"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is the most overlooked Bond movie, perhaps due to its disappointing box office upon its initial release and the fact that its star, George Lazenby, had the unenviable task of replacing Sean Connery and then backed out of the series after only one picture. Many retrospectives give it short thrift and it rarely appears on TV. That said, OHMSS has developed a cult following over the years and is also one of the best films in the series in my opinion, ranking only behind "Goldfinger" and "From Russia With Love".
Agent OO7 romances a troubled contessa (Diana Rigg) whose father (Gabrielle Frezetti) is a Corsican crime lord with information regarding fugitive SPECTRE chief Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Salvalas). Bond then goes undercover in Blofeld's hideout, a mountaintop Swiss allergy clinic, and exposes a plot to contaminate the world's food supply.
After the outlandish spacejackings and volcanic lairs of 1967's "You Only Live Twice", this was a return to the basics for the Bond franchise. OHMSS boasts frenetic but realistic action sequences and tons of suspense, while the hi-tech gadgets and cheesey jokes are kept to a minimum. Lazenby lacks Connery's acting ability and charisma, but he has chiseled good looks, is believable in the action sequences, and manages to play a more human and sensitive OO7 than Connery ever did (as opposed to being invincible, Bond actually looks SCARED when he's cornered by the bad guys!). At the core of the picture is the only genuine love story in the franchise's history. Rigg is a classy and capable "Bond Girl" who brings out Bond's tender side. Meanwhile, Salvalas provides a Blofeld who is both mentally AND physically menacing, unlike "You Only Live Twice's" diminutive Donald Pleasence (the inspiration for "Austin Powers'" Dr. Evil) and "Diamonds Are Forever's" strangely effiminate Charles Gray.
Most people already know how OHMSS' ending is a classic piece of Bond lore. For those who don't, let's just say it's unique in the series and represents the last time the franchise had any creative spark before descending into decades of self-homage at best and self-parody at worst. In the 34 years since OHMSS' release 13 more Bond films have been released, but none of them have mattered.
8 out of 10.
Agent OO7 romances a troubled contessa (Diana Rigg) whose father (Gabrielle Frezetti) is a Corsican crime lord with information regarding fugitive SPECTRE chief Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Salvalas). Bond then goes undercover in Blofeld's hideout, a mountaintop Swiss allergy clinic, and exposes a plot to contaminate the world's food supply.
After the outlandish spacejackings and volcanic lairs of 1967's "You Only Live Twice", this was a return to the basics for the Bond franchise. OHMSS boasts frenetic but realistic action sequences and tons of suspense, while the hi-tech gadgets and cheesey jokes are kept to a minimum. Lazenby lacks Connery's acting ability and charisma, but he has chiseled good looks, is believable in the action sequences, and manages to play a more human and sensitive OO7 than Connery ever did (as opposed to being invincible, Bond actually looks SCARED when he's cornered by the bad guys!). At the core of the picture is the only genuine love story in the franchise's history. Rigg is a classy and capable "Bond Girl" who brings out Bond's tender side. Meanwhile, Salvalas provides a Blofeld who is both mentally AND physically menacing, unlike "You Only Live Twice's" diminutive Donald Pleasence (the inspiration for "Austin Powers'" Dr. Evil) and "Diamonds Are Forever's" strangely effiminate Charles Gray.
Most people already know how OHMSS' ending is a classic piece of Bond lore. For those who don't, let's just say it's unique in the series and represents the last time the franchise had any creative spark before descending into decades of self-homage at best and self-parody at worst. In the 34 years since OHMSS' release 13 more Bond films have been released, but none of them have mattered.
8 out of 10.