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11 reasons why On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) is my favorite Bond film

6/15/2012

 
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For decades, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (hereafter OHMSS), the sixth 007 film and the first without Sean Connery, was treated as the red-headed stepchild of the series. Gradually, over the years, its reputation has increased, until it’s now considered one of the best of all Bond films. I think it’s THE best...and here are some of my reasons why.

 It’s made, and set, in the 60s, where Bond belongs

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As much as I love parts of later Bond films (or all, in some cases - for example, 2006's Casino Royale), to me, Bond belongs in the 1960s. Not only was that decade the height of the Bond craze (which in turn spawned the spy craze in movies, TV and comics), but it's a time that just feels right for the character. Bond (especially in the movies) is a creature of excess, and the Bond films, with their emphasis on hedonism, fashion and globe-hopping, fit right into that 60s aesthetic. OHMSS came out in 1969, at the apex of the decade, and acts as a capper to a magical six film run. Things would never quite be the same for 007 again.


Director Peter Hunt


Hunt was the editor for the first several Bond films. His quick cutting style during the many action scenes in films like From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965) set the standard for action film editing for years to come. He finally got his chance to direct with OHMSS, and he didn’t disappoint. He only directed this one film in the series, but it’s a wonderful job. It's easily one of the most lushly framed, designed and photographed of the series, with a very carefully chosen color scheme, as well as style to burn. He understandably excels at the action scenes, which are among the best in a series notable for them. He also helps to make this the most romantic of all Bond films.
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The clever "breaking the fourth wall" opening

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Nearly all Bond films open with a  spectacular action sequence. Here we get some great action (the terrific fistfight on the beach), but what we see has a connection to what comes later in the story. Director Hunt deliberately keeps new Bond George Lazenby’s face obscured or out of focus for the first several minutes, until the precise moment to reveal him comes. Bond, having been nearly run off the road by her, sees Countess Teresa "Tracy” Di Vicenzo try to kill herself by walking into the sea. Despite his cold exterior, Bond always has a weakness for the proverbial “bird with a wing down,” and can’t resist intervening to save Tracy’s life. He brings her back to shore, and we finally get the close-up on Lazenby’s face.  "Good morning. My name's Bond. James Bond." Then some goons show up and Bond knocks seven bells out of them, only to see Tracy run to her car and drive off. Lazenby gives a sly grin, cheerfully says, “This never happened to the other feller” and cheekily looks directly into the camera. It's a witty and fun wink at the audience. 

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"This never happened to the other feller."
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Diana Rigg as the troubled Countess Teresa Di Vincenzo


Bond does actual spying in this movie!

PictureBond undercover as Sir Hillary Bray
Usually, in the films, 007 just nonchalantly walks into the casino or lair of the main baddie and announces “I’m Bond. James Bond.” He’s basically poking the villain with a stick to see how he'll respond. Generally speaking, no real spying takes place at all. Not so in OHMSS. Here, Bond actually goes undercover in Blofeld’s mountaintop headquarters for a lengthy period of time, as Sir Hillary Bray, the geneology expert.  For much of the middle third of the film, Bond stays in character  (or tries to, when he’s not straying with some of the bored young ladies there).

There’s also the supremely suspenseful early scene where Bond sneaks into the lawyer Gumboldt’s  office, in order to copy some crucial documents he’ll need for his later undercover work. John Barry’s score slowly cranks up the tension as we cut back and forth between Bond, painstakingly cracking the combination to the safe, and Gumboldt making his return to the office. The scene ends on a lighthearted note as a successful Bond passes Gumboldt in the hallway and heads out the door whilst checking out the Playboy centerfold he found stashed in the lawyer’s office.

