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Colonel Jacques Bouvar was an influential member of SPECTRE. He was featured during the pre-credits sequence of the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball and was portrayed by stuntman Bob Simmons with Rose Alba standing in for the female scenes.

Film biography

Bond and his French liason were present at the funeral of SPECTRE number 6, Colonel Jacques Bouvar, investigating his apparent death. Mlle. La Porte explains that the colonel passed away in his sleep. Bond laments that he did not have the opportunity to kill the SPECTRE operative personally, stating that he had murdered two of his colleagues. As the pair stand on the balcony outside the chapel, Bond observes Bouvar's widow behaving suspiciously. It is revealed that in an attempt to evade reprisals, Colonel Bouvar has faked his death and disguised himself as his own widow. Bond surprises him at his French château, where a fight ensues and ends with Bond breaking Bouvar's neck with a fire poker.

Henchman

Behind the scenes

Originally, Bouvar was to be strangled to death with his own bra rather than the poker that was eventually used. The idea was eventually reused in the pre-title sequence of Diamonds Are Forever, where Bond strangles Marie to obtain information on Ernst Stavro Blofeld's whereabouts. Another change that occurred during production was the location of Bond's showdown with Bouvar. Originally it was to have been set in an oriental strip club/gambling den in Hong Kong with Bouvar disguised as a cabaret artiste dressed in a peacock costume.

Gallery

Trivia

  • During the bogus funeral, the French liaison remarks that Bouvar and Bond both share the same initials. This would be the second such reference to Bond's apparent death at the beginning of a movie; a trend started with From Russia with Love.
  • There is some discrepancy surrounding the character's name. Though pronounced onscreen as "Boo-Va", in the credits, his "widow" is listed as Madame Boitier (which would be pronounced "Bwa-tee-ay").

See also

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