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On Her Majesty's Secret Service

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Some Reviwers Miss So Much
Review: For the record (are you listening, Mark Abbott?), in this film Diana Rigg's character is NOT a Spanish countess - her father is Corsican and her mother English, she was educated in England, and she married a count who was Italian or Sicilian or Corsican. You would think someone who actually saw this movie might have been bothered to pay attention. Criticism based on false foundations is just sloppy and stupid - and not worth your time to listen to.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: This is Bond?
Review: For all those people who claim to be Bond fans and still enjoyed this movie...wake up! This is a pathetic excuse for a Bond film and George Lazenby is a horrible Bond. Why do you think he was only in one?! The only Bond worse than Lazenby is Timothy Dalton. As this is a Bond film, I gave it 2 stars just because the plot is interesting, but Lazenby brings the rating down 3 stars. (...)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best of the Bonds?
Review: After enjoying four decades of 007,the all-important question remains: Which BOND is best? Sean Connery, the original 007, will always be "The Most Extraordinary Gentleman Spy in All Fiction". Which film warrants the same acclaim? My favorite is DR. NO because it's played straight-ahead thriller. Connery's 007 is rugged, raw, sardonic and definitely dangerous. A man capable of killing bad guys and lady-killing seduction. But...ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE gets my vote for "best" because it's unique...both in the film and literary canon. 007 marries. This is plot "formula-breaker" permitting ...especially in the film...James Bond to emerge as vunerable,with a heart(usually cold as steel-in-ice in the books)that can be broken. The final scene of OHMSS where George Lazenby sobs in grief over the killing of his bride by Ernst Stavro Blofeld and his virago henchperson, Irma Bunt, leaves a mood of defeat never again seen or attempted in the forty year series. ((Perhaps up-coming PRESSURE POINT, said to concern revenge of a Bond "love-child" grown to manhood, may expose similar emotional complexity))... Diana Rigg of AVENGER's fame is peerless as Countess Tracy...daughter of a Corsican Crime Lord,suavely played by Gabriele Ferzetti...the woman for whom James Bond will renounce License to Kill. As has been observed, breath taking Alpine scenery, and sweeping panoramic photography make OHMSS visually sumptuous. Sir John Barry's score...punctuated by a beautiful love ballade sung by Louis Armstrong; and sweetly catchy "Do You Know How Christmas Trees are Grown? by a singer named Nina...is variously majestic,romantic and rife with danger. It's certainly the best of the dozen BOND's Barry has composed and orchestrated. The plot of OHMSS is epic and novel(not another H-bomb extortion riff). The main SPECTRE baddie intends to launch an apocalyptic biological warfare attack (VIRUS OMEGA), using a beautiful bevy of vixens as his (IPCRESS FILE-style programmed) vector/death squad to sterilize LIFE forms across the globe. As has also been noted, Lazenby has commanding physical presence and looks like he can give...and take...a serious whipping.
Which brings us the Dom Perignon or Bollinger choice? We've seen five 007's so far. (Liam Neilson may be next!) I like them all(Roger Moore is excellent in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY). Dalton and Brosnan had the virtue of renewing a sense...contrived as it might now be in these "spy" spectacles...of wonder, if not danger to adventures of the premier film action hero of all time. John Barry's OHMSS theme song blares battle-cry trumpets, undertoned by jagged pulses of a synthesizer, summoning the viewer into the actioned-packed fantasy world of JAMES BOND. Indeed, "This never happened to the other fellow," Lazenby quips to the audience accepting the challenge to be the man of whom it's later said: NOBODY DOES IT BETTER. Despite all the great 007-outings, OHMSS is where nobody...yet...has? ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE is regarded (with possible exception of From Russia with Love)as the best book. It's my candidate...now aged a bit like champagne Bond insists on...as best of the best.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I don't get it
Review: Why do people hate this film? Is it because of the actor? Is it because of the plot? Is it because of the film itself? Well let me clear the air for you by getting something clear right off the bat. George Lazenby is not Sean Connery. Never has and never will be. He's not a great actor ( but Connery wasn't always great either) and had limited range. But then again his timing wasn't right. He has the distinction of following in Connery's footsteps and for that everything was already against him. But I truly believe and I probably am among the minority in this category that Lazenby did a good job and that the film both makes him look good and vice versa.

So before I get attacked let me say this, THERE ARE NO GADGETS! Why is that so important, well let's take a look at the two previous Bond's. Thunderball. What the hell was that? It was about nuclear weapons ransoming, but then turned into a jet packed, rebreathing, scuba fight extravanganza with the weirdest ending of any film. Bond getting on a raft, then attaching himself to a plane and being lifted off. How far was he from shore? Like 100 miles or something? Then there was You Only Live Twice which showed Bond (who doesn't drive a car at all by the way) becoming a push button automaton. "Oh here comes the baddies, I'll just push this button and poof, they magically die!" As far as I'm concernd the only thing good about that film was the Volcano set. And then they had to destroy it.

