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Octopussy (character)
Encyclopedia
Octopussy is a fictional character in the James Bond
film of the same name
. She is played by the Swedish
actress Maud Adams
.
in Udaipur
, India
. Her father, Major Dexter Smythe, studied octopuses, hence her nickname Octopussy. Her real first name is unknown, but it can be assumed that Smythe is her real last name; however, this is never explicitly confirmed. As a cover for her smuggling activities, Octopussy owns her own circus
. Magda
, the ring leader of the circus, works with her and, together, they work with Kamal Khan
to get a Fabergé egg
from General Orlov
.
Octopussy is first seen (her face is not shown at this time) when Khan shows her the egg and tells her about Bond. Khan insists on killing Bond but Octopussy says no. Behind her back, however, Khan is determined to kill Bond, though Bond keeps getting away.
She finally meets Bond when he sneaks into her palace. It is revealed that her father stole a cache of Chinese gold several years ago and that Bond had been assigned to find him. He did so and gave Major Smythe 24 hours to settle his affairs before arresting him. However, Smythe chose suicide instead of facing the disgrace of a court martial. Octopussy tells Bond she was hoping to meet him someday, not for revenge as Bond assumes, but to thank him for giving her father an honorable alternative to public disgrace. She and Bond then make love.
Meanwhile, Kamal Khan arranges for a group of assassins to kill Bond, but spare Octopussy. Bond and Octopussy work together to defeat the assassins, but in the course of the struggle, Bond and one of the assassins crash through a window and are apparently attacked and killed by a crocodile. Octopussy is devastated, unaware that Bond escaped safely (the crocodile itself was in fact a tiny submarine built by Q, and the device which had helped Bond reach Octopussy in the first place). It is presumed that the assassin drowned.
Bond follows her to the circus in East Germany and discovers that Orlov (who is gunned down by armed guards when he tries to cross the border into West Germany
) has substituted a nuclear bomb for the jewelry without Octopussy's knowledge. Kamal leaves Octopussy and Magda for dead at the circus while he escapes and is hoping to claim the jewellery. At the film's climax, Bond, disguised in a clown suit, tells Magda and Octopussy that they have been betrayed by Orlov and Khan. Magda disbelieves him, but Octopussy grabs a gun and shoots off the lock of the supposed jewelry cache to reveal the bomb. Bond succeeds in disarming the bomb, just one second before it was due to explode - a blast which would have killed thousands of people.
Back in India, Octopussy's circus performers raid Khan's palace to avenge his betrayal, but she is kidnapped and knocked unconscious by Gobinda. She wakes up in Khan's private plane. Bond has managed to jump onto the plane and hang onto it, despite Khan's attempts to shake him off by making the plane fly upside down for a while. Bond finally manages to shut down the engines and shake off Gobinda, who falls to his death. With the engines shut down, Khan loses control of the plane and it begins to plummet downwards. Bond and Octopussy jump out just before the plane overshoots a cliff top and crashes below, killing Khan in the explosion.
After saving Octopussy from a literal cliffhanger, Bond returns with her to her palace. They are last seen kissing on her boat.
ranked her as the 10th worst Bond girl
. Chris Nashawaty ranked her as the best babe of the Roger Moore James Bond films. Fandango
ranked Octopussy as one of the top 10 Bond Girls and described her as "...a powerful, impressive woman...". However, her name was heavily criticized for being too provocative.
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 of the same name
Octopussy
Octopussy is the thirteenth entry in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming's 1966 short story collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights...
. She is played by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
actress Maud Adams
Maud Adams
Maud Solveig Christina Wikström , known professionally as Maud Adams, is a Swedish actress, known for her roles as two different Bond girls: in The Man with the Golden Gun , and as the title character in Octopussy .-Early life:Adams was born Maud Solveig Christina Wikström in Luleå, Sweden, the...
.
