On Her Majesty's Secret
Service
On Her Majesty's Secret
Service
Director: Peter R. Hunt
Producers: Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman; Stanley Sopel (associate)
Writers: Ian Fleming (novel); Richard Maibaum; Simon Raven (additional dialogue)
Title Song: Composed by John Barry
Opening Action Sequence: MI6 is in a fluster after 007 has gone missing. While away from duty, Bond saves a young woman from committing suicide on the beach. But soon after James carries the stranger to shore, he is attacked by a group of men. After the dangerous fight, the mysterious woman quickly drives away, leaving Bond with only her first name: Tracy.
Bond Visits: Portugal; France; Switzerland
Film Gross: $22,774,493--United States; $64,600,000--Worldwide
Plot Summary: Back in search of Ernst Blofeld (Telly Savalas),
James Bond (George Lazenby) enlists the unorthodox assistance of Draco (Gabriele
Ferzetti), an experienced crime boss who may have information on Blofeld's
most recent plans. The information comes with strings attached: Bond
must marry Draco's headstrong daughter, Tracy (Diana Rigg), as a sort of
"therapy" for the young woman.
Bond reluctantly agrees to the arrangement, and immediately sets out to snoop around the office of an attorney named Gumboldt (James Bree), who seems to be attempting to assist Blofeld in proving that he is of royal descendence. Armed with this information, 007 travels to Blofeld's Switzerland retreat as genealogist Sir Hilary Bray.
Our hero soon discovers that the retreat is actually a bizarre allergy clinic, which is supposedly ridding a multitude of women of their various allergies. The truth at the heart of this clinic is that it is being used by Blofeld to secretly hypnotize his patients, so that they will effectively carry out his plans for germ warfare and worldwide sterility.
And, as if that weren't enough trouble for Britain's top agent, 007 has fallen in love! His unexpected adoration for Tracy eventually forces James to choose between service to his queen and to his romance.
Bond fans who enjoy those exhilarating 007 fight scenes or chases should definitely check this one out. You'll find a great fist-fight on the beach, a ski chase, a bobsled chase, another chase on foot, an avalanche, and much more adventure to keep your adrenaline at its maximum, all accompanied by the greatest musical score in the series (courtesy of John Barry).
Unfortunately,
Lazenby's fighting abilities cannot disguise the fact that he lacks the charm,
humor, or acting talents of Sean Connery. His performance is almost
entirely one-note, aside from the film's closing scene, which is fantastic
in its emotional subtlety. It's simply Lazenby's bad luck (and ours)
that his one shot at the James Bond role is in the most demanding 007 performance
ever. This may have been an issue which Sean could have handled with
ease, but George, for the most part, can't pull it off.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service would probably had been ranked as one of my favorite Bond films if only Sean had stayed with the role, since it is Lazenby's stiffness that seems to drag the whole film down a notch or two. The almost constant use of voice dubbing doesn't help either.
What Lazenby's 007 detracts from the quality of the story, Diana Rigg makes up for with her performance as Tracy de Vicenzo. She is, without a doubt, one of the greatest love interests James will ever find. Tracy refuses to put up with any domineering from James or her father, and definitely has a mind of her own. What a refreshing change of pace from your standard Bond girl!
Telly Savalas is probably my favorite of the three Ernst Blofelds. He is casually sinister and not nearly as cartoonish as Pleasance or Grey. However, it amazes me that Ernst cannot recognize Bond after just encountering him in the last film. It's not as if they are meeting for the first time!
Another moment that detracts from the realism of the film takes place in the pre-credits scene, where Bond says "This never happened to the other fella" (an obvious reference to Connery). This line may have seemed funny to the writers or director, but it was just a little too abstract for me. Bond is Bond, no matter who plays him.
The story itself is a little spotty. It would have been much better if the writers had omitted the whole "Blofeld's ancestry" storyline, which basically heads nowhere and is nearly forgotten. In essence, it's just used as a reason for James to visit Blofeld's clinic undercover as a genealogist. Since that plotline is included with two others (the allergy clinic and Bond's romance), the big picture becomes especially confusing in some areas. Had the writers or director decided to focus more on one plot than the other two, and had Lazenby's performance been less dull, the film could have been quite a James Bond classic.
Grade: B
On Her Majesty's Secret Service Women
On Her Majesty's Secret Service Villains
On Her Majesty's Secret Service Gadgets