Review of On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) by Julian J — 03 Apr 2009

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is the dark horse in the 007 series, even to this day. One notable change is the actor that plays Bond: Australian actor and model George Lazenby. Lazenby plays a very human Bond, emotionally vulnerable and prone to making mistakes. However, that does not make Lazenby at all an inept 007.

After courting the Countess Teresa di Vicenzo (better known to others as simply "Tracy"), the daughter of European mob boss Marc-Ange Draco, Draco gives Bond a lead on the whereabouts of SPECTRE leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld (played in this film by Telly Savalas of "Kojak" fame). After finding out that Blofeld is trying to claim the title of Count of Bleauchamp, Bond disguises himself as Sir Hillary Bray, a genealogist, and heads to Blofeld's hidden mountain retreat in Switzerland.

I love this movie. Not only does our James Bond fall in love, but there's plenty of tense moments and action scenes to weigh out the fluff. There's a very heartfelt scene in which Bond and Tracy hide out in a Swiss barn and they both profess their love for each other. Bond then proposes to Tracy, which she accepts. The high point of this film has to be when Bond hires Draco to charter some helicopters and armed men to infiltrate Blofeld's hideout, resulting in a gunfight that would make Michael Mann blush.

I will not spoil the ending, but it is a sharp departure to the typical Bond endings. I could naturally assume that playing such a vulnerable Bond would have been emotionally and mentally draining for poor Lazenby, and after just one film, he bowed out of the Bond role for good.