On Her Majesty's Secret Service Sale
Buy On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Australian model George Lazenby took up the mantle of the world's most suave secret agent when Sean Connery retired as James Bond--prematurely, it turned out. Connery returned in Diamonds Are Forever before leaving the role to Roger Moore and Lazenby's subsequent career fizzled, yet this one-hit wonder is responsible for one of the best Bond films of all time.
In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 007 leaves the Service to privately pursue his SPECTRE nemesis Blofeld (played this time by Telly Savalas), whose latest master plan involves a threat to the world's crops by agricultural sterilization. Bond teams up with suave international crime lord Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti) and falls in love with--and marries--his elegant daughter, Tracy (Diana Rigg). Bond goes monogamous? Not at first; after all he has Blofeld's harem to seduce. Lazenby hasn't the intensity of Connery but he has fun with his quips and even lampoons the Bond image in a playful pre-credits sequence, and Rigg, fresh from playing sexy Emma Peel in The Avengers, matches 007 in every way. Former editor Peter Hunt makes a strong directorial debut, deftly handling the elaborate action sequences--including a car chase turned road rally through the icy snow--with a kinetic finesse and a dash of humor. Though not a hit on its original release, On Her Majesty's Secret Service has become a fan favorite and the closest the series has come to capturing the spirit of Ian Fleming's books. --Sean Axmaker
On Her Majesty's Secret Service Review
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" has always been an underrated Bond film. People used to delight in putting it down because it was the only film to star George Lazenby as Bond. Years ago I saw a list that had it listed as the worst Bond film.
It has since been reevaluated and it is now recognized as what I've always known it to be: "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a great Bond film, one of my five personal favorites.
OHMSS is a triumph for the director, Peter Hunt (the former editor of the first 5 Connery Bonds.) He took a male model, Lazenby, with no acting experince other than a few commercials, and coaxed a very credible performance out of him. (For years people have imagined just how great this film would have been with Connery as Bond. If it is great with Lazenby, can you imagine it with Connery?) It is a crime that Peter Hunt never got to direct another Bond film.
This film has so many highlights: the location work in Switzerland is possibly the best in the series, the ski and bobsled action scenes have never been equalled, the action scene at the end with Bond and his allies assaulting Blofeld's fortress, Piz Gloria, at the top of a mountain is terifically exciting. It also features the best John Barry soundtrack in the series.
Now as for Lazenby: before this film was released he announced that it would be his first and last appearance as Bond. He fell under the influence of some guru who convinced him that the Bond films were relics of the 1960s, ( this film was released in 1969,) and would probably fade away after the '60s concluded. (Boy was he mistaken.) Lazenby gave the producers some ultamatums about how he wanted the character to change. They did not agree and it was bye-bye George. (It didn't take Lazenby long to realize how stupid he'd been and he has tried for years to get the Bond producers to invite him back for another Bond film. Not surprisingly, they have declined. He now appears at nostalgia shows autographing Bond memorabilia. I have met him twice.) It has always been in dispute over whether the producers of the Bond series were happy to see him go. True OHMSS did not gross as much as the previous Connery Bonds. However I read where the producers originally wanted to sign him to a 7 picture deal, before he obnoxiously scuttled that (and his entire career.) Also in dispute is Lazenby's relationship with his leading lady, the Shakespearian-trained actress Diana Rigg. There are many stories that she had contempt for his lack of acting experience, (even to the point of eating garlic before their love scenes.) Yet there are other stories that they had a romantic relationship while working on the film. Only those directly involved know which stories are true.
What is not in despute is that OHMSS, along with "From Russia, With Love" and the Daniel Craig "Casino Royale," is one of the most realistic Bond films and the closest to Fleming's book. It is certainly way better than the Connery Bond film that followed it: "Diamonds Are Forever." (I remember seeing "Diamonds" in the movies the weekend it opened and the audience was enjoying it immensely. I remember thinking, however, how much better OHMSS was than the Connery Bond. Predictibly "Diamonds" made way more money than OHMSS.)
In conclusion, OHMSS is a great Bond film. As much as I enjoyed the Daniel Craig "Casino Royale," I enjoy OHMSS much better. And while Lazenby's quitting after one film is, in retrospect, quite insane, it did give us Connery back in one more Bond film, (not counting the mediocrity "Never Say Never Again,") and Roger Moore, one of my favorites from his "Maverick" and epecially "The Saint" days,) in 7 Bond films.
The deluxe DVD, like all of the other deluxe Bond DVDs features a very good "Making of OHMSS" documentary and other special features. I look forward to the release of this Bond classic on blu-ray. You can buy Cheap On Her Majesty's Secret Service online fast and easy, Shop Today!.
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