So that brings me to this film, a real world adventure that stays very close to the novel. No gadgets, with the exception of the bulky safe cracker/Xerox machine. A good balance of action and actual drama. And great supporting actors who help Lazenby along. Diana Rigg as Tracy is probably the best female actress ever to grace the 007 films. And whoever thought of Telly Savales as Blofeld should get the Academy Award for best creative thought in a film ( if there was such a category which I believe there should be). And most importantly the story. Okay so the bacterialogical warfare aspect is not exactly my cup of tea, but it works and it gives Blofeld and Bond some good squaring off scenes. But what eclipses that is Bond's relationship with Tracy which is all about being there for each other. Bond saves Tracy's life, and in return Tracy saves Bond's life in one of my favorite scenes. It takes place in a skating rink, so go watch it! If you've seen it watch it again. Pay close attention to his face before he sees her and after he sees her.

So that leaves Lazenby. Well he wasn't an actor, and it wasn't as if nobody didn't know that. But he came across rather well. Not great, but well enough that I believe the producers were willing to give him another shot if he had only stuck it out. I dare you to watch the ending again and tell me that he didn't do a good job. That he didn't look emotionally involved or that he didn't pull you into it as well. If he had did Diamonds Are Forever, I know that he would have found his niche in the role and made it his instead of trying to fit in Connery's big shoes. This film is, dare I use the overused term, underrated! But why is it overrated? Well, probably because it showed that Bond films could transcend action and formula and produces a really well made film. One that doesn't go to cheap thrills to wow me but instead injects it's characters with intelligence, charm and pathos that won't ever be seen again until Timothy Dalton's outing License to Kill, almost 20 years later. On Her Majesty's Secret Service will always be my first and foremost favorite because of that.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: THE MOST UNDERRATED BOND MOVIE: OHMSS
Review: ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE IS THE MOST UNDERRATED BOND FILM. AFTER ALMOST A YEAR OF FINDING A NEW BOND AFTER CONNERY LEFT THE ROLE, THE TEAM AT MGM WAS PROUD TO HAVE A NEW JAMES BOND, A MAN THAT WAS ONLY CAST FOR HIS FIGHTING STYLE AND ATHLETIC ABILITY, GEORGE LAZENBY!!! BUT HIS INEXPERIENCE REALLY MADE HIM THE WORST BOND ACTOR. ALTHOUGH LAZENBY WAS THE WORST BOND ACTOR, HE DOES HAVE SOME NOTABLE SCENES AND OVERALL, HE WASN'T A BAD ACTOR CONSIDERING THAT HE WAS IN HIS FIRST MOVIE ROLE. (HE LIED IN HIS RESUME ABOUT HAVING ACTING EXPERIENCE, HE WAS ACTUALLY A MALE MODEL) THE MOVIE WAS STILL ENJOYABLE WITH TERRIFIC ACTION SCENES AND A NICE STORYLINE.

THE PLOT IS PRETTY SIMPLE, BOND IS GIVEN A DEAL FROM A CRIME LORD NAMED DRACO THAT IF HE MARRIES HIS DAUGHTER TRACY (THE VERY SEXY DIANA RIGG OF THE AVENGERS FAME), HE WILL GIVE HIM INFO ON THE WHERABOUTS OF ERNST BLOFELD. BUT LATER THE DEAL IS SHATTERED AND BOND GOES UNDERCOVER AS A GENEOLOGIST IN BLOFELDS HIDEOUT FILLED WITH BEAUTIFUL WOMEN AND SETS THE STAGE FOR SOME INCREDIBLE ACTION SCENES.

THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES AND IT HAS SOME INCREDIBLE PLOT TWISTS TO IT. DIANA RIGG IS EXCELLENT AND TELLY SAVALAS. WHO PLAYS BLOFELD PROVIDES A "HUMAN" BLOFELD UNLIKE THE OTHERS. THIS MOVIE IS STILL GOOD AND IT COMES DOWN TO A SHOCKING CONCLUSION WHICH WOULD PROBABLY MAKE YOU CRY AND WONDER.... COULD SEAN CONNERY HAD PULLED THIS OFF???

