“It's... it's alright. She's just having a rest. There's no hurry, you see. We have all the time in the world.” - James Bond, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service... R.I.P. Diana Rigg/Tracy Bond
😢 "This never happened to the other fella." Best Bond film ever. I recommend watching the opening car chase to the beach & listen to engines... Beautiful
Swoooze Just look at the scene when Blofeld reveals his plans to Bond. Blofeld appears immense, he looks down on Bond like a father who lectures his small son. Everything was staged and shot brilliantly.
@@thedorkydoodlesden that scene is in the book 📕. The first time I saw the movie 🎥 was on a black and white tv 📺 so that scene didn’t bother me, when I watched the movie 🎥 on a colour Tv 📺 the same scene made me feel queasy..
I saw that at the movies with my dad. I was 6 so a lot of the movie went over my head, except for that sequence..I understood what happened to that guy Perfectly.
I don't know if this is hillarious. But Draco had awful attitude. Maybe it didn't cause massive outrage in the 60s but it was still wrong. Plus moments when he tells James that Tracy needs a man to dominate her and that she should obey her husband.
Draco is the capu of the Union Corse, basically the Corsican mob. His character in the book: when a young man he kidnapped a girl (Tracy's mother). He dominates her and she falls for him and it's happily ever etc. Marc-Ange wants a similar man for his daughter who is wasting her life in shallowness, who loses her baby (Count d'Vicenzo) ... Draco was just Draco.
Clearly, the reason why Blofeld doesn’t recognize Bond is because Blofeld is actually the cat, psychically controlling his various owners. Thus this Blofeld, being a new owner, doesn’t recognize Bond.
My Mother (who is of the Lazenby generation) told me that she thought the reason why the title of the story was "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was because that is all that James Bond has left to live for after the death of Tracy. So perhaps it's the most depressing and tragic title of them all (unless, Skyfall).
hi I'm maybe a minority on this but I always found the gag before the title sequence referring to the archetype of the handsome hero rescuing the damsel in distress rather than Sean Connery, so in all honestly I really actually love that joke
While I agree that Lazenby's performance is shaky at times the film has an emotional weight to it that just makes it more gripping and touching than most Bond films. Even in the action scenes I'm genuinely on the edge of my seat because I feel the humanity of this particular version of Bond in a way that I only do about Dalton in Licence to Kill or Daniel Craig to a large extent. This probably is my favorite Bond film.
Overall, it’s a good film. My biggest issue is Telly Savalas as the wrong actor playing a villain. He’s too friendly looking and the wrong actor to play a villain. His American New York City mannerism is also out of place with this film too.
James007HungerZone How about when the St. Bernard shows up after the bobsled chase “...never mind that, go get the brandy!” And then calls out for a particular vintage
@@magnusprime962 I know I'm the skunk at the garden party when it comes to Louis Armstrong singing. But how can anyone possibly stand "We have all... the time...in the WOILD!" Gawd. It is just plain awful.
Connery simply couldn't project the vulnerability that has made the love scenes in this movie so iconic. Paradoxically it is Lazenby's awkwardness and isolation on the set that help make these scenes work.
I disagree. I think instead of going back pleading to Connery anyway later on with the horrendous mess that was Diamonds Are Forever, they should have just offered him this screenplay and said look, we'll give you something much more serious and nuanced and a powerful note to end your tenure as Bond on. If they'd given him this same production along with the extra salary they ended up having to give him anyway for DAF, he would have done it and he absolutely could have acted the role far better than Lazenby. Connery can act more than just the tough and suave guy if given the opportunity and good material that he feels invested in. If they'd done this instead of waiting until they were actually filming the thing with nobody still cast as Bond and then just grabbing some dopey Australian who wasn't even an actor, OHMSS would have been an unrivalled perfect Bond film never to be matched again.
Idk if that would've worked. OHMSS puts a lot of money into the rest of its cast and sets. DAF Connery money would've easily taken away from that and you can see it did effect DAF given how cheap it looks. I recently showed a casual Bond fan this film for the first time (he's only seen all the Craig's and three other films) and he said George impressed him considering he wasn't an actor. Given this was also a revisit for me I walked away still loving George despite his obvious flaws. The vulnerability, readability and his brutal nature in fight scenes are great.
