Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya)

For other characters named "Number 3", see Number 3.

Rosa Klebb
Character information
Alias(es)	Colonel Klebb Number 3
Title/rank	Colonel
Age	64
Born	1899, Ukraine, Russian Empire
Died	1963, Venice, Italy
Hair	Red
Eyes	Light Brown
Height	5'4"
Weight	126 lbs.
Nationality	Soviet
Occupation	SMERSH Colonel (Formerly)
Affiliation	SMERSH (Formerly) SPECTRE
Status	Deceased, shot by Tatiana Romanova
Behind the scenes
Role	Main Villain
Portrayed by	Lotte Lenya Karly Rothenberg (video game)
First seen	From Russia with Love (film)
Last seen	007 Legends

"Who can the Russians suspect but the British? The Cold War in Istanbul will not remain cold very much longer."

― Rosa Klebb

Colonel Rosa Klebb (Russian: Роза Клебб) (also known as Number 3) was a Russian military but also an operative and board member of the secretive criminal organisation, SPECTRE. One of the main antagonists in the 1963 James Bond film From Russia with Love, she was portrayed by the late Austrian actress and singer, Lotte Lenya, and was based on the literary character from the 1957 Ian Fleming novel, From Russia with Love. Bearing the likeness of Lenya, Klebb would later be re-imagined for Electronic Arts 2005 video game adaptation of the film. She was also a playable character in the 2010 video game GoldenEye 007 and in the 2012 video game 007 Legends.

Biography

Background

Rosa Klebb was born in the Ukraine, in what was then the Russian Empire. At some point before or after the Russian Revolution, she became an active Communist and spent most of her life in the Soviet Union.

In the course of her military career she proved to be extremely nefarious and therefore rose to the position of head of operations for SMERSH. Around 1960, however, she proved to be a traitor, turned her back on her country and defected to the international criminal organisation SPECTRE. Her defection was kept quiet and only the highest of Soviet officials knew of it. Ernst Stavro Blofeld refers to her as "No. 3" indicating that she is the third highest ranking individual in SPECTRE behind only himself and Emilio Largo. Tov Kronsteen briefed her and Blofeld on the mission, saying that they would obtain a Lektor decoding machine from the Soviets with the inadvertent assistance of a Russian girl, and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6).

Scheme

As Kronsteen was sure that MI6 would send James Bond on the mission, SPECTRE would also be able to take revenge for the killing of Dr. Julius No. Klebb was given the responsibility of choosing the girl as well as the henchman to kill Bond. She selected Red Grant for the mission and visited him at SPECTRE Island, punching him in the stomach with a knuckle duster to test his strength. Grant barely flinched and Klebb left, telling him to report to her in Istanbul in 24 hours.

Klebb then went back to Istanbul and met Tatiana Romanova, who she had selected to lure Bond to the country. She told Tatiana that she had been selected for a mission to give false information to the enemy, not telling her the real plan. She also said that she would be shot if she talked, and that she wouldn't leave the room alive if she refused to obey her orders. Klebb checked her out, and asked about her prior lovers, to see if she would be good enough for the assignment.

Grant tailed Tatiana and Bond around Istanbul, with Klebb sometimes assisting him. In the honeymoon suite, Klebb was behind a two-way mirror, filming them both, to use as part of the plan later on. When Grant failed the mission, getting killed by Bond, Klebb and Kronsteen reported to Ernst Stavro Blofeld, each blaming the other for the plan's failure. Blofeld said that SPECTRE doesn't tolerate failure, and called in his agent, Morzeny. Blofeld reminded Klebb that she knew the penalty for failure to which she responded affirmatively. Morzeny flipped a poison tipped knife out of his shoe and Klebb braced for the blow, but it was Kronsteen who got spiked and killed much to their shock. Klebb showed visible relief at her survival and was given one last chance to get the Lektor and kill Bond.

Final Confrontation

Klebb is shot dead by Tatiana Romanova

"Horrible, horrible woman."
"Yes, she had her kicks."

― Tatiana Romanova and James Bond

Since Bond has escaped to Venice with Romanova, Klebb sees her chance to kill him before he turns in the Lektor at the British Consultation. Disguised as a chambermaid, she enters the hotel where Bond and Tatiana are staying. This also allows her to enter the room and she wants to steal the Lektor, but she does not get a chance to do so secretly. Moreover, Romanova recognises Klebb, so she pulls out a gun in frustration and keeps Bond at bay. Convinced that Romanova is still loyal to her, she sends her off with the Lektor, but Romanova lunges at her and disarms her. Klebb then extends the same poison blade that killed Kronsteen from her shoe and tries to kill Bond with it, but is shot by Tatiana during the melee and dies in a few seconds.

Awards & Decorations

• Order of Lenin: The highest civilian order of the Soviet Union, awarded one time for Klebb's services to state & society.
• Order of Glory: This order (introduced in 1943) indicates that Klebb fought the German invasors during the 'Great Patriotic War' (WWII). She most likely performed specific actions against the enemy.
• Jubilee Medal "30 Years of the Soviet Army and Navy": Awarded to anyone serving in the Soviet military on February 22, 1948.
• Medal for Distinguished Labour: For some reason, Klebb was awarded this medal for contributions in the fields of science, culture or manufacturing industry.
• The blue-yellow-blue ribbon on the third row down on the right is purely fictional. However, a medal using this ribbon (Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR) was established in 1974, 11 years after the movie.

Henchmen & Associates

Red Grant

Kronsteen

Morzeny

Krilencu

Rhoda

Tatiana Romanova

Behind the scenes

Greek actress Katina Paxinou was originally considered for the role of Rosa Klebb, but was unavailable. Director Terence Young cast Lotte Lenya after hearing one of her musical recordings.

It is strongly implied in the film, and explicitly stated in the novel, that Klebb is a lesbian. Her hard, almost masculine appearance, coupled with several instances when she touches Tatiana and comments on her beauty or her reaction when Morzeny touches her, give a 1963-era stereotype for this aspect of the character. The lesbianism of Klebb was toned down in the movie, probably to avoid a restricted rating, though it is mentioned in the novel. Klebb's poison-tipped shoe has also become an icon, even making a small appearance in the Pierce Brosnan film Die Another Day; they can be spotted in Q's laboratory and Bond deploys the blade, prompting him to comment on the deadly but fashionable footwear.

Gallery

Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya)/Gallery

Trivia

• Although she is a main antagonist in the film, Klebb has just a small amount of screen time.
• Although she responded to Ernst Stavro Blofeld's orders, Klebb is the first female main antagonist of a James Bond, followed by Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough.
• After Kronsteen, she is the second main antagonist in a James Bond film to not be killed directly by Bond himself.
• Klebb's uniform indicates she served in the Soviet air force before joining the KGB.
• Her name is a pun on the popular Soviet phrase for women's rights, khleb i rozy (Cyrillic: хлеб и розы), which in turn was a direct Russian translation of the internationally used labour union slogan "bread and roses".