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This movie brings shame to the James Bond movies!!!!
Review: From bad acting, to bad music, to bad camera, to bad story, this is the badest film in the line, and also one of the worst movies ever made. It's so bad, it makes Dunes look like a good movie. George Lazenby is untastefuly casted to play James Bond. The fact that he didn't seem to be British was bad enough, but the way he was written made it even worse. If you are a true James Bond fan, you wont like this one. stay away from it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Good?! You call this good?!
Review: Many consider this movie the best in the series. Of these people, how many bothered to watch the film? OHMSS is painful to watch. It takes over an hour for anything to happen. George Lazenby is not bad in his only Bond appearance, but he can't save a terrible movie. Blofeld has built a research center in the Alps. I won't reveal the plot, but then again, it's almost not worth writing. Telly Savales as Blofeld is by far the worst. He's just not menacing. George Lazenby is the worst Bond. If you want to see a good Bond, watch any Roger Moore film, the best being The Spy who Loved Me, which also happens to be the best in the series, followed closely by Goldfinger. All in all, OHMSS is hardly worth the time it takes to watch it, although the music is quite good.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Faithful, Flawed, But Enjoyable Adaptation
Review: For the 6th James Bond movie, it was decided to adapt Ian Fleming's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (OHMSS). Unfortunately, leading man Sean Connery, had fled the coop.

To fill Connery's enormous shoes, the producers picked unknown male model and commercial actor, George Lazenby. Sadly, for both Lazenby and the viewer, Lazenby was tossed into the most introspective and acting intensive Bond film to date.

Consider: Bond gets burned out, and we have to believe he's serious about leaving his job; plus we have to believe that the world's most notorious womanizer has fallen in love and is ready to settle down as a married man. Add to the mix that this is the only tragic Bond film, and you have an acting role that places more demands on the actor playing Bond than ever would be placed on Connery, Moore, Dalton, or Brosnan.

Lazenby is just not up to the task. His acting limitations would not have been as noticeable in a less demanding role, such as some of Roger Moore's lighter efforts, but they are all too evident in OHMSS.

Perhaps the most faithful adaptation of an Ian Fleming novel, OHMSS tells the story of a burnt out Bond whose assignment of locating Blofeld (Telly Savalas), the head of SPECTRE, has turned up nothing. Bond is on the verge of being reassigned, much to his displeasure. In the midst of this, he meets Tracy (Diana Rigg), a woman who is herself burnt out and in trouble. Tracy is the daughter of an Englishwoman and a powerful Corsican mobster, Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti).

Draco believes that the cure to his daughter's problems is a real man, like James Bond. He offers Bond 1 million pounds if Bond will marry Tracy. Bond is more interested in information on Blofeld's whereabouts, and the hunt for Blofeld is on again.

Bond infiltrates Blofeld's alpine hideaway disguised as Sir Hilary Bray, a member of the Royal College of Arms and Heraldry, pretending to investigate Blofeld's claim to a title of nobility. During this sequence, Lazenby is dubbed by actor George Baker, who plays the role of Sir Hilary.

After encounters with the usual bevy of Bond beauties, Bond discovers that Blofeld plans to blackmail the world with the threat of bacteriological warfare. It's up to 007 to save the day.

I'm perhaps a tad generous by giving this movie 4 stars, but the action sequences are well done. Diana Rigg is one of the best of all the Bond girls, and is quite well cast. Telly Savalas is not as successful as Blofeld, coming across as a street thug instead of a refined and calculating mastermind. It's too bad they didn't get Donald Pleasance to reprise his excellent performance from "You Only Live Twice."

Fans get to see Bond's office, M's home, the music is great, the cinematography is well done, and the action scenes are exciting. Still, this is the first step back that the Bond films had made to this point. Connery's shoes were too big for Lazenby to fill, and Lazenby's shortcomings were magnified by the most demanding of all the Bond performances.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A VERY UNDERRATED GOOD BOND MOVIE
Review: MOST PEOPLE SAID THIS WAS SUCH A BAD BOND MOVIE BECAUSE GEORGE LAZENBY WAS IN IT AND HE DIDN'T DO A GOOD JOB.HE WAS OK.BUT IT HAD A GOOD PLOT AND VERY BIG MARKER IN THE BOND SERIES WHEN HIS WIFE DIES.IT ALSO HAS DIANA RIGG AS ONE OF THE BEST BOND GIRLS.IT HAS ONE OF THE GREATEST PLOTS AND ERNST STAVRO BLOFELD, THE BAD GUY IN SOME JAMES BOND MOVIES THAT THEY GOT DR. EVIL FROM.IT HAS GOOD ACTION SCENES AND IT WAS VERY WELL DONE.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Instant Classic
Review: For being in only one, Lazenby made this one great. This movie has great ski chases including one where Bond and Tracy race an avalanche. This movie was wonderful until the end. You actually feel sorry for Bond. But a great film none the less.


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