Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya)

## Rosa Klebb

Colonel **Rosa Klebb** (Роза Клебб) is the main antagonist from the James Bond film From Russia with Love. She was played by Lotte Lenya in the film version.

## Film biography

### Plan

Klebb was the Head of Operations for SMERSH agent who has defected to become a member of 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 British Secret Service.

### Scheme

He was sure that MI6 would send James Bond, so SPECTRE would also be able to take revenge for the killing of Dr. No. Klebb was given the responsibility of choosing the girl as well as the henchman to kill James 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 Blofeld. Blofeld said that SPECTRE doesn't tolerate failure, and called in his agent, Morzeny. Morzeny flipped a poison tipped knife out of his shoe and killed Kronsteen, although making it look like he was going to kill Klebb. Klebb was given one last chance to get the Lektor and kill Bond.

### Death

Posing as a hotel maid, she attempts to take the Lektor; when she is caught, she points a gun at Bond. Tatiana Romanova then distracts her, causing her to drop the gun, and Bond and Klebb fight. As in the novel, Klebb attempts to kick Bond with the poison tipped shoe, but Bond blocks the attack with a chair. Tatiana then picks up Bond's gun and kills her.

## Henchmen & Associates

Red GrantKronsteenMorzenyKrilencuRhodaTatiana Romanova
## Behind the scenes

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 strongly implied in the novel.