Connery is actually a great actor than people give him credit for. Just watch his movies with Sidney lumet (of 12 angry men) and especially the hill that came out the same year as thunderball he gave a fantastic Oscar worthy performance heck he WON an Oscar for best supporting actor 22 years later for the untouchables. Long story short he has plenty of acting chops to offer they just didn’t allow him to do much and plus it made him a lot of money and no one is gonna say no to that lol 😂
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the most underrated film in the franchise. Calvin's review is quite interesting and informative, but I think he is over thinking it some.
@@cfajohnson5207 Regarded by most critics and diehard 007 fans, yes. But it's probably fair for Michael to say it's underrated by the general movie audiences. When it's shown on TV in the US, it tends to get lower ratings than many of the others. People don't recognize the actor and lose interest fast. I once showed it to a roommate and got that reaction. "Who's this guy?!" And he spent the entire movie laughing at the movie, rather than FEELING it.
In the scene where Bond/Lazenby reacts to the polar bear, to be fair, in the book, Bond was at the end of his rope and he knew it. Bond was truly expecting to die and was in complete shock when he saw Tracy.
Imagine how tired he would be after climbing out of his cell, fighting guys on the tower, skiing down hill partially with one sky, killing two guys, skiing some more. fighting some guys in a cabin, running through the crowd. lol
@@ryanminaker157 Exactly. The Fleming novels usually had Bond really getting put through the wringer before he prevailed at the end. This was the case in the earlier Connery films but as the series progressed the more impervious he became. Lazenby always said he thought Bond had become "a little too armour-plated" and he wanted to show Bond had more to him. OHMSS is faithful to the book in terms of the character and the story. For that reason it remains one of the stand out classics of the series.
Agreed, which is why I like Lazenby so much, he truly felt like the book Bond, much more so than Connery ever did. I think the only time we see Connery's Bond shaken, is when he kills the tarantula in Dr. No. He's physically upset afterwards. The next movies he's much more on top of things, to such an extent that the tension is hardly there.
Honestly, Lazenby would've gotten better by his second or third movie and really hit his stride. Just like how Connery, Moore, Brosnan, and Craig has. I still love this movie though. It's in my top five.
At the very least, he should have sticked along for "Diamonds are forever" and make that both a direct sequel to OHMSS and a more serious film as a whole.
Also, as you stated, the Gumbold break-in scene is excellent, but the reason the safe cracking machine was so large is that is that it was also a photocopier. Such a shame that so many scenes hit the cutting room floor like the London roof chase and more footage of Campbell helping Bond have been lost.
Yes a roof chase action scene would have helped the pace of the film. As it is, all the action is crammed in at the end (not that I would cut a minute of it). However, the original script called for the Phideas's body to be disposed of in a staged train crash. With carriages full of corpses from the local morgue. So glad they didn't film that!
@@TomfromExeter Note there's still a reference to it in the finished film: When Campbell stalks Bond at the railway station he's reading a paper. The headline talks about deaths in a train crash.
I'm fascinated by the not completed extended scene that picked up from the meeting in Hillary Bray's office. Notice the bird statue on his desk? Bond does. He asks Bray about it, who says his assistant, the man who left at the beginning of the meeting gave it to him. Bond discovers a microphone on it and gets Bray to take him to the assistant's office upstairs. The doors locked, so Bond breaks in, and finds he's escaped out the window. The tape he was recording on is gone. Bond follows, and clambers down the back of The Royal College Of Arms. A fight ensures on the steps near St Pauls Cathedral. It seems at this point filming stopped to be continued. What would have happened is Phidian gets away, and into the nearby Post Office Building on King Edward Street. The chase continues, and gets to the real life Postal Underground Railway in the basement. Bond and Phidian end up on the tracks,and Bond kicks him in front of a train, killing him. Later, an elaborate fake rail crash is staged at St Pancras to make Phidian's death seem none suspicious, so Blofeld doesn't realise MI6 are on to him Phidian along with several corpses from a mortuary are the passengers. The fake story is reported in the papers. This can actually be seen in the finished film, as a headline on Campbell's paper as he spies on Bond getting off the train in Switzerland. I wish they'd been able to finish this. A chase through London would be wonderful in a Bond film (diff to TWINE's and Skyfall's). I also love how elaborate MI6's plans are.
Thanks for detailing the scene here, David. It is quite fascinating and I really wish we had it in some form... Would have been a cool bit of action for that point in the film.