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Diana Rigg

To fans of The Avengers, the classic British TV series, deep-voiced, sultry Diana Rigg needs no introduction. Like Honor Blackman before her, Rigg departed the long-running cult show only to appear in a Bond film. Not only did she become a Bond girl, she became THE Bond girl, the one who manages to get the ultimate playboy 007 to abandon his bed-hopping ways in exchange for matrimony. Besides being beautiful, Rigg was also an accomplished actress - rare for a Bond girl. While her thespic skills are by no means taxed as Tracy, she brings a pathos and vulnerability to the part, as well as the expected sophistication, that most actresses hired to play Bond girls, for all their allure, simply can’t match. We  are also treated to a bevy of beauties in smaller parts in OHMSS, including Angela Scoular, Catherine Schell, Julie Ege and Avengers girl-to-be Joanna Lumley.
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Angela Scoular as Ruby Bartlett
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Joanna "Purdey" Lumley
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Catherine Schell


Piz Gloria and other European locations

Having exotic foreign locales is business as usual for many Bond films. But several movies are set in the U.S., and these nearly always turn out to be my least favorites. As an American, I don’t want to see the suave British secret agent running around such prosaic sites as Las Vegas, Silicon Valley or Kentucky. I want foreign glamor, dammit, and OHMSS offers that in spades. Besides having lots of luscious locations in London, Portugal and Switzerland, it also has an ace in the hole in the form of Piz Gloria, the amazing true-life hotel/restaurant on the top of Mount Schilthorn that becomes Blofeld’s clinic and base, the principal location for most of the movie. It’s truly a remarkable place, clinging precariously to an icy cliff, and still can be visited today. All these European locations gives OHMSS a sleek, classy feel.
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The awe-inspiring location of Piz Gloria


Telly Savalas as Blofeld

Donald Pleasance, as good as he is in so many other films, made a somewhat underwhelming Ernst Stavro Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (1967). Despite being an American, Savalas is a much better fit as Blofeld. Not only is he younger and more of a physical threat to Bond, but he brings a cool, detached elegance to the part that fits well with the character. He makes for an excellent main villain, refusing to camp it up like Pleasance, and as a result, comes off as a serious threat, a force to be reckoned with throughout the film. I also love the way Savalas uses cigarettes in this film. He holds them in a unique, very stylish way. It’s a small thing, but it seems deliberate and adds a nice, Continental flourish to his character.
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Telly Savalas as Ernst Stavro Blofeld


Fantastic, bone-crushing action scenes

At 140 minutes, OHMSS was the longest 007 film until Casino Royale (which runs 4 minutes longer), and there are long stretches focusing on the plot and characters with no “action” to speak of. But when it comes, boy, is it worth the wait. Including the opening fracas on the beach, we also have two additional fights before settling into the story proper. Then comes the lengthy infiltration of Blofeld’s clinic at Piz Gloria, ending in Bond’s capture and gripping escape from the cable car engine room where he's been imprisoned. Then we get the first, and most exhilarating, ski chase sequence in the Bond series, cued to John Barry’s sweeping score. This culminates in some more excellent fisticuffs down in the village below, then a great car chase on an ice rink race track. Then there’s the unauthorized assault on Blofeld’s lair to rescue Tracy at the film’s climax. Bond and Tracy’s father, gangster Marc Ange Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), lead the attack, and basically blow Piz Gloria, and Blofeld’s evil plans, to hell and gone. Blofeld escapes, pursued by Bond, and we get the last big action setpiece of the film, the bobsled chase and fight. No CGI here folks, this is all the real deal, real stuntmen risking their necks for the sake of movie making. Fabulous stuff.
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That's a real stuntman's head grinding against the ice wall during the final bobsled chase.
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John Barry's most memorable score

Bond fans rarely agree on anything, but this is one point where many would likely concur. John Barry, composer of numerous wonderful Bond soundtracks, excelled himself on OHMSS. The score is full of grand, stirring themes, from the terrific opening instrumental to the aforementioned ski chase and intense Gumboldt’s office break-in music, to the lush and romantic love theme for Bond and Tracy, not to mention the playful tune that heralds the lovely ladies who are Blofeld’s patients. Barry also wrote the music for the Louis Armstrong song “We Have All the Time in the World,” which has since become a beloved standard. Barry’s music adds such richness and texture to the action onscreen; its impact on the final effect can’t be underestimated.

