List of James Bond henchmen in Diamonds are Forever
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A list of henchman from the 1971 James Bond film and novel Diamonds are Forever from the List of James Bond henchmen.
Contents |
[edit] Mister Wint and Mister Kidd
| James Bond character | |
|---|---|
| Image:Diamonds are Forever - Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd.jpg | |
| Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd | |
| Gender | Male |
| Role | Henchmen |
| Affiliation | The Spangled Mob (novel) Ernst Stavro Blofeld (film) |
| Current status | Both deceased |
| Portrayed by | Bruce Glover Putter Smith |
Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd are fictional characters in the James Bond novel and film Diamonds Are Forever. In the novel, Wint and Kidd are members of the Spangled Mob. In the film they are henchmen for the villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld. In the film Mr. Wint is played by Bruce Glover and Mr. Kidd by Putter Smith.
[edit] Film
Mr. Wint and his partner Mr. Kidd are assassins working for Ernst Stavro Blofeld (it can be assumed, though the pair share no scenes with their employer). Their assignment is to kill everyone in the diamond-smuggling 'pipeline' that has been diverted to facilitate Blofeld's scheme to build a giant laser satellite. They are quite possibly psychotic, undoubtedly sadistic – photographing the body of the old lady (Mrs Whistler) they have drowned in the canals of Amsterdam, for example, and joking about sending the pictures to the primary-age children to whom she was the school teacher.
The two use numerous methods of killing their targets (or trying to), some highly creative:
- Placing a scorpion down the shirt of a South African dentist.
- Using a radio-controlled bomb to blow up a helicopter shortly after killing the dentist.
- Sealing Bond in a coffin and sending him into a crematorium furnace.
- Putting Bond into a length of pipeline to be buried in the desert outside Las Vegas.
- Tying the feet of Plenty O'Toole (mistaking her for Tiffany Case) to a concrete block and throwing her into a swimming pool.
Their final attempt to kill Bond and Case takes place on a cruise liner after Bond foils Blofeld's plot. They pose as stewards in the couple's suite, serving them a romantic dinner consisting of Oysters Andaluz, shashlik, tidbits, prime rib au jus and Salade Utopia. Dessert is a Bombe Surprise - in the most literal sense, since a bomb is really hidden in it. However, Bond links the smell of Wint's cologne to his misadventure in the pipeline and quickly realizes that something is wrong. After tasting a glass of Mouton Rothschild '55, Bond casually remarks that he had expected a claret with such a grand dinner. When Mr. Wint replies that the cellars are unfortunately poorly stocked with clarets, Bond exposes the henchman's ignorance, sharply replying that Mouton Rothschild is in fact a claret.
Realizing Bond has blown their cover, the pair immediately turn against him. Mr. Kidd ignites the shashlik skewers, aiming to attack Bond while Mr. Wint strangles him. During the struggle, Bond first neutralizes Mr. Kidd by splashing Courvoisier on the flaming shashlik, setting Mr. Kidd on fire. Within seconds, he is engulfed in flames, and in desperation jumps overboard, apparently already dead as he hits the water. After Bond eliminates Mr. Kidd, Case throws the dessert at Mr. Wint but she misses, and it reveals the bomb hidden in the bombe. When Wint is distracted by the sight of the bomb, Bond gains the upper hand against him, pulling the villain's arms between his legs and tying his hands and the bomb together with his coattails. Bond hoists Mr. Wint overboard, and the bomb explodes as he falls toward the water.
It is hinted in the film that the two are lovers, even holding hands in one scene. At one point in the film, Mr. Kidd remarks that a Tiffany Case is attractive, only to receive a glare from Mr. Wint. He then adds, "... for a woman," but Mr. Wint still glares, an expression of mixed pain and jealousy. The archetype of the incredibly polite pair of villains has been parodied numerous times, as "Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb" in Codename: Kids Next Door, as "Mr. Touch and Mr. Go" in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and (to a far more ridiculous extent) the characters "Fat Man and Little Boy" in Sin City. Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemare from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere franchise are also an example.
[edit] Novel
In the novel, the duo have a less flamboyant role. As killers and "enforcers" to the Spangled Mob, it is their mission, among other things, to make sure the smuggling of the diamonds and everything connected to it go off without a hitch. If something does go wrong, Wint and Kidd (they are never referred to as "Mr." in the novels) are sent to "persuade" the perpetrators to never make a mistake again. They are obviously quite sadistic and give evidence of enjoying their jobs.
From London to New York City it is their job to tail whoever is smuggling the diamonds internationally to ensure that the smuggler doesn't get any ideas about going into business for themselves. For this, the duo take on the likeness of American businessmen who call themselves "W. Winter" and "B. Kitteridge". Whenever Wint and Kidd are not portraying the businessmen, however, they are wearing ski masks so no one can figure out who they are.
Although they are both hardened assassins, Wint is pathologically afraid of travel. When he does have to travel, he wears an identifying nametag and a sticker that says "My blood group is F". He also has to be paid a special bonus by his employers. Because of his phobia, Mr. Wint picked up the nickname "Windy" - although no one would dare call him that to his face. Kidd is nicknamed "Boofy." Felix Leiter suspects that they are both homosexual.
In a ghost town outside of Las Vegas, the leading gangster, Seraffimo Spang, penetrates Bond's cover and details Wint and Kidd to torture Bond to learn his true identity. Wint and Kidd then perform a "Brooklyn stomping," kicking Bond into unconsciousness while wearing football cleats, after which Tiffany Case helps him escape.
The duo are shot by Bond after they kidnap Tiffany on the Queen Elizabeth. Bond comes to her rescue by climbing down the side of the ship and diving into their room via the porthole. They have a gun battle, and Bond kills them both.
[edit] Trivia
- The original names of the henchmen were supposedly Wint & Gore, but Ian Fleming changed Gore to Kidd at the request of his wife's cousin, who was nicknamed "Boofy" Gore. However, the name Gore does occur in some versions of the novel.
- Likewise, Kidd's original nickname was "Dolly," and appears as such in early British editions of the book.
- When they detonate a helicopter early in the movie, Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd say, "If God had wanted man to fly... he would have given him wings." This is ironic, considering that they fly later in the film.
- Mr. Wint is played by Bruce Glover, the father of Crispin Glover.
- There are now two diamond stores in London trading under the name 'Wint & Kidd'
[edit] Bert Saxby
| James Bond character | |
|---|---|
| Image:BertSaxby.jpg | |
| Bert Saxby | |
| Gender | Male |
| Role | Henchman |
| Affiliation | Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Willard Whyte (formerly) |
| Current status | Deceased |
| Portrayed by | Bruce Cabot |
Albert R. "Bert" Saxby was a fictional character from the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. He was a henchman and was portrayed by Bruce Cabot.
Bert Saxby worked for Willard Whyte, until Blofeld took over and he became part of Blofeld's employ. He was killed by a guard, when trying to kill Bond and Willard Whyte. As he rolled down a hill, dead, Whyte said to tell Saxby that he was fired.
His name is an direct reference to the producer of the James Bond films Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli.
