Fiona Volpe
Encyclopedia
Fiona Volpe, played by Luciana Paluzzi
, is a fictional character in the 1965 James Bond
film Thunderball
. The character is a creation of the film-makers, an addition to Ian Fleming's original plot. 'Volpe' is Italian for fox; the character and the red-haired actress are Italian.
in SPECTRE
's execution branch, Volpe assumes the role of NATO pilot Major Francois Derval’s mistress in the operation to steal the Vulcan
and its precious cargo of two atomic bombs, which SPECTRE plans to use to blackmail
the world.
She organises Derval’s murder and is also called upon to kill Count Lippe, after he fails to acknowledge his employee Angelo's greed. She does so by destroying Lippe's car, with a missile launcher built into her BSA
motorcycle. Volpe is later seen pushing the motorcycle into a pond, presumably to hide the evidence because she realises Bond has observed the murder.
Bond finally meets Volpe while hitchhiking
in Nassau
, and she startles him with her fast driving on dark roads. Fiona later holds captive MI6 agent Paula Caplan, but Caplan commits suicide by taking cyanide before revealing anything. Meanwhile, Fiona waits for Bond in his bathtub and seduces him, and they have sex. While dressing for the Junkanoo
, Volpe lets in Vargas and another one of Emilio Largo
's henchmen to hold Bond captive. Here, she taunts Bond for having failed to turn her to the side of good through the act of love-making, as with so many women before. Bond manages to flee and hide in the Junkanoo crowds, but the killers soon catch up at the Kiss Kiss Club. Volpe approaches Bond as he is in hiding, dancing with another woman. Assuming Volpe is his wife (possibly due to her SPECTRE ring), the woman leaves and the pair begin slow-dancing, while one of Volpe's other henchmen hides behind a curtain and aims a gun. Bond notices in time and spins Volpe into the path of the bullet, which pierces her spine
and kills her. Leaving Volpe's corpse in a chair at an occupied table ("Would you look after my friend? She's just dead!") and with the other henchmen disorganised, Bond makes a swift exit.
, in a scene in which Austin Powers uses Robin Swallows as a human shield (Robin is not immediately killed by the knives, machine gun bullets, bazooka shell or high fall from the window).
, also starring Sean Connery
, this character is modified into Fatima Blush.
Luciana Paluzzi
Luciana Paluzzi is an Italian actress. She is best known for playing SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe in the fourth James Bond film, Thunderball.-Career:...
, is a fictional character in the 1965 James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
film Thunderball
Thunderball (film)
Thunderball is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series starring Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham...
. The character is a creation of the film-makers, an addition to Ian Fleming's original plot. 'Volpe' is Italian for fox; the character and the red-haired actress are Italian.
In the film
A deadly assassinAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
in SPECTRE
SPECTRE
SPECTRE is a fictional global terrorist organisation featured in the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, the films based on those novels, and James Bond video games...
's execution branch, Volpe assumes the role of NATO pilot Major Francois Derval’s mistress in the operation to steal the Vulcan
Avro Vulcan
The Avro Vulcan, sometimes referred to as the Hawker Siddeley Vulcan, was a jet-powered delta wing strategic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. Aircraft manufacturer A V Roe & Co designed the Vulcan in response to Specification B.35/46. Of the three V bombers produced,...
and its precious cargo of two atomic bombs, which SPECTRE plans to use to blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
the world.
She organises Derval’s murder and is also called upon to kill Count Lippe, after he fails to acknowledge his employee Angelo's greed. She does so by destroying Lippe's car, with a missile launcher built into her BSA
Birmingham Small Arms Company
This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....
motorcycle. Volpe is later seen pushing the motorcycle into a pond, presumably to hide the evidence because she realises Bond has observed the murder.
Bond finally meets Volpe while hitchhiking
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking is a means of transportation that is gained by asking people, usually strangers, for a ride in their automobile or other road vehicle to travel a distance that may either be short or long...
in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, and she startles him with her fast driving on dark roads. Fiona later holds captive MI6 agent Paula Caplan, but Caplan commits suicide by taking cyanide before revealing anything. Meanwhile, Fiona waits for Bond in his bathtub and seduces him, and they have sex. While dressing for the Junkanoo
Junkanoo
Junkanoo is a street parade with music, which occurs in many towns across The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands every Boxing Day , New Year's Day and, more recently, in the summer on the island of Grand Bahama. The largest Junkanoo parade happens in Nassau, the capital...
, Volpe lets in Vargas and another one of Emilio Largo
Emilio Largo
Emilio Largo is a fictional character and the main antagonist from the James Bond novel Thunderball. In the novel he is depicted, according to the British stereotypes about Italians, as a large, heavyset, olive-skinned, powerful man exuding animal charm, with the profile of a Roman emperor, and...
's henchmen to hold Bond captive. Here, she taunts Bond for having failed to turn her to the side of good through the act of love-making, as with so many women before. Bond manages to flee and hide in the Junkanoo crowds, but the killers soon catch up at the Kiss Kiss Club. Volpe approaches Bond as he is in hiding, dancing with another woman. Assuming Volpe is his wife (possibly due to her SPECTRE ring), the woman leaves and the pair begin slow-dancing, while one of Volpe's other henchmen hides behind a curtain and aims a gun. Bond notices in time and spins Volpe into the path of the bullet, which pierces her spine
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
and kills her. Leaving Volpe's corpse in a chair at an occupied table ("Would you look after my friend? She's just dead!") and with the other henchmen disorganised, Bond makes a swift exit.
Death
The scene is parodied in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged MeAustin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, released in 1999, is the second film in the Austin Powers series that began with 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and continued with Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film was directed by Jay Roach, co-written by Mike Myers and screenwriter...
, in a scene in which Austin Powers uses Robin Swallows as a human shield (Robin is not immediately killed by the knives, machine gun bullets, bazooka shell or high fall from the window).
Other versions
In the remake Never Say Never AgainNever Say Never Again
Never Say Never Again is a 1983 spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which was previously filmed in 1965 as Thunderball...
, also starring Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
, this character is modified into Fatima Blush.