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Bernard Lee as "M"
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Gabriele Ferzetti as Marc Ange Draco, Tracy's father


It has the most unique ending of any Bond film

Most Bond movies end on a playful, jokey note, but OHMSS ends tragically, as Tracy is shot just as the newlywed couple are driving off on their honeymoon. It’s a shocking way to end a big-screen entertainment, Bond tearfully holding his dead love’s head to his chest, as the credits crawl to silence for several seconds, before the inimitable Bond theme kicks in. This tragic ending gives OHMSS more emotional heft than any other Bond film (until, again, Casino Royale; the two films share much in common, including their high quality). We get a real sense of an emotional journey as well as a physical one, and that is yet another reason why this film is so special.
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George Lazenby

Here we come to the most controversial aspect of OHMSS. The usual litany from Bond fans is “OHMSS would be the best Bond film...if only Connery had played Bond.”

Listen, I’ll admit, no one is, or ever will be,  a better Bond than Sean Connery. He just is Bond. No question. That said…by this point, Connery was so fed up with the role that I doubt he would have done such a rich script (for a Bond film) justice. You can sense his tiredness throughout You Only Live Twice. He was fed up with Bond and even if he had agreed to stay on for one more and do this film, would the results have been more than satisfactory? Personally, I doubt it.

Picture"Sorry, ma'am."
All things considered, Lazenby does a terrific job. The youngest-ever Bond (29 at the time of filming), this was also his first real acting role, and he does remarkably well. He has a confident, cocksure quality right off the bat, and manages to hold his own with old pros like Rigg, Savalas and Bernard Lee. He’s easily the most physically intimidating of all the Bonds until Craig came on the scene, and positively dominates in the action scenes, throwing himself into the fights with powerhouse abandon. He carries himself well, moves nimbly and has the proper gravitas for the part. And he manages to convey real vulnerability and emotion at the end. I just don’t think Connery, as good as he was, would have been half as believable in this particular scene.

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Had Lazenby stayed in the part (he was offered a seven picture deal by producers Albert "Cubby" Brocolli and Harry Saltzman, which he very foolishly turned down), who knows what sort of Bond he might have become. I think a very good, perhaps even a great one. He could have built upon the solid foundations established here and as he became more experienced, he would have likely matured into a fine actor. Instead, he misbehaved on set and pissed off the EON producers to such an extent that his career was basically over before it had begun. (Things turned out fine for Lazenby, who returned to his native Australia and built up a real estate empire that apparently made him far wealthier than either Connery or Moore). It’s a pity. I think fun but silly Roger Moore outings like Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Golden Gun (1975) would have been drastically improved by the more serious tone Lazenby would have likely brought to them.

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Some other noteworthy things about OHMSS:

* After a veritable gadget orgy in Thunderball and You Only Live Twice, we get a stripped-down, old-school action fest here. The only gadget featured in OHMSS is the bulky safe-cracker-cum-photocopier machine Bond uses in Gumboldt’s office. This means Bond has to rely on his wits and resourcefulness, rather than using a handy gadget to get out of sticky situations. It makes for a refreshing, back-to-basics change.

* We get to see Bond visit M at his stately manor (and see that even in his own home, M can’t escape being irritated by Bond’s extensive knowledge – in this case about lepidoptery).

* It's the one Bond film that can actually pass as a Christmas movie. It's set around the holidays, there's snow everywhere, and there's even a Christmas tree at the Piz Gloria clinic, Christmas presents for the ladies (OK, so they're a part of Blofeld's nefarious plans for poisoning the major nations' food crops, but still...) and a Christmas song (the execrable "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown" by Nina, the one bad piece of music in the film). Keep this in mind the next time you plan your holiday movie viewing.

* While there are a few groan-worthy one liners, OHMSS is virtually quip-free. We’re talking serious spy-business, baby. There’s still lots of little, witty touches throughout (Draco to Bond, after Tracy angrily storms off: "She's happy to see you, I can tell." Bond: "You must give me the name of your occulist."). Despite the film’s unhappy ending, overall it’s one big load of fun.

* Related to the above, OHMSS has fun with some throwaway in-jokes. In one scene, a janitor whistles the theme to Goldfinger. We see Bond go through his desk and take out souvenirs from his previously filmed missions (Honey’s knife and belt from Dr. No, the watch from From Russia With Love, the tiny air-tank from Thunderball, etc.) And, of course, the “This never happened to the other feller” bit I mentioned earlier.


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* It’s also perhaps the most faithfully adapted of all of Ian Fleming’s novels (which doubtless is one reason for it’s feeling like a more "meaty" film).