@@calvindyson Yes! It would have been a nice palate cleanser, as this section is action free for quite a while (the Gumbald scene has tension, but no action). Apparently they intended to come and back and finish it, but as the schedule ran on they decided to drop it. It probably would have been cut anyway, as OHMSS was going to be cut from it's long length of 2hrs 20 until the President of American cinema owners of all people told UA not to, as he said the film was just right. Feel sorry for actor Brian Grellis who plays Phidian, as he only gets a couple of seconds and one line in the released film. It is interesting plot-wise, as to why Blofeld would bribe or threaten Bray's assistant into bugging him. Was he onto MI6, paranoid, or wanted to know what Bray's research was really turning up?
As someone who takes their villains and henchmen/henchwench's seriously I think Irma Bunt is one of the most interesting henchwench's of the bond franchise. It took a long time to get another even close to her in the dynamic and distinct personality department and that is Xenia Onatopp imo. Still, Live & Let Die was my first classic bond movie and Baron Samedi made such an impression he'll always be my favorite...talk about dynamic.
This movie, despite Connery’s weariness of playing Bond, would have been a great final film for Connery’s Bond. He would have actually had to stretch his acting range to convincingly fall in love and get married, plus the tragedy of his newlywed’s death!! It COULDA been great!!
It's one of my favorites and a true classic. Diana Rigg is amazing and Savalas is the best Blofeld. Draco is a good ally. Irma Bunt is such a nasty henchwoman. The action scenes are great. There's a lot to praise about this beautiful film. That's not to say there aren't flaws. The whole Hilary Bray impersonation should have been avoided. Find some other way to get Bond into Piz Gloria. Bond gets in, gets captured. This avoids the issue of having Blofeld not recognize him. Bond's dalliances with the Angels of Death could have been trimmed, shortening the movie. As for Lazenby, for a first time actor, I think he did a good job. It's unfortunate that he listened to stupid advice and quit. He would have grown into the role.
The film has the right actors to the other roles (for Blofeld more right is Yul Brynner), but not in Bond. In the original script, Bond undergoes plastic surgery to disguise him from his enemies; the intention was to allow an unrecognisable Bond to infiltrate Blofeld's hideout and help the audience accept the new actor in the role (On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Wikipedia). The dalliances with the Angels of Death, is also because Bond needs informations. Director Peter Hunt did a great job, but the film is more like a romantic movie. Until the early 70s Connery was Bond for everyone and after him here, I believe to Stanley Baker. Also Moore, especially from ''The Spy Who Loved Me'', was the right man at the right time (except the last film).
I truly believe the whole "This never happened to the other fellas" line really was a reference to Cinderella like like because watching this great film it is almost like a twisted version of the Cinderella story and its message: The main thing that I love about this one is the story itself and how the characters play into it. I have always said this before about this film and I will say it again, but “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” is a Cinderella like story but with a twist in regards to its main themes of self-worth and the development of both Bond and Tracy. Tracy is the obvious Cinderella stand in as in the fairy tale, her father, Draco, is a heart-broken widower. Both in the Cinderella and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, this widower isn’t able to provide the right needs for his daughter the family upbringing. Both Tracy and Cinderella are both upset in her life, she seems lost with sense of worth to them. This dynamic suddenly changes with the arrival the dashing, outside saviour, a Prince Charming figure or in the case of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, James Bond, himself. Although James routinely romances glamorous women, he soon falls hopelessly in love with Tracy, realizing that she is his soul-mate and, in a very real sense, a mirror-image of himself. She is as physically capable, verbally witty, and sexually carnivorous as he is, they are a match made in heaven (shame I cannot find a woman like that). - But damn does this film tell its twisted Cinderella like story so well in many aspects, especially in dialogue, character development and even imagery. Only the likes of Casino Royale and Skyfall have managed to rival it. In the first scene, Bond recieves stops to pick Tracy’s slippers immediately after she runs away from him and disappears into the distance. At this point, Bond is unaware of the name of this princess (or contessa), as is also the case in the fairy tale. The scene then concludes with the line “this never happened to the other fellow”, a line I’ve always seen as more of a reference to Prince Charming rather Connery as many people have suggested, mainly because of the context of the scene is very similar to Cinderella and the very same thing happened to Prince Charming. Now Bond must find the shadowy woman who has captivated him and win her over. Several times, the Cinderella-like idea of “happily ever after” is recognised and advantageously re-parsed in this Bond film, specifically in the turn of saying “we have all the time in the world.” Both saying have the connotation of both a long future of happiness and shared time. And proximately preceding her death, Tracy even states to Bond that the wedding gift he gave her is "a future.” “Happily ever after” thus seems within real reach, not simply the romantic fantasy of some childhood story. Sadly, that future is not to be. - Later Tracy is killed in the film’s final scene by a vengeful Blofeld and his henchwoman, who you see could the former as the Lady Tremaine. Like Blofeld is to Bond, Tremaine is somewhat the opposite to Prince Charming in terms of appearance, goals, personalities and even the handling of the fate of the Cinderella like figure. While in the Cinderalla story, Prince Charming is the one responsible for the final fate of Cinderella and therefore giving her a happy ending. While in this film it makes you think they are going to go that route, but turns it on its head as Blofeld drives back to get his revenge by attempting to kill Bond, but instead kill his new wife. Thus On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the Cinderella story as seen through a cracked mirror, or a cracked windshield as the case may be; the film's final, haunting image, as I can see this film suggesting the idea of self-worth is an ideal may not be for everyone because as some imprisonment imagery of this film has shown throughout this film that people like Bond cannot always have what they want, kind of like most middle class citizens of the UK.