Biography
Octopussy is a jewel smuggler and circus ownerwho lives a life of luxury in a floating palace on Lake PicholaLake Pichola
Lake Pichola, situated in Udaipur city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, is an artificial fresh water lake, created in the year 1362 AD, named after the nearby Picholi village. It is one of the several contiguous lakes, and developed over the last few centuries in and around the famous Udaipur city...
in Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Her father, Major Dexter Smythe, studied octopuses, hence her nickname Octopussy. Her real first name is unknown, but it can be assumed that Smythe is her real last name; however, this is never explicitly confirmed. As a cover for her smuggling activities, Octopussy owns her own circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
. Magda
Magda (James Bond)
Magda is a fictional character in the James Bond film Octopussy. She is portrayed by Kristina Wayborn.-Film biography:Magda seems to be Octopussy's right hand and her most trusted partner in the cult she leads....
, the ring leader of the circus, works with her and, together, they work with Kamal Khan
Kamal Khan
Kamal Khan is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film Octopussy. He is portrayed by Louis Jourdan.Khan is a suave exiled Afghan prince living in India in the Monsoon Palace. He has a penchant for fine food and liquor, priceless jewels, "hunting" humans, and atomic...
to get a Fabergé egg
Fabergé egg
A Fabergé egg is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. Most were miniature eggs that were popular gifts at Eastertide...
from General Orlov
General Orlov
General Orlov is a fictional character and major antagonist in the James Bond film Octopussy, played by Steven Berkoff. At first the audience is led to believe that Orlov is the main antagonist of the film. However, it is later revealed that his contact Kamal Khan is the real villain...
.
Octopussy is first seen (her face is not shown at this time) when Khan shows her the egg and tells her about Bond. Khan insists on killing Bond but Octopussy says no. Behind her back, however, Khan is determined to kill Bond, though Bond keeps getting away.
She finally meets Bond when he sneaks into her palace. It is revealed that her father stole a cache of Chinese gold several years ago and that Bond had been assigned to find him. He did so and gave Major Smythe 24 hours to settle his affairs before arresting him. However, Smythe chose suicide instead of facing the disgrace of a court martial. Octopussy tells Bond she was hoping to meet him someday, not for revenge as Bond assumes, but to thank him for giving her father an honorable alternative to public disgrace. She and Bond then make love.
Meanwhile, Kamal Khan arranges for a group of assassins to kill Bond, but spare Octopussy. Bond and Octopussy work together to defeat the assassins, but in the course of the struggle, Bond and one of the assassins crash through a window and are apparently attacked and killed by a crocodile. Octopussy is devastated, unaware that Bond escaped safely (the crocodile itself was in fact a tiny submarine built by Q, and the device which had helped Bond reach Octopussy in the first place). It is presumed that the assassin drowned.
Bond follows her to the circus in East Germany and discovers that Orlov (who is gunned down by armed guards when he tries to cross the border into West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
) has substituted a nuclear bomb for the jewelry without Octopussy's knowledge. Kamal leaves Octopussy and Magda for dead at the circus while he escapes and is hoping to claim the jewellery. At the film's climax, Bond, disguised in a clown suit, tells Magda and Octopussy that they have been betrayed by Orlov and Khan. Magda disbelieves him, but Octopussy grabs a gun and shoots off the lock of the supposed jewelry cache to reveal the bomb. Bond succeeds in disarming the bomb, just one second before it was due to explode - a blast which would have killed thousands of people.
Back in India, Octopussy's circus performers raid Khan's palace to avenge his betrayal, but she is kidnapped and knocked unconscious by Gobinda. She wakes up in Khan's private plane. Bond has managed to jump onto the plane and hang onto it, despite Khan's attempts to shake him off by making the plane fly upside down for a while. Bond finally manages to shut down the engines and shake off Gobinda, who falls to his death. With the engines shut down, Khan loses control of the plane and it begins to plummet downwards. Bond and Octopussy jump out just before the plane overshoots a cliff top and crashes below, killing Khan in the explosion.
After saving Octopussy from a literal cliffhanger, Bond returns with her to her palace. They are last seen kissing on her boat.
Reception
Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
ranked her as the 10th worst Bond girl
Bond girl
A Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
. Chris Nashawaty ranked her as the best babe of the Roger Moore James Bond films. Fandango
Fandango
Fandango is a lively couple's dance, usually in triple metre, traditionally accompanied by guitars and castanets or hand-clapping . Fandango can both be sung and danced. Sung fandango is usually bipartite: it has an instrumental introduction followed by "variaciones"...
ranked Octopussy as one of the top 10 Bond Girls and described her as "...a powerful, impressive woman...". However, her name was heavily criticized for being too provocative.