There's so much more to say about this film. I could write a book about it.
  In fact, someone has: The Making of 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service', by Charles Helfenstein, which is expensive but an obvious labor of love, chock full of great and rarely-seen photos, production stills, conceptual art and posters.

I never tire of OHMSS, and watch it at least once every year or so. It's definitely one of my personal "Desert Island Discs," typifying everything I love about the James Bond films and 1960s filmmaking in general. For me, it will always sit at the top of the 007 heap.

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DVD Note: Images taken from the Ultimate Edition DVD, as I wait with baited breath for the forthcoming Blu-Ray release.
R.A. Kerr link
6/14/2012 10:19:25 pm

I'm not much of a Bond fan, but your review has prompted me to see this one. I loved it when you said that Bond does some actual spying! LOL!!

Jeff
6/14/2012 10:28:01 pm

Thanks, R.A.!

I think even a non-Bond fan might enjoy this one, it's got a lot going for it. Let me know what you think when/if you do check it out.

Ozymandias J. Caltrop link
6/15/2012 02:24:42 am

Whoa! I had always just assumed that this one was merely a serial programmer that pulls out all the stops, or a compendium of ubiquitous Hollywood action tropes, but as you relate it, it's clear that ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is a highly individual actioner with a sterlingly intelligent script that would make the titular monarch proud...and proud indeed.

Colin link
6/16/2012 08:30:52 am

Hey Jeff, this is a great post, and I'm not saying that just because I agree with you.
I love this movie too, and last watched it on Christmas Day - it was wonderful, as aways.
It's hard to disagree with any of the factors you persuasively put forward in support of your championing of the movie.

However, if I might, I'd like to add reason number 12.
That last scene is amazingly effective and affecting, but there's another buried in the middle that's almost as good in its own way. I'm sure you know the one: Bond has just escaped from Blofeld, following that fantastic chase, and its musical acompaniment, down the mountain. But now he's cornered. With the cheesy Xmas tree song playing in the background, he sits huddled by the ice rink. He's exhausted, scared and waiting to die - and Lazenby communicates that fear and resignation so well. Then, just as all seems lost, a pair of feet skate elegantly into view. The camera pans up, and a poised and beautiful Tracy is standing before him. At this moment, we know the day has been saved. And Bond knows it too, all his desperate vulnerability is there for the briefest of times in his eyes, and then relief washes over him and the old confidence rushes back. A magical little scene - it gets me everytime.

Jeff
6/16/2012 04:22:12 pm

Hi, Colin! I'm glad you brought that particular scene up, and described it so well! I had thought about mentioning it but ended up writing more than enough about the film as it was. I doubt I would have did that scene quite as much justice as you just did. It is indeed a wonderful little scene, another human moment for Bond. Some fans carp about this scene, saying that Bond shouldn't ever look frightened or be portrayed as vulnerable. I think this scene gives us just enough of an "exhausted, scared and waiting to die" Bond to get the point across without making him a blubbering, emotional mess. Lazenby does play it well, and I really like Peter Hunt's choice to show how the winter festival surroundings take on a surreal, nightmarish tone that mirrors Bond's own confused, hunted mental state, as well as how he films Tracy's legs sliding up into view first, with the slow pan up to her glowing face, instantly triggering Bond's return to his usual proactive, resourceful self.

Great stuff - thanks for the comment!

Clayton link
6/16/2012 10:00:31 am

I'd like to add a #13, which goes a little bit against your last one.

To me, Lazenby is the best Bond. If you want a cartoonish cheeseball (that just happens to be scary as hell), Connery is the way to go, but I prefer the more human approach; Lazenby is a very human badass killing machine.

When I was twelve, Connery and Moore were great. Once I hit puberty, I couldn't hang with the phoniness of their attitudes and the 'trying too hard' aspect of their sexuality. Lazenby is an actual man, and that's a big deal when looking for a hero to root for, IMO. Also, getting it on with the ladies for it's own sake is an odd virtue to inflate, especially when there is little else in the character to balance it out. Sadly, with Brosnan and Dalton they tried to make that balance happen, but they destroyed Bond...Lazenby finds that balance 100%.

The Telly Savalas as Blofeld addition puts this one over the top of great. :)

Jeff
6/16/2012 04:32:03 pm

Really interesting comments, Clayton - thanks!

