The greatest of all Bond movies
Added 8/24/2009
This isn't just a great Bond movie, it's a great movie. Fantastic story, great action sequences, great performances, very dark ending. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" has a sort of Sergio Leone-type quality to it. Like "Once Upon a Time in the West," it's just as good to listen to as it is to watch. The music is incredible, and the dialogue sounds choppily edited. That makes it sound even cooler, in my book. Surreal, unworldly.
I don't care what they say, Lazenby was the best Bond of them all. Unlike Connery, he's vulnerable. He gets scared, he makes mistakes and he even makes a fool of himself impersonating a geneologist. It makes him all the more interesting to watch and all the more fun to root for.
It's too bad his agent advised him to drop out of the series. Can you imagine Lazenby in "Live and Let Die," "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "For Your Eyes Only"? Oh, what might have been.
That's not to take anything away from Roger Moore, who was the bond I grew up with. He had his moments too.
Here are the other essential Bond movies, in my opinion: "From Russia With Love," "Goldfinger," "The Spy Who Loved Me," "For Your Eyes Only," "Never Say Never Again," "License to Kill," "Goldeneye," and "Casino Royale."
As for that last one, "Quantum of Solace," that was as confusing to watch as the fight scenes in "Transformers." Daniel Craig might end up being too intense for this role. EON seems to have forgotten that Bond is supposed to be fun. I'll give Craig another chance in the next movie.
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if Connery was in it then it would have been the only +. Roger next and the rest would not be anywhere. The last JB sucked!
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A Classic James Bond Movie
Added 4/3/2009
Excellent scenery, James Bond Movie done right, not the best but in the top five best 007 movies.
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Emotional Bond: Is it what the audience wants?
Added 4/1/2009
The sixth entry in the James Bond Franchise `On Her Majesty's Secret Service' is a questionable Bond film, probably being the most dramatic in the early years in the franchise and the fact that it introduces one-time Bond actor George Lazenby, who for the most part holds his own, even with the heavy burden of being the actor to follow-up Sean Connery who had already helmed five Bond films (and would return after Lazenby left for one last go in Diamonds Are Forever).
The film often suffers from a slow pace, but the set-pieces are truly remarkable (Blofeld's lair atop the Swiss Alps is truly a remarkable sight to behold). The shots of the snow covered mountains is some of the most beautiful cinematography found in any of the 1960s Bond films, and is one of the main reasons I recommend this film.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service continues where `You Only Live Twice' where Ernst Stavro Blofeld is still at large (Telly Savalas taking to role from Donald Pleasance), and, as you've probably already guessed, is already in the process of executing a new plan that should bring the world to its knees. In his time hiding from Bond he has concocted a fiendish plan to hold the world ransom using beautiful girls (who, of course, have been brainwashed) and chemicals to wipe out the world's agricultural goods. James Bond allies himself with Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) and her father, Marc-Ange Draco, who just happens to be the head of Union Corse (a major crime syndicate) for a final showdown in the Alps Blofeld's SPECTRE forces (How many henchmen does Blofeld have, anyways? He must give good benefit...).
George Lazenby does the best he can, even with the knowledge that he will be following Sean Connery; the many who basically MADE Bond. He does this by being a more sensitive, emotional Bond, going back to Fleming's novels to try and be as different from Connery's Bond as possible. All thought he pulls this off rather well he still cannot hold-up the Connery, especially when it comes to convincingly seducing women and delivering humorous one-liners. Still, the final moments of this film called for emotion I could not imagine Connery's Bond conveying without going far out of character. For this reason Lazenby manages to get a favorable response from me as a viewer, because without his good, emotion-packed performance in the final moments of this film it would not have left me with as strong of an impact. That moment alone is a reason why On Her Majesty's Secret Service is not to be missed.
This brings up the question: Do we want more emotional Bonds? I don't really think so, and I don't think the Craig films going on right now will last too long if they dwell too much on an emotional aspect of Bond. What we want in James Bond really is an invincible man who engages in fancy chases, and seduces women with ease, and when he just manages to cheat death is able to straighten his tie and deliver a comic pun or one-liner.
So while I can't say On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a great "James Bond" movie I can say that it is a mostly well-executed, emotionally driven film that is worth viewing if you don't hold it to the standards of the Sean Connery, Roger Moore, and Pierce Brosnan films or you will be greatly disappointed by On Her Majesty's Secret Service. If you want to see the most emotional, heart-gripping ending of any James Bond film you certainly owe On Her Majesty's Secret Service a viewing (too bad it's so hard to find it on DVD now of days unless you buy the box set it's included in).
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Lazenby, You're No Sean Connery
Added 2/28/2009
The last Bond movie I saw. I'd seen the others, most of them years ago and many when they first came out. Then I saw this.....this.....this....whatever it is. It was terrible, absolutely terrible.
For starters, George Lazenby is just not Sean Connery - even 40 years later, he's not Sean Connery. The movie features a number of one-liners that misfire, a barely discernible plot, a lousy Bond, a decent car, and the one bright moment: Telly "Kojak" Savalas as Blofeld. The tough guy tries to off Bond and - to point out another monstrosity of this movie - there are WAY too many snow skiing scenes, including the last one where Blofeld is caught on the limbs of an overhanging tree while competing against Jamaica in the bobsled event.
This movie was - bar none - the WORST Bond ever made. I don't know that one could be made that is worse. Seriously. Although they certainly tried it the very next go around.
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