he had to play two parts. That of "Mr Big", the head of Harlem's drug syndicate and a person not to be crossed and that of the Prime Minister of the small Island of San Monique. The film highlighted the difference in power dynamics between major gangsters and polticians when bond found that there appeared to be a connection between Mr Big and Dr Kananga when he asked Felix Leiter about what would Dr Kananga be doing with Mr Big and Feliex responded "What would Mr Big want with a 2-bit Island Leader". Yaphet Kotto played the part with a nuanced intelligence which gave a three-dimensional edge to his scenes with Jane Seymour.

Kananga had a whole slew of fascinating minions who all had their own ways of acting ad were memorable not for their violence but their free-wheeling way of living. But we shall concentrate on the most fascinating - Baron Samedi, a voodoo shaman whose hypnotic and lithe presence found its mark brilliantly. Played by Geoffrey Holder you felt this character was genuinely magical. His first appearance was in the pre-title sequence where he assassinated a british agent by handling a snake in a dazzling voodoo ceremony The next time he is introduced as entertainment "for you wonderful people!".

The film played with your expectations when you think Bond has shot Baron Samedi as Baron Samedi's eyes look up at the hole in his head - only for you to find the real Baron is still very much alive. In his fight with Bond he is despatched by being pushed into a coffin filled with snakes.

Geoffrey Holder was not primarily an actor but a Dancer who had danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. He was also the brother of Boscoe Holder who had appeared in Dr No. He appeared in many films often made in the UK. He also won a Tony Award for directing "The Wiz" 1975. He left us in 2014 at the age of 84.

But we are left with the mystery - Did Baron Samedi die - as his is the face and laugh we see at the end of the film.

The Man With The Golden Gun

The Man With The Golden Gun was the last film to be made under the partnership of Albert R Broccoli and Hary Saltzman. The plot involved the oil crisis and the obtaining of the Solx Converter, a device which made solar power a viable alternative to fossil fuels. The producrs picked someone who had originally been in the running to pay Dr No and who had the advantage of being related by Marriage to the Ian Fleming. The tall, elegant, polyglot who had created a niche in horror - Christopher Lee.

In real life Christopher Lee had worked for SOE in the second world war but had never discussed his activities.

The character Lee played was Francisco Scaramanga, a hit man whose price was $1million per shot His specialism was that no one knew what he looked like as he worked via his middle-man, Nick Nack, more about him later.

Bond has been assigned to go after the Solex Agitator after receiving a gold bullet with his number on it. He traces the source of the bullet to a specialist armourer, where he finds out a consignment of gold bullets are to be delivered. He eventually finds the trail leads to a highly placed gangster called Hai Fat, whereupon he tries to impersonate Scaramanga - not realising Hai Fat is already in league with Scaramanga. Scaramanga establishes who has betrayed him to Bond and despatches them from a distance. When Bond goes to Scaramanga's island he is treated like a guest and given a tour of the facilities including an advanced power station based on the Solex Converter. When Scaramanga outlines that he wants to go against Bond as a duel, a competition to see who is the better man. Bond is taken to a huge maze of vsrious threatening targets designed to disorientate. The ensuing denoument ends when Scaramanga fails to realise his mannequin of Bond has magically grown back two fingers and is despatched.

Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee could have had multiple careers. He spoke over 7 Languages, had an operatic singing voice and had an impressive war record working on many operations which are still classified. He found going back to working in an office after what his war had been like was not what he wanted to do. He took up acting starting with Two Cities films, making his first appearance in 1947. He went on to appear in many films in the early 1950's playing small roles, often foreign military personnel in films like "Captain Horatio Hornblower", "The Crimson Pirate" and "Moulin Rouge". When he started working for Hammer Films he truly hit his stride culminating in his portrayal of Dracula which he commenced in 1959 and continued until the early 1970's. He worked constantly on films and television, including having a sword fight with Errol Flynn for television - and late in life had the luck to appear in the Star wars Franchise, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. His energetic fight with Yoda was a real highlight. The year before he died at the age of 93 he got a single into the German Heavy Metal Charts.

Scaramanga's minion, Nick Nack was portrayed by the French Dwarf actor, Herve Villechaise. His portrayal was that of an impish, venal, amoral, greedy and frustrated emmanuensis willing to do anything his employer told him to do on the grounds that if his employer died he would inherit everything. The first time he is seen he is bringing an old chicago gangster in to kill Scaramanga, which to Scaramanga's enjoyment and amusement, is taken to the Maze to carry out the operation, which he fails to do. The first time Bond sees Nick Nack he is eating a snack looking at himself on a tv screen. When Bod sees his quarry has been shot he notices Nick Nack over the body, unaware that Nick Nick has extracted the Golden Bullet.

When Bond lands on the island Nick Nack is there to greet him with a bottle of champagne - Scaramanga then humiliates Nick Nack by shoorting the cork off thereby spraying him with champagne.

When Scaramanga has been killed and the power facility has been set into an explosive chain reaction thereby destroying the island, Nick Nack hides on Scaramanga's Junk to extract his revenge on Bond. As the fight ensues Bond manages to disarm and capture Nck Nack and stows him in the crows nest for the final shot.

The Man With the Golden Gun represented Herve Villechaize's big break although he had been working in low budget films since 1966. For 6 years from 1977 to 1983 he also worked on Fanatasy Island with Ricardo Montalban.. He continued to make appearances and cameos until shortly before his death from Suicide He had been suffering severe chronic pain from his internal organs being compressed inside his body due to his small stature.