Myself, I never found Connery to be "trying too hard" in his interaction with the ladies, but I certainly do see that with Moore. It really comes across as playacting when Moore's Bond is macking out on the various Bond girls in his movies. By all accounts he's a terrific guy that all his female co-stars found a witty, charming, lovable chap, but none of them have ever hinted at his sex appeal. Nearly every one of Connery's co-stars go on and on about how sexy he was (though not nearly as likeable as Moore.)

I also agree that Dalton and Brosnan didn't get the balance right. I especially disliked how the writers were trying to make Brosnan's Bond this burned out, disillusioned agent who is plagued by the dark deeds he's done. That works fine for another spy character, but it's too much for Bond, and spoils the broth.

I like what you say about Lazenby coming across as a "real man." A lot of people say he's stiff, but I don't see it, really. There's just the right amount of emotion and humanity peeking through the cold "killing machine." Truly a pity we didn't get to see him get another go at the part.

And Telly is the man! I still find it surprising just how good a Blofeld he was.

Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) link
6/18/2012 05:46:28 pm

Great post Jeff, one that I find myself in complete agreement with really. Yes, it would have been great of Connery had played the part, but I don't think he could have played the role as required in terms of vulnerability. The intimacy in the proposal scene is unique to the series, though the shower scene in CASINO ROYALE probably comes nearest. It has genuine suspense, is truly spectacular in the climax and probably has the best Bond girl ever. As you say, the only duff note (sic) in Barry's score is that pretty stupid Christmas song - I think it's meant to be cheesy ... And it is stupendous-looking. I am greatly looking forward to the forthcoming Blu-ray edition.

Jeff
6/19/2012 07:23:51 am

Thanks, Sergio! That's true about the proposal scene, another one to which I'm not sure Connery would have brought quite the right degree of sincerity. It's funny, until doing this post, it hadn't really sunk in just how similar OHMSS and CASINO ROYALE are. It's almost like the modern film used the Lazenby one as a loose template. Probably not the case, but the similarities are striking. Two great films, each featuring some genuine emotional content rare for a Bond film.

Toby Roan link
8/22/2012 04:53:23 am

Terrific post. It's my favorite Bond film, too. Thanks for reminding me why.

There was a meanness to the earlier Bond films that I really liked. This one has it in spades.

Jeff
9/15/2012 10:01:08 pm

Hi Toby! Thanks a bunch for the comment! I really admire and enjoy your site, BTW.

I hear you re: the "meanness" of the early Bonds. That's true to the literary character of Bond and something I always appreciated about the 60s films. Roger Moore didn't really care for that sort of thing and tried to wean that aspect out of the series...though he does get a few great moments of cold-as-ice cruelty toward the baddies during his tenure, i.e. when he kicks Locque's car off the cliff in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (a scene Moore fought against; luckily director John Glen overrode him).

Toby Roan link
5/14/2013 06:33:21 am

Hope by now you've snagged the Blu-ray. It's stunning at times. OHMSS played here in Raleigh not long ago in 35mm, and the Blu-ray compares nicely to the bright snow scenes on film.

And the sound is nice and crisp and very very loud.

Jeff
5/14/2013 07:34:24 am

Hey there, Toby! I have indeed recently acquired the Blu-Ray edition of OHMSS, and you're right - it is a thing of beauty, startlingly clear at times (the scar on Lazenby's chin is much more prominent now, as is Diana Rigg's light dusting of freckles. It's such a handsome, lush film, and the Blu-Ray really brings that out. I've ran through most of it twice now, and keep noticing background details and other little bits of business I've never caught before.

Toby Roan link
6/19/2013 06:04:14 am

Jeff --

Sitting in my office, listening to the OHMSS score as I work, I felt the need to return to this piece.

Of all the posts on all the blogs out there, this is easily one of my favorites. Way to go.

Jeff
6/19/2013 05:26:37 pm

Thanks again for the kind words, Toby! I admit to being pleased with the response this post has gotten - it's one of the biggest "hit" attractors on the site. This is one piece which I didn't have to struggle to compose...it just sort of wrote itself. Such is my love and regard for OHMSS...guess those thoughts had had plenty of time to marinate over the years.

