Is Karl Stromberg under-utilised in The Spy Who Loved Me?

Yeah it could be stronger, but the Bond villains plans are unusually flimsy anyway sometimes. Like the villain in Octopussy, Orlov. I mean would his crazy plan actually work the way he wants it to?

Or why does Zorin want to destroy Silicon valley? He wants to take over the microchip market, but Silicon valley purchases microchips, they do not manufacture them. So Zorin is actually killing his own customers.

The villain's motives don't often have the best reasons, but that doesn't make them bad does it?

I've longed maintained that Orlov's plan is one of the best in the series, and I think it's one of the most plausible too. But again I think you're confusing goal with motive. Where Orlov's plan (of detonating a bomb inside the US air base so that Soviet forces could invade without interference) is politically motivated, Stromberg's desire to end civilisation for him to create a world beneath the sea is plain silly.

As for Zorin, Silicon Valley got its name from its manufacturing of microchips. Zorin, in essence, wants to wipe out his competitors to monopolise the industry. So greed is motivating Zorin.

Stromberg's plan always seemed too similar to Drax's or vice versa. The cleansing of the Earth for a new world order of some type. Drax's seemed the more convincing, perhaps by seeing the globes and their effect on humans should they work.

Exactly. The perfect 70s Bond extravaganza lay somewhere between TSWLM and MR, perhaps taking TSWLM's focus and Bond/XXX subplot, mixed with Lonsdale's Drax and Barry's music.

Yeah I agree that Drax was better in every way. TSWLM and MR are probably the only 70s ones I like.

ironpony wrote:

But Stromberg hates the world and that is why he wants to reduce, cause he feels it needs to be quashed and replenished.  

Official Karl Stromberg Soundtrack.

FieldsMan wrote:

Exactly. The perfect 70s Bond extravaganza lay somewhere between TSWLM and MR, perhaps taking TSWLM's focus and Bond/XXX subplot, mixed with Lonsdale's Drax and Barry's music.

You could be onto something there ... I like bits of MR, but feel overall it goes 'too far' whereas Spy goes just far enough. If that makes sense.

Well, MR, did literally go out of this world.

As much as I like MR, a lot of fans don't like it. Perhaps if they had plot from the movie Space Cowboys, but put James Bond in it, wanting to go to space to retrieve it before terrorists do, then people might accept Bond going into space better. But I like Drax's plan as well.

ironpony wrote:

As much as I like MR, a lot of fans don't like it.  Perhaps if they had plot from the movie Space Cowboys, but put James Bond in it, wanting to go to space to retrieve it before terrorists do, then people might accept Bond going into space better.  But I like Drax's plan as well.

Isn't that the movie where a geriatric Clint Eastwood goes to space?

Well, I suppose MR wasn't that far off...

Yes that movie. But I felt that the Soviet space weapon in that movie, would have been a good idea for a more plausible MR plot for Bond. Not that it matters now, I still like MR, just thinking...

It would certainly have a better grounding in espionage, but I would have preferred a straight adaptation of the novel.

But back to Stromberg, Jurgens has such a great, commanding presence which is why the character works. But had another actor played him it might not have been as appealing, since the character is, really, two dimensional.

That's true. I really like Jurgen's voice in the role, especially over his PA system in his Atlantis hideout.

Germans make good villains - Lotte Lenya, Gert Frobe, Ilse Steppat, Curt Jurgens, Gottfried John, Gotz Otto...

Is it cause of the accents?

That and them trying to rule the world on two occasions.

Hilly KCMG wrote:

That and them trying to rule the world on two occasions.

Three*

CJB wrote:

Hilly KCMG wrote:

That and them trying to rule the world on two occasions.

Three*

As someone who has relatives who lived through attempt n° 2, I find that attempt n° 3 is not quite as horrifying.

Fritz has learned the importance of tact.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Credit Jurgens. His Stromberg radiates evil more palpably than any other Bond villain

They probably underpaid him to evoke that level of animosity.

YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES.

Jurgens actually does very well and gives both weight and gravitas to many scenes and lines. The reclined almost relaxed villain was a departure in 1977 as much as it was to have a villain who was just plain mad and not out for any sort of gains other than a mad dream.

But it is done so, SO much better in MR that it remains the one indisputable contribution to that film being better in a respect than its immediate predecessor and structure basis.

hegottheboot wrote:

YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES.

Jurgens actually does very well and gives both weight and gravitas to many scenes and lines. The reclined almost relaxed villain was a departure in 1977 as much as it was to have a villain who was just plain mad and not out for any sort of gains other than a mad dream.

But it is done so, SO much better in MR that it remains the one indisputable contribution to that film being better in a respect than its immediate predecessor and structure basis.

Yep, as I said in MR review recently, Drax had personality to offset the sheer insanity of his plan. Stromberg rests solely on his desire to have an underwater city and the gravitas of his voice. Jurgens playing a character like Goldfinger would have been perfect.