I think Timothy Dalton would have been the best Bond actor for this movie. Judging from the time he had in Living Daylights and Licence To Kill he would have nailed the rogue aspect and the emotional aspect of OHMSS
That's what I like about OHMSS, it feels like the first modern Bond film. This could have been made today with with Craig or, at the time, Dalton and Brosnan.
This is one of the few films that actually makes me cry. I'm not even ashamed because everyone I've showed this film to has had the same reaction. Brilliant review as always Calvin!
Great to have you back, for now, Calvin! ;) Honestly, I can't help but feel that Lazenby might have been the perfect choice for this story; Bond falling in love and getting married due to it essentially being an unfamiliar narrative for Bond. I've never been able to imagine Connery in this role because of how out of it he was at that point. I'll never say Lazenby was a great actor but I can't help but feel that his inexperience led to the vulnerability Bond shows in this film; not only for the plot with Blofeld but with Tracy as well.
Devi vedere MARNIE con Sean Connery ed immaginartelo in OHMSS. Sean Connery è un ATTORE VERO ed è in grado di esprimere durezza, tenerezza, ogni cosa...
Diana Rigg is there anything you can't do? Assassination Bureau, The Avengers, Tracy in OHMSS, and the "queen of friggin' thorns" Olenna Tyrell! What a career. God I hope the GoT rumors aren't true....
TheStrongestGamer (SPOILERS): that early in season 7 the Lannisters take High Garden and rather than be captured Olenna Tyrell poisons herself. The thought of no more Olenna "queen of thorns" Tyrell just breaks my heart.
I love OHMSS. Really blew my socks off when I first saw it. The fight scene at the beginning got me hooked. I realise it might be a bit OTT but that's what I love about. Can't believe you think it isn't 'full on'! I think it's pretty brutal and shows Bond can handle the goons with his bare hands. It's a really physical, well choreographed fight. Brilliant opening. Going to have to watch it again now...
This has always been in my top five Bond movies. That opening scene was what inspired me to hit the gym thirty-two years ago! George Lazenby's physique in that shirt is fantastic! Too many lead actor's in this genre are overbuilt. The fighting is great and really plays to his strengths. Like Connery, Lazenby was a genuine tough-guy in real life.
After your last OHMSS review I convinced myself the "This never happened to the other fellow" was a Cinderella reference even though I knew it wasn't, but he picks up both shoes on the beach so it can't be.
Definitely my favorite in the series. It combines a thrilling spy plot with an emotional twist at the end, and has an epic soundtrack with gorgeous cinematography.
I really wish that after such a tender poignant ending, they had stuck with that sad subdued music for the credits instead of blasting us with the blaring and jarringly inappropriate Bond theme. They should have had more reverence for the moment they created.
I'm Greek like Savalas who advertise Greece in the film (What were all the world's charms to mighty Paris, when he found that first dawn in the arms of his Helen?), but Yul Brynner is closer to the role as required by the film series. Savalas as Greek and Balkan must take the role of Yul Brynner in ''Battle of Neretva''.
He's got menace, but I think he ought to have been more suave as well. He's supposed to be a super-rich count running an exclusive Swiss clinic (with a penchant for hypnotising pretty girls). We need aristocratic hauteur and creepiness (think Hugo Drax) before we get to the ruthless bully/coward inside. I would love to have seen Pleasance in the role.