The Spy Who Loved Me

The Spy Who Loved Me marked a return to the big bond films of old and the first bond film to be filmed in Panavision in 6 year. The story returned to the mad megalomaniac who wanted to take over the world. The opening stunt has rarely been bettered and has even been parodied by the Queen herself. The skiing stuntwork still holds and the car chases were fast and new. The special effects were gloriously executed by Derek Meddings and the Malta Tank has rarely been so excellently utilised. The Model of the Icarus was 100 feet long.

And then there was the set - the biggest sound stage in the world was created and opened by Harold Wilson, even the fake submarines, although one third the size of a true nuclear submarine were still larger than U-Boats. Nothing on this film was small. Even the pyramids were used for the sequence where the chief minion first appeared, the equally epic "Jaws".

The main villain was Karl Stromberg played by Curt (Curd) Jurgens. A German actor who started his movie career at the age of 20 in 1935. Never a supporter of National Socialism he ended up in an internment camp in 1944 for his political beliefs. His film career resumed in 1948 but he did not make his mark in Hollywood until the cinemascpe submarine epic "The Enemy Below" where he played a submarine commandant who fought according to the rules and as a gentleman. He also appeared in "The Inn of Sixth Happiness" with Ingrid Bergman amongst many other films. He also appeared as Von Ribbentrop in "The Battle of Britain. In many of his films he appeared as officers and military figures due to his height. He died at the age of 66 from a heart attack

His portrayal of Stromberg definitely owed much to Donald Pleasance's Blofeld, and the ways those who failed him were despatched was decidedly violent and grandiose. The plot of stealing nuclear submarines from the Russians, British and Americans was in line with the same notion as in "You Only Live Twice". His desire to create an underwater utopia by creating an huge underwater base which could raise from the depths gave the film an epic scope.

The Spy Who Loved Me also gave the world its best remembered Minion in the shape of Jaws, played wonderfully by Richard Kiel. With his height of 7 feet 2 inhes he was initially used to mainly play very scary people in many television programmes and films. But he was sometimes allowed to play people with depth too. When he appeared in "The Longest Yard" his character was crying because someone had broken his nose. He also appeared in "The Silver Streak" with Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor.

His appearance at the Pyramid Show where he kills someone trying to sell secrets to the highest bidder shows the immensity of Jaws as he picks up the man and bites his neck killing him using his metal teeth.

When Bond encounters him at the ancient ruin Jaws shows himself to be a worthy and able adversary with incredible strength, Bond manages to get in the van Jaws has been using but only just manages to get away with the Russian agent after Jaws has effectively torn the vehicle with his bare hands. However Jaws also shows he has human flaws when he drops the stone block on his foot. However Jaws also shows he has considerable survival skills when after chasing bond in a car the car falls through the roof of a cottage - whereupon Jaws walks out and dusts himself off.

In the final fight with James Bond he is caught out by Bond switching on electro-magnetic crane that lifts Jaws out of the way and over the shark tank where Bond switches off the magnet and Jaws drops in. This is just as the underwater city is self-destructing. The shark does not survive and we see Jaws swimming off. But that is not the end of Jaws.

Moonraker

Not to be confused with the 1959 George Baker film.

Moonraker was the most expensive Bond film of the 1970's. Derek Meddings was again called upon to provide the special effects and this time the film was an Anglo French Co-Production. It was also the first Bond Film to be recorded in Dolby Stereo.

This time the main baddie was played by the French actor Michael Lonsdale, who whilst retaining some element of his fench accent gave a remarkably clear and unaccented rendition thereby giving an erudite and sophisticated air to his performance.

As Hugo Drax he somewhat overplays his had at the start thereby giving Bond the scent to follow when Drax's chinese bodyguard, played by Toshiro Suga tries to kill Bond by disabling the safety systems on the Centrifuge. Bond gets his revenge on the bodyguard in Venice when he is dispatched by falling into a piano.

This means Drax has to hire another henchman - and this is when Jaws makes his appearance in Moonraker, his being the first henchman to appear in more than one film. Jaws follows Bond to Rio where he nearly kills the agent assisting Bond. Jaws then tries to kill Bond and Dr Goodhead (the love interest) by fighting Bond on the Cable Car. Bond escapes by sliding down the cable using it like a zip wire- and Jaws sets after him, ordering his assistant to speed the car up until Jaws realises too late that he is going to crash into the wheelhouse. The Wheelhouse gets destroyed whereupon a small pretty girl helps Jaws out and to the strains of Tchaikovsky's Overture to Romero and Juliet they fall in love (as a side note, the first time this piece of music was used in a film was in The Jazz Singer in 1927).

The final part of the film is set on a huge space station which has remained hidden due to electronic radar countermeasures. Bond and Goodhead have managed to take the places of pilots in one of the shuttles and arrive on the station, whereby it is brought to life. Here Drax outlines his plans to wipe out humanity and start again with "perfect" specimens. Jaw catches Bond and Goodhead and brings them to Drax. Drax meets Bond's appearance as having "......the inevitability of an unloved season!". Bond realising what Drax truly means then challenges on Drax's true meanings deliberately pointing out to Jaws and his Girlfriend that they do not meet those exacting standards.  When Drax orders Jaws to throw Bond and Goodhead into space Jaws hesitates then appears to acquiesce then disables some of the guards thereby enabling Bond to turn off the Base's gravity. Jaws then goes from Baddie to Hero.

When the Base gets destroyed and Jaws in an escape pod, he utters the only words his character has in two films "here's to us!" to his girlfriend.

Richard Kiel continued to act in films often parodying Jaws, including in adverts. Those appearances included "The Cannonball Run" with Roger Moore and Burt Reynolds, "Pale Rider" with Clint Eastwood and Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler. However ill health dogged his later life and he died of a heart attack at the age of 74.

 I am looking forward to the next Bond Film - No Time to Die.