Mainly, it just does my heart good to see some others that are as fond of this particular "red-headed stepchild" (still largely ignored by EON) of a Bond film as I am.

Chris Mugford
12/17/2013 07:03:14 am

I was lucky enough to see OHMSS at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London shortly after its premier and its massive impact has stayed with me ever since. For those of you who ask about its reception at the time – fear not. Audiences loved it and it was (despite the subsequent EON propaganda machinery) very successful. It was much talked-about at school just as Skyfall is now with my kids.
Yes, the cinematography, yes the score, yes the action, but what makes this film so brilliant is its combination of phenomenal style coupled with a gritty realism. Playing on all of the fantasy created by previous Bond films, it gave us all a Martini commercial that for two and a half hours we believed we could actually inhabit. Other Bond movies were spectacular but sufficiently unreal that we had to watch from a remote viewpoint. For the first time, this one seemed to allow us to enter and observe right next to the principal players. The ravishing surrealism of Piz Gloria is the film’s real unsung star – surely one of the best locations ever to appear in any film. It’s a place I have been lucky enough to visit, and skied down from. It’s a real place, not a set and the film tells you this time and again (the rising balustrade next to the helicopter pad and the revolving dining area are thrown away as mere background detail – but how delicious!). In the same way, the film offers us a fantasy that feels completely real. That was Peter Hunt’s true genius. Totally immersive escapism. Maybe they’ll start to teach the technique at film schools.

Jeff
6/13/2014 02:09:11 pm

Chris, thank you for leaving such an eloquent comment! I'm truly sorry to be replying to it so late...mea culpa. I agree with all the points you raised. The importance of that fantastic Piz Gloria location to the film's overall impact can't be stressed enough, along with the lower-key, gadget-free attempt at realism you mentioned. This Bond film does feel "real" in a way the others don't (although Craig's CASINO ROYALE comes close). I envy you your skiing trip and visit to the actual Piz Gloria, surely something - along with seeing OHMSS during its initial run - that only makes the film more special to you.

Thank you so much for stopping by and leaving a comment!

Ben
6/7/2014 01:52:14 pm

Thanks Jeff, I really enjoyed your case that OHMSS is the best Bond film. You get no argument from me. It is my clear favourite and in fact is up near the top of my list of favourite films.

Lazenby's Bond comes across as a decent human being, which I am not sure you could say about some of the other Bonds. He saves Tracy at the beach and the casino and is practically gallant for most of the time. Well perhaps not at Piz Gloria but that was the job!

It is hard to think of any further grounds to support the claim as your article is just so comprehensive. I am glad Colin brought up the scene where Tracy skates up to James. This vignette deserves to be added to those lists of "greatest movie moments" that you come across on TV and the internet. I doubt it ever will as a lot of people seem to see it as inconsistent with their idea of a Bond film.

Ben
6/13/2014 02:14:20 pm

Thank you for the comment, Ben! I'm with you - OHMSS is easily in my own personal Top 10 or 20 Fave Films list (someday I'll have to get around to posting one...you know how we film freaks love our lists!)

Your point about Lazenby's Bond coming off as more of a decent chap than normal is an interesting one. He's still a brutal killer when needed but indeed shows much more of a romantic and, as you say, chivalrous side - than Connery ever did.

I'm also indebted to Colin for highlighting that terrific scene of Lazenby looking all wiped out and vulnerable near the skating rink. It's one of those human touches which makes OHMSS stand out from the rest of the 007 pack.

dc
10/11/2015 06:36:49 am

Must disagree about Rigg not being challenged by this role - she was acting for two! Apparently they hired a Shakespearean veteran specifically to help newcomer George. Supposedly the final scene, not only did Hunt keep Lazenby in front of the camera all day to wear him down, Dame Diana claims to have been pinching him to get his pained reaction - even as a corpse, she was still working!

Jeff
11/11/2015 04:31:16 am

Thanks for the comment, dc! I certainly agree that Ms. Rigg's experience and skill in front of the camera greatly aided Lazenby and helped sell their relationship in the film. As good as she is here, though, I doubt it ranked as one of her toughest acting assignments, other than dealing with Lazenby's off-screen shenanigans.

Jake Thomas
1/19/2017 04:50:48 am

Couldn't agree more with everything said.


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