Lazenby was adequate in the first act; in the second he struggled quite a bit until the scene in which Blofeld revealed his plot -- and then he found his footing. I think he was superb in the third act. And, dammit, he was *brilliant* in the epilogue. I honestly don't think Connery could have played that moment as well. The quality that sets this film apart from the rest of the series is that it was the only one (with the possible exception of Casino Royale) in which Bond was the underdog. It is also exquisitely made.
FreedomZealot I think Connery could have pulled off the last scene just because his bond never had something like that in the earlier films it doesn’t mean it couldn’t be done
Great review... For me personally, this is the last of the great "old school" Bond movies. The cinematography, the soundtrack and the fantastic locations and action felt so close to the Connery Bond movies. I always wondered why Diamonds are Forever felt much cheaper looking and generic, even though it was only released 2 years later. As for Lazenby, I've noticed that he comes across as wooden and uneasy in the first half of the movie, but the moment the whole Hilary Bray thing ends, he really seems to get into the role, and his acting really isn't that bad towards the end. I think he would have been a great Bond had he continued.
EON paid Connery$1.25 million for returning in DAF. From what I've read there were some compromises made in terms of "production values", and hence the cheapness issue. Fans over the years have pointed out that the oil rig climax was also a bit underwhelming for a Bond film. Connery's salary may have had some drawbacks for the overall production.
Try as I might, I just cannot imagine Connery in this film. The tone would have had to have been entirely different to accommodate him. The falling in love bit would have been the first thing to go as it rubs against the grain with everything we know about the Connery Bond. I think OHMSS is a terrific entry in the series though, and I think having a new actor play Bond makes it, if anything, more special. Enjoyed the review, Calvin.
Lazenby's Bond (relatively young, vulnerable and infinite) has similarities with Bond in ''Casino Royale'' without the final scene. In this scene we see the character of Bond who had to be in O.H.M.S.S. The love part would be like Connery and Brigitte Bardot in ''Shalako'' 1968. After Connery in this film, I believe in Stanley Baker. Sean Connery O.H.M.S.S.ua-cam.com/video/wivsl8JqLKc/v-deo.html Stanley Baker O.H.M.S.S.ua-cam.com/video/vstr-jhCjVY/v-deo.html Stanley Baker, Lost James Bondua-cam.com/video/q8CT-4LvqHc/v-deo.html
You've been missed Calvin! It's almost like the wait between Bond films We have to endure...you should add "Calvin will be returning with ______" at the end of your episodes!
After Thunderball which was considered the peak of action, gudgets etc. Connery had agreed with the producers to make "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". In his interview to PLAYBOY on November 1965 Connery said that the plan is "to start On Her Majesty's Secret Service in Switzerland in January" (1966). And then stated: "But we have to be careful where we go next, because I think with Thunderball we've reached the limit as far as size and gimmicks are concerned... What is needed now is a change of course ... more attention to character and better dialogue". As we see Sean Connery was anticipating and not bored on doing OHMSS because it was a challenge for him to act in a darker and more complex Bond movie. He wanted to work in depth with the evolution of Bond's character. But then the producers decided not to proceed with that (because of some snow problems in Switzerland) but instead to make YOLT. Sean Connery was hugely disappointed. He wanted a new challenge of acting and the evolution of the Bond character. From then on he started to loose interest on the character. So yes! Connery would have made this great...
I like Lazenby in this movie. He may not be Connery but if you watch this movie in the context that he's a more shy, more unsure and less confident Bond he's performance is good for the most part. Anyway, great review here and the Diminishing Returns episode you did on this movie was great as well!
My understanding is that Bond fans usually either love or hate this film. I love it, but it does have some aspects that are personal favorites of mine in movies (e.g. snow, Christmas, a beautiful actress who can really act, more emotional impact than usual, emphasis on plotting and storytelling and letting the action happen mostly towards the end when the stakes have been set up properly, etc.) Lazenby had something, but he was inexperienced and he can't really project all that's needed in Connery's place, but he still had some natural characteristics that would have served him well once he got more experience. Lazenby's Bond has a different attitude to M than Connery's. Connery's Bond never expected anything except cool, cold professionalism from M, but Lazenby's Bond seems to think their relationship goes further than that and is not strictly boss to employee. Look at the way Lazenby first approaches M's desk.
