| James Bond character | |
 |
|
| Tiffany Case | |
| Gender | Female |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | The Spangled Mob (novel) SPECTRE (unknowing) (film) |
| Status | Alive |
| Role | Bond girl |
| Portrayed by | Jill St. John |
Tiffany Case is a fictional character in the James Bond novel and film Diamonds Are Forever. For the 1971 film she was portrayed by Jill St. John.
The novel
In Ian Fleming's novel, she is an American diamond smuggler working as a fence for "The Spangled Mob," a ruthless American gang who are smuggling diamonds from Africa through an international pipeline. Bond contacts her in London using the identity of petty crook Peter Franks, and despite Tiffany's antipathy towards men, the two ultimately become lovers. Tiffany turns against her former partners, and helps Bond escape from their clutches. In the novel, she is later kidnapped by Wint & Kidd on the Queen Elizabeth, but she is rescued by Bond. After this adventure, the two briefly live together, but, like many of Bond's women, she is out of his life by the next novel, From Russia With Love. Fleming explains her departure therein. He explains that Bond, by his own admission, is difficult to live with in a domestic setting, and she returned to the United States and went back to something close to her previous life. The explanation was somewhat unusual both because Fleming rarely even mentions Bond girls for more than one book, and because for the first time since Casino Royale, Bond actually seemed emotionally affected at the dissolution of a relationship.
The film
The 1971 film adaptation of Diamonds are Forever substantially revised the plot and, with it, Tiffany's character. While she is still a diamond smuggler, she is now unwittingly working for Bond's archnemesis, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, and his terrorist organization, SPECTRE. Bond arranges a partnership with her in disguise, but this time it is to investigate her role in Blofeld's latest criminal scheme. She initially believes that she and "Franks" are going to make millions, but gets caught up in much more than she bargained for when the real Peter Franks arrives on her doorstep. From the moment she and Bond find Plenty O'Toole soaking in Tiffany's swimming pool, drowned mistakenly instead of her, Tiffany helps Bond follow the path of the smuggled diamonds until the trail leads to Blofeld. By the end of the film, Tiffany has helped Bond defeat Blofeld, and the two go on a romantic cruise together. They are briefly interrupted by an assassination attempt by Blofeld's henchmen, Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd, but Bond foils it, and the two sail off into the sunset.
Quotes
- "Oh, Peter, I have a feeling this is the beginning of a wonderful relationship!"
- "Blow up your pants!"
- "Keep leaning on that tooter, Charlie, and you'll get a shot in the mouth!"
- "Alright, Charlie, ya had your chance and ya blew it!"
