Review of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) by Peter N — 01 Aug 2012

This is by far the most under-appreciated film in the entire Bond canon. OHMSS is the most faithful adaptation of the original Ian Fleming novels, and it is nothing short of incredible. George Lazenby may be forgotten, ignored, and criticized due to his decision to relinquish the role of 007 after one outing, but I've always felt he filled Connery's shoes quite nicely.

He doesn't try to overly imitate his predecessor, and delivers the most entertaining fight scenes of the entire series. Telly Savalas is my favorite incarnation of Blofeld, as he adds a physical presence that most Bond villains lack.

Diana Rigg is an endearing love interest, and arguably the most important Bond girl, seeing as how she's the only one who manages to become Mrs. James Bond. The action sequences are well made and are plausible enough to excite without being overly ridiculous.

The tough, gritty realism that underlies the film is superb, but the film's failure to be the box office draw that had become expected of a Bond film ultimately ended up destroying the hard-edged nature of the subsequent films in favor of a campier, more comedic edge that diluted the true spirit of the James Bond character.