I don't class myself as a bond fan anyway, but having seen all the official and unofficial Bond films I am somewhere in between. There were things I liked and disliked and although there were more of the former, it's hard for me to rate the film highly when I felt the main problem was the lead actor.
I think Lazenby was a good appointment largely due to the fact that by casting an unknown they could afford to cast Diana Rigg who is the greatest Bond girl in my eyes. Yes his performance was patchy but I felt that he could do the final scene- the one that counted the most- perhaps better than Connery or Moore could have. The opening sequence is all good for me apart from the fourth wall break. Its certainly better than Moore's when we caught up with him in his house. I think keeping him in the shadows was quite a good move as it hypes up to the moment you see him in action as Bond.
What I love about Lazenby’s Bond (as short lived as he was) was that this Bond knew how to properly throw hands. There were technical limitations that prevented fight choreography from being all it could be in those days, and that was VERY apparent during Connery’s era. His films are great, mind you, but I would always dread those horribly choreographed fight scenes. Lazenby’s Bond on the other hand not only had MUCH better choreographed fight scenes, but he put WAY more into the physicality of it than Connery or Moore ever did (eventually Lanzenby’s ferocity in combat would be matched and outdone by more modern Bonds, like Dalton, Brosnan and Craig).
I just watched this film for the first time as an adult - it's great! One of the best for sure. I thought I had memories of it being very camp and 60's and I thought it wouldn't have aged well, but I was completely wrong. The dialogue is good and smart. George Lazenby is excellent. He did really well for someone with limited acting experience and I would've loved to have seen him as Bond more than once, but I'm grateful we got this one. A hidden gem that I will watch many more times.
“Let’s hire an Australian man who appeared in a chocolate bar commercial”! You summed it up so well! Seriously, Lazenby was not THAT bad, and the movie’s plot was more serious, with him getting married and all. NOT George’s fault! He was just put into a bad place, at a bad time! Interesting that he was offered a longer term contract, but his agent told him to turn it down!! WORST….AGENT…..EVER!!
22:17 Continuity...Blofeld's neck is wedged in the "Y" of a tree branch, a split second later he is hanging with the branch under both armpits. Never mind, quick edit/cut, no-one will notice it in the cinema. What's this you say, fifty years later nerds will be freeze framing this on the computer screens??
What critics of this movie fail to understand (and this is my second fave Bond movie) is that it was not written for a Connery Bond. It was written for a Lazenby Bond (whom, btw, is just fine in this role). Connery could not have played the final scene convincingly. IMHO, it still doesn't come off right. It should have been shot in silence. Another criticism, and it is a BIG one,...Louis Armstrong making mincemeat out of what is a truly beautiful Bond themed music. I can't stand to hear him sing it. I fast forward through it. The host nitpicks a bit too much. But he's right about Telly Savalas. I think he was the best Blofeld. We see him at work in his lab and we see him in action on the slopes. Something we didn't see from other portrayals of Blofeld. He nitpicks over Bond's reaction to the polar bear. Give it up! This is a different Bond. He is vulnerable. He is scared. He's on the run. But all is set right by the single best moment in ALL the Bonds - seeing Tracy at the skating rink...God's gift to a 16 year old Diana Rigg fan. It is a perfect moment. The visuals coupled with that all too beautiful music in the background. Just perfect. Now he is dead right about Bond not going back to check on Blofeld. Ordinarily one does not want to know how a movie ends. But Mom had read the book and she told me Tracy's fate. I'm glad she did or I would have been a crying mess coming out of the theater. (Don't you just love the short scene where M is pumping info out of Draco even at Bond's wedding?) The final scene should have been shot in silence. 20-30 seconds of Bond hugging Tracy. Fade to black and please, please, please NO James Bond theme. It ruins the ending.
I had already rewatched On Her Majesty's Secret Service a couple of weeks ago, and it still is hands down my favorite Bond movie. Since OHMSS is a James Bond movie, it got all the typical Bond ingredients, the difference is its great story and an actual character development in Bond and Tracy. Kind of ironic, that Lazenby got to play a part which Connery would have surely played much more interestingly, and Connery got to play the Flanderized version of Bond in Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice.
Aside from Casino Royale (2006) this is the best movie in the whole franchise. Lazenbys performance is splendid! The fact that he wasn`t even an actor and that this was his first major role is just astonishing! I never understood how people can call him wooden and boring. He gave a phenomenal and very personal performance as 007... and yes I absolutely would love to live in the parallel dimension where Lazenby starred in 7 Bond movies instead of Moore.
I always call this one _Her Satanic Majesty's Secret Service_, just because it makes me happy. Now: "a guy in a bad polar bear costume" I chalk that up to: his nerves are rattled, he knows he's being followed, there are probably enemy agents EVERYWHERE, the place is really bright and noisy, and...What better disguise for a potential killer than a crappy polar-bear costume?
It’s a movie I hated when I first saw it and over the years it’s become one of my favourite Bond movies. I agree Lazenby’s acting was uneven but for some reason, it doesn’t bother me as much as much as it used to.
I've got an answer to the whole "Bond and Blofeld don't recognize each other" controversy. I think Bond does recognize Blofeld but pretends not to so he can trick him into leaving Piz Gloria and go where he can arrest him. And Blofeld asked for Bray's description before he was sent, so he could assume this is just someone who looks like Bond, only for his later actions to blow his cover.
So for the ending scene... When they filmed the movie, Lazenby was still cool with doing another film. The murder of his wife was filmed so they could use it to begin the next movie without needing to call up the actress again. It was after the filming, during post production that Lazenby decided not to do anymore films (he managed to get a 1 film contract, so he wasn't committed) So they went ahead and put the scene at the end to avoid any issues going forward. Then Lazenby basically ran off and became some kind of hippie
Having watched this gem again last night for the first time this millennium I am forced to blossom into print…. OHMSS is the greatest Bond by any distance. I can’t believe just how blown away I was this time round. Best script, best cast, best ever quote, best premise delivered by 007…. “This never happened to the other fella”…. nonpareil. Imagine for a moment If only, if only Cubby and Harry had indulged George and his slightly OTT demands…. Jaws v George’s 007…. only one winner in that contest, eat your heart out Roger Moore.
Loving the review Calvin of (IMO) The best Bond film of them all. While I do think some of your negative points are justified e.g. the fourth wall break, Lazenby's acting while undercover others are not. This version of Bond has been directed to be a softer take on the character, to differentiate it self from Connery, not down to Lazenby's acting. I love the pre-title sequence too, a great intro to a new actor, with fight sequences that feel and look more intense. While some of the editing seems a little quaint these days, it gave the series a much needed kick up the arse.
Something I love about this film is that it does something rare. It shows James Bond vulnerable. He is just a mortal man, with desires, fears, and hardships, just like us. Showing James Bond wanting a relationship, being intimidated by Blofeld, and crying at the death of Tracy shows that while he may be a spy, he's still human.
Arguably the Best Bond film, also whilst Lazenby struggled with some performance problems, he gave some great moments and I think if he had done more films I think he would have been a great Bond.
“It's... it's alright. She's just having a rest. There's no hurry, you see. We have all the time in the world.” - James Bond, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service...
R.I.P. Diana Rigg/Tracy Bond
😢 "This never happened to the other fella." Best Bond film ever. I recommend watching the opening car chase to the beach & listen to engines... Beautiful
This is arguably the most beautiful looking Bond film.
I don't think there's any way to argue against that.
Swoooze Just look at the scene when Blofeld reveals his plans to Bond. Blofeld appears immense, he looks down on Bond like a father who lectures his small son. Everything was staged and shot brilliantly.
Yes, I’ve always loved the helicopters arriving at sunrise against the snowy mountains
I think Skyfall steals that particular award but my god this film is beautifully directed
To my eyes, it is the most beautiful of all.
You missed the funniest part of the movie where Bond exclaims "He had lots of guts" after the death of a certain henchman.
I love that scene! So fun.
Sorry. Could have done w/o that moment.
That was some insanely gory stuff. Almost seemed out of place with how graphic it was.
@@thedorkydoodlesden that scene is in the book 📕. The first time I saw the movie 🎥 was on a black and white tv 📺 so that scene didn’t bother me, when I watched the movie 🎥 on a colour Tv 📺 the same scene made me feel queasy..
I saw that at the movies with my dad. I was 6 so a lot of the movie went over my head, except for that sequence..I understood what happened to that guy Perfectly.
The scene where Draco knocks out his own daughter is one of the biggest unintentionally funny moments I've ever seen.
If only... (in another film franchise, a generation later) that had been done to that screaming whining girl in Jurassic Park!
Spare the rod and spoil the child