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On Her Majestys Secret Service |
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Director PETER HUNT Producers ALBERT R BROCCOLI & HARRY SALTZMAN
Screenplay RICHARD MAIBAUM Director of Photography MICHAEL REED
Editor JOHN GLEN Production designer SYD CAIN
Music JOHN BARRY
Starring GEORGE LAZENBY James Bond TELLY SAVALAS Ernst Stavro Blofeld
DIANNA RIGG Tracy Di Vincenzo ANGELA SCOULAR Ruby Bartlett
GEORGE BAKER Sir Hilary Bray
ILSE STEPPAT Irma Bunt BERNARD HORSFALL Cambell
GABRIELE FERZETTI Marc Ange Draco
With BERNARD LEE As M, DESMOND LLEWELYN As Q & LOIS MAXWELL As Miss Moneypenny
Release Date: UK & USA 18 December 1969
Running time: 140 Minutes |
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Only recently given some of the respect it deserves, On Her Majestys Secret Service is considered by many Bond fans to be the greatest Bond of All. The Film contains spectacular ski chases, wild car chases, moments of real tension and genuine emotion. Yet it is still the dark horse of the Bond series. Perhaps the only reason lies with the fact this is the first 007 film NOT to star Sean Connery as James Bond. George Lazenby takes the role as the famous British secret agent and does a decent job. His one real flaw is the fact he's trying to emulate Connery and not bringing his own vision to the character. It doesnt help that he is dubbed thoughout a third of the film. Contrary to popular belief, the film was a success and grossed over $80 million dollars. Not bad for a film costing $7 million dollars. |
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Long time Bond editor Peter Hunt directs this 007 entery and does a great job. Although one of the longest of the Bond movies, it is exciting and entertaining through almost the entire lenght of the movie. The only time the film tends to drag on is during the Piz Gloria scenes when Bond isnt really doing his job, just sleeping around with Blofeld's hypnotized girls. But in some ways this is important to the story so it's forgivable, plus....this is BOND we're talking about. One girl cant be enough for him. One of the most tense scenes is when Bond is locked in the gear room of Piz Gloria's Cable Car. The Audeince is practacally holding there breath as he climbs along the freezing cold, steel cable as the car comes closer and closer to amputating Bonds fingers. The scene where Bond is cracking the safe of Blofelds lawyer, Gumbold, is also extremely tense. There are also three terrrific action scenes: Bond's ski escape from Piz Gloria, the car chase through Switzerland and the final showdown on Piz Gloria, which ends with the thrilling bobsled chase. All top notch scenes and some of the best action sequences in the entire series.
Accompanying Lazenby are Dianna Rigg, Telly Savalas and Gabriele Ferzetti. Rigg is fantastic as the tragic Tracy (And for a short while Mrs. Bond). She makes the character THE most memorable female in all the Bond films. Only a handfull of Bond Girls are memorable actresses and Rigg is one of those few. Though the chemistry between her and Lazenby is iffy at times, you can clearly see what Bond loves in her. These small things all add up and when the final, tragic, scene comes you can'y help but feel sad over the events that happened. |
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Savalas is also quite good in the role of Blofeld. Although many claim he was too american for the character, he performs well enough that the audeince forgets that and accepts that this man is a polish scientist/terrorist. Savalas acts much more low key than Pleasence in YOLT, and his version of the character seems far more believable. While Pleasence may remain as a fan favorite, its hard not to think that this is only because he was the first.
Ferzetti plays Tracy's father, Marc Ange Draco. And what a performance it is! Up there on the list with Topol, in FYEO, Robby Coltrane, in Goldeneye and TWINE, and more importantly Pedro Armendariz, in FRWL, as the most memorable Bond Allies. He may a criminal but he's the type of criminal youd like to know. He's the ultimate bad guy with a nice side. |
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John Barry created quite possibly his best score ever on this film. The OHMSS theme is one of the best. The other theme song, We Have All The Time In The World performed by Luis Armstrong, is equally memorable and is the perfect theme to accompany ther Bond/Tracy relationship. One of the big flaws in the movie, in fact, is that it is not used for the end credits. |
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After seeing Bond near tears, holding his murdered wife, the James Bond theme does not suit the emotion felt. It seems almost in bad taste.
Though not perfect, it is easily one of the top 5 007 films and with some hope future audiences will coem to appreciate it the way they do Goldfinger, From Russia With Love and Thunderball. |
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Rating
Teaser Sequence: Kind of a strange one. Bond rescues Tracy and Battles a bunch of thugs. Not bad but not great.
5/10
Credits: Fantasic! The clips of the old films help to remind us that although the original bond is gone..This is still 007 himself
8/10
Theme Song: Which one? Both are great but its the instrumental OHMSS theme that people will be humming after
10/10
Plot: Terrific, only flaw is that Spectre's latest attack seems somewhat tame compaired to previous ones
8.5/10
Location: The Swiss alps are simply gorgeous. Spain and Southern France arent too shabby either.
8/10
Bond Girls:Not too many in this film. Actually the only REAL bond girl is Tracy
5/10
Villian: Blofeld is back and better than ever (Sorta). Nothing else to say
9.5/10
Gadgets: Umm......Hmm...Were there any?
2/10
Overall: Near flawless. Only other competitiion is From Russia With Love
10/10
Foreign Names:
Germany, France, And Belgium: The Secret Service Of Her Majesty
Japan: The Queens 007 |
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The James Bond Films |
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