****1/2
When asked what my favorite James
Bond film is I vacillate between Goldfinger
and the little-known On Her Majesty’s Secret Service from 1969.
It’s a shame that it is so little known, because it’s a gem in a series
that is very much ‘hit and miss’.
With 2012’s Skyfall still
fresh in my mind, I suddenly felt compelled to revisit this film. Daniel Craig’s James Bond is often
lauded for its departure from the tired formula exhausted by the other films in
the series. I admit, they have been a departure, but it’s been one that has
resulted in the series taking on an uncanny resemblance to the Bourne
films, which begs the question: is it still
a Bond film that they’ve made?
On Her
Majesty’s Secret Service I’m sure felt like
a departure when it was first released in 1969. First of all, it was the first franchised Bond film in which James Bond
was not played by Sean Connery.
For this film, George Lazenby, an unknown Australian was chosen to fill
those massive shoes. From an
appearance standpoint, Lazenby certainly looked the part—he is quite dashing, and
his dimpled smile exhibits a lot of confidence requisite of James Bond. He also
approached the role with a lot of enthusiasm. One great departure that occurs in this film is that Bond
appears in disguise for a large chunk of the picture, even utilizing an even
more posh accent than we’re used to.
Lazenby, you can tell, despite his voice being dubbed, really enjoyed
these scenes, as did I. One thing
I was reminded of while re-watching this film is just how fun James Bond films
can be. Ever since the 1980s Bond
of Timothy Dalton, the movies have become increasingly more heavy-handed. The Daniel Craig outings as Bond have a
seriousness to them that makes it an almost unnerving experience to watch. I had a lot of fun watching On
Her Majesty’s Secret Service—Lazenby gives
a very light performance, playing the most philandering Bond of the series
while rattling off some of the best one-liners any of the films has to
offer. There’s one in particular
I’m surprised got by the censors in 1969!
See if you can find it.
While lacking in
gadgetry, this Bond film boasts a series of spectacular chase scenes, including
cars, skis, and even bobsleds. It
has a slew of beautiful women—Diana Rigg in particular, who despite playing
Bond’s foil early on in the film, becomes his most significant affair of the
entire series. For those unaware,
this is the Bond film in which James Bond gets married, and as preposterous as
that sounds, the way it is approached in this film makes it appear not only
legitimate, but also natural and romantic.
The
villain in this film is the quintessential Bond villain—Ernst Stavro Blofeld,
head of the elite international crime syndicate SPECTRE. Blofeld has been played by a host of
different actors, and this time is played with much panache by Hollywood
veteran actor, Telly Savalas. In On
Her Majesty’s Secret Service Blofeld is no
longer restricted to the confines of his plush swivel chair, mechanically
stroking his unnamed and ubiquitous white cat—no, he can now be seen taking an
active part in the most dangerous of chase scenes, even leading his gang of
murderous henchman. For his
personal encounters with Bond, he is given eloquently preconceived dialogue,
the kind of which one can only dream about delivering in retrospect, after
hours of mulling over those perfect phrases that one wishes could have been
uttered, while at the same time smoking cigarettes with the most unique grip
I’ve seen.
If
you’re looking for a true surprise from this franchise, and haven’t seen this
film already, then I highly recommend it!
It’s the second longest Bond film in the series, but it engages you, and
the time flies by. The ending,
which I won’t disclose, achieves a sad sort of poignancy you wouldn’t think
possible from a Bond movie. This
is only possible from a film that really makes you care for the characters as
you do in this movie. For that
reason, Diana Rigg may very well be the ultimate Bond Girl. She manages to effectively turn both
James Bond and the franchise on its head, making it one of the most memorable
Bond films, and one of the best.
I saw the film with my Dad in 1969 as an 11 year old, and loved it.
ReplyDeleteAs a family we'd been to Switzerland a few times in the 1960s, and really liked the country.
I first hiked up the Schilthorn in 1983, with the last time being in 2016.
The film is probably my joint favourite, along with - From Russia with Love.
I happy the reviewer liked it. I never had any problems with George in the role.