Review of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) by Humad S — 16 Jun 2013

Until Casino Royale came out, this film was the closest that they ever came to a Bond love story. Right from the start we find our new Bond saving the life of a beautiful woman who doesn't succumb to his advances like every other woman. She is a strong character who stands up against his charm. Likewise in the opening scene we see that the filmmakers are unafraid to continue some of the tongue-in-cheek humor that we've come to expect from Bond. I love when Lazenby breaks the fourth wall for a moment, referring back to Connery. In fact in this one sequence we are given a complete foreshadowing of everything that will come, because they also throw in some great fast-paced action which Lazenby seems comfortable performing. So we know from the get-go that this film is a ride full of action, comedy, and romance which (in my opinion) outdoes all the Bond films that came before it.

First of all we have Lazenby. He is debonair, agile, and fits right into the role. This was a tough thing to do since Connery had become synonymous with the character in 5 straight films, which left some big shoes to fill. Diana Rigg is probably my favorite Bond girl of all time. As I said, she has a bold personality that serves as a great counterpoint to Bond's overwhelming charm. She played the part of Tracy as both hard-nosed and likeable at the same time, which takes a quality actress. Telly Savalas was an interesting choice for Blofeld. he is much more physically intimidating than Donald Pleasence was in the role previously. His Blofeld is a little less distinguished, and seems like someone who would just pull the trigger on Bond instantly. Of course this leads to my primary pet peeve with this film: I just can't stand the fact that Blofeld seems so reluctant to just murder Bond. Locking him up in the gear room for the cable car is almost moronic. They should have wrote in some reason that Blofeld needed Bond kept alive.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the fact that they pulled off a convincing love story for a womanizer like Bond. They give a nice slow progression where Bond is forced to spend time trying to break down Tracy's defenses. It is at this point that, strangely, she lets Bond go about his job and it's almost enough for you to forget about those opening sequences. Then, perfectly timed, she reappears in Bond's life when he is most in need. This kind of slow walk into love is ideal for the characters, and gives me the emotional connection I found lacking in several of the prior films. Without delving into spoilers (something I try to avoid even on films that are more than 40 years old) the ending is daring. While it is directly from the book it seems like the type of thing that might have been changed to fit the tone of the movies that had gone before. I think that's what I like so much about this chapter in the series, Peter Hunt makes a film that feels different from the pack. It's not the new actor that makes OHMSS unique, but the deeper plot and expanding of the character. Suddenly Bond became more than just a machine or a weapon that M would point at a goal, he became a man who viewers could empathize with. That's a remarkable feat.