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Helga Brandt is a secondary villain in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice. She is the personnal secretary to Japanese industrialist Mr. Osato and an assistant for the criminal organization, SPECTRE. She was portrayed by German actress Karin Dor.

Film biography

Spoiler warning: This article contains spoilers! Plot and/or ending details follow.


Background

This sexy young red-haired woman works for Mr. Osato as a secretary in her position as SPECTRE agent number 11, consequently she is given all the ‘dirty work’ by Osato. An expert in torture using plastic surgeons tools, Bond is spared the integration when she stupidly decides to have a bit of pleasure for herself before she gets down to work for her boss. However, she seems to be a quite conscientious henchwoman in her daily work for her bosses as an assistant, a secretary, a pilot, a waitress and a hit-woman but when she failed to kill Bond, Blofeld showed not an ounce of leniency toward her and she had to pay it with her life.

Meeting Mr. Fisher

Miss Brandt is first encountered by James Bond (Sean Connery) (posing as Mr. Fisher, the new managing director of Empire Chemicals) during his scheduled meeting with Osato. Arriving by helicopter, Osato introduces himself and his 'confidential secretary', who proceeds to offer Bond a glass of champagne. During their meeting the industrialist notices Bond's sidearm via concealed x-ray equipment and orders Brandt to kill him after he leaves. Making the call, she arranges for a car-load of assassins to intercept Bond, but is subsequently foiled by the actions of Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi).

Later at the Kobe docks Bond is captured while investigating and is taken aboard the ship to see Helga, who is now heavily made-up and seductively dressed. The beautiful young woman is about to torture him with a dermatome, but suddenly, thinking she will have time to kill Bond later she allows herself to be seduced by him, pretending to defect to his side, and has sex with him.

Shortly after, the pair board a Meyers 200 aeroplane supposedly bound for Tokyo. However, in mid-flight Brandt traps Bond with a wooden restraint and parachutes out; leaving the spy to try and regain control of the plummeting plane. Making an emergency landing, 007 narrowly escapes the plane before it violently explodes, convincing Brandt of his death.

Death

thumb|right|260px|"This organization does not tolerate failure." The following day, Blofeld summons Helga and Mr. Osato to his quarters, and reprimands them for failing to kill Bond. Osato places the blame on his assistant, noting that he strictly ordered her to kill Bond. Panic-stricken, Helga argues that Osato also had ample opportunity to do it himself.

Ordering the pair to leave, Blofeld presses a hidden foot pedal, causing the walkway under Brandt to collapse and drop her into a pool full of pet piranha fish. The poor girl vainly screams for help before being quickly pulled under, intimidating Osato and the two Red Chinese who witness the horrible death. Bond apparently remains unaware of her demise as she is never mentioned again in the film after her death.

Behind the scenes

  • According to Karin Dor, who is a natural brunette, the producers wanted a "blonde German girl (to play Helga Brandt) but they ended up with me". As a compromise, they dyed Dor's hair red for the movie, turning Brandt into something of a Fiona Volpe clone.
  • Even though there was no Helga Brandt in the novels, Brandt was the name of Emilio Largo's mechanic in the Ian Fleming novel Thunderball.
  • Her first name is never mentioned in the film.

Gallery

See also

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