Fiona Volpe is a character in the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film '' Thunderball'', played by actress

Luciana Paluzzi Luciana Paluzzi (born 10 June 1937) is an Italian actress. She is perhaps best known for playing SPECTRE assassin Fiona Volpe in the fourth James Bond film, '' Thunderball'', but she had important roles in notable films of the 1960s and 1970s in ...

. Paluzzi originally auditioned for the role of

Domino Vitali Dominetta Vitali, known simply as Domino, is a fictional character and the main Bond girl in the James Bond novel '' Thunderball''. For the 1965 film adaptation of the same name, her name was changed to Dominique Derval, nicknamed Domino, and sh ...

in the film, but was given the role of Volpe. The character does not appear in the

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

, and was originally an Irish woman, but was changed to match Paluzzi's Italian ethnicity: "Volpe" is Italian for "fox".

In the film

Volpe is a

SPECTRE Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writ ...

agent who seduces

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

pilot Major François Derval in order to steal his plane with its cargo of two atomic bombs. She then kills her fellow operative Count Lippe (who had jeopardized the operation), with a missile fired from her

BSA Lightning The BSA Lightning is a British BSA 650 cc-class motorcycle made in Birmingham between 1965 and 1972. Development The BSA Lightning was designed as the all-round sports machine of the 1960s,''Motorcycle Sport'', June 1969, p.226 ''BSA Lig ...

motorcycle. Volpe meets Bond in the Bahamas, where she gives him a very fast ride in a

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...

convertible to the hotel at which they are both staying. They have sex, but Volpe then takes Bond captive at gunpoint and insults him. Bond escapes, but Volpe and her men follow him to a nightclub. Bond and Volpe dance, but one of her men attempts to shoot Bond – he spins Volpe into the path of the bullet, and she is killed instantly.

Analysis

Laureen Gibson notes that Volpe wears a gown when she threatens Bond. The clash between the seemingly feminine clothing and the violent action makes her seem especially sinister. Gibson also contrasts Volpe with Domino Derval:

In ''Thunderball'' both Bond girl Domino Derval and villain Fiona Volpe are costumed in low-cut evening gowns. However, the clearly synthetic, metallic blue fabric worn by the female villain contrasts the white chiffon of the Bond girl's dress. Fiona Volpe also wears a large, bright blue
feather boa A boa is a fashion accessory that is usually worn wrapped around the neck like a scarf. Feather boas are most common, although modern boas are most often made with synthetic feathers. Construction A boa can be made of fur, but it is usually m ...
– adding to her overly made-up appearance. Her costume reads as unnatural, reinforcing her feminine pageantry."

Kirsten Smith suggests that Volpe is the "classic fictional

femme fatale A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of ...

combining all the elements which make her dangerous but incredibly sexy to the hero, in this case James Bond." Smith goes on to argue that Volpe's downfall comes when she insults Bond: "the threat that she now poses to Bond's masculinity means that she must now be killed in order to reassert the traditional gender roles." The character was changed to Fatima Blush in the 1983 remake '' Never Say Never Again'', and also served as the template for Helga Brandt in '' You Only Live Twice''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Volpe, Fiona Bond girls Bond villains Female characters in film Film characters introduced in 1965 Fictional henchmen Fictional murderers Female film villains Fictional Italian people