Klebb’s Final Assault

Klebb’s Final Assault – Just when you think it’s safe…Kleb shows up once again, in Venice, as Bond and Tania are ready to depart.

Rosa Klebb draws a pistol on Bond and directs Tania to open the door. Twice Tania reassures Bond that she knows nothing about Klebb being there, by shaking her head left and right while looking directly at Bond – twice – to show Bond her loyalty is to him. Look for this subtle gesture in the clip. We all feel relief that Tania is on the “good” side.

In real life, there are spy defections and good guys going to the bad side, or bad guys going to the good side – depending on your perspective. As Mathis says in Quantum of Solace, in Talamone, Italy: “When one is young, it is very easy to distinguish between right and wrong, but as one gets older, it becomes more difficult. The villains and the heroes get all mixed up.” That sums up the spy business.

Klebb then, for some reason, takes Bond’s pistol out of his shoulder holster and throws it on the floor. Why not just shoot him right then and there? She took a chance that Bond may overcome her as she reaches for his pistol. And why take the pistol if you are just going to shoot him anyway? But she does.

But at least she was going to shoot Bond and not have some elaborate scheme for him to die. Then she backs to the door, and is about to shoot him – and Bond is pretty calm. Of course, Tania to the rescue.

The thing to note here is that Klebb now has the poison shoe blade device that killed # 5 in SPECTRE # 1’s office. Here, she is willing to use it to kill Bond and retrieve the Lektor. She knows the price of failure. Here in the film, Bond escapes the poison blade, and Tania – who Kleb still thinks is on her side, foils Klebb’s plans to kill Bond. Here in the film, Bond escapes without injury. However, in the novel by Ian Fleming, Bond is punctured by the poison blade/needle, and his fate is unknown.

In the film, as below, Klebb’s attempts to kill Bond with a pistol and with the poison shoe blade are foiled by Tania as she shoots Klebb, and Klebb, evil incarnate. Klebb’s final assault is her final assault – and she is finally dead.

As in many Bond films, you never know when it’s over – but now, the danger is over at least!

Venice – Canal Scene Ends the Movie

Venice – Canal Scene – The gondola scene is in Venice, andTania and Bond are now relaxing with the mission complete. The establishing shots are of the Doge Place, the Bridge of Sighs, the Venice canals. It looks like green-screen stuff with the actors superimposed against the background. One of the things we see here in the background is the Bridge of Sighs – for a short time behind Bond and Tania.

Some Venice History

Historically, The Bridge of Sighs, in olden times, was the bridge prisoners would cross over from the courtyard where they were just sentenced. Maybe sentenced to death or to prison and maybe even to the execution area. So, they knew they would never cross that bridge again or see the beautiful view of Venice they could see through the bridge’s barred windows. Hence, the sighs.

Here, in From Russia With Love, there could be a couple of meanings:

1) That Bond and Tania are now beyond the danger zone – they passed under the Bridge of Sighs and the mission is accomplished; they are out of danger; ahh!

2) or, it can be a sexual symbol – Bond is reviewing the film of he and Tania making love in the bridal suite (that Tania did not know about it as you recall) – and Grant was going to use this film as the reason Tania and Bond were dead. Grant would stage it so it looked like one was going to use it as blackmail against the other. Then murder and suicide. So the film had enough sexual content to be potent.

Bond is looking at it now and Tania asks what it is, and Bond just says that he will show her, all as they pass from canal to canal – to the “Grand Canal,” which can be taken as sexual metaphors or symbols for certain parts of a woman. Or sometimes a canal is just a canal!

In conclusion, the Venice – Canal Scene is a pleasant moment for the two of them, as they wrap up their mission, and their passion. And they are now in the safety zone! And Daniela Bianchi as Tania was just perfect casting – she is stunning! Tell us what you think!

From Russia with Love

From Russia With Love is the 5th Ian Fleming James Bond 007 novel (1957), 2nd EON Productions James Bond 007 film (1963).

In this curation of the movie, we talk about other movies as they relate to From Russia With Love and lots of other insights into the scenes like:

The Pre-title sequence is unique – and we discuss the use of masks here, and how The List of Adrian Messenger, and later Mission: Impossible TV series and movies use masks.
President Kennedy boosts Ian Fleming book sales
No throwbacks
Cats in films
Istanbul – Klebb demonstrates same-sex tendencies
Bring on the gadgets
Mission: Impossible versus Bond
On location at some film sites
AR-7 rifle specs
Bond and Tania sex talk
On location at the Blue Mosque
Bosphorus River Ferry
Fight to the death on the Orient Express
Other movies mentioned here in relation to From Russia With Love: The 39 Steps, The Spy Who Loved Me, SPECTRE, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, North by Northwest, Quantum of Solace
SpyMovieNavigator on location in Scotland
SPECTRE – a job for life. . .
Venice gondola scenes and Venice canals, Bridge of Signs, – a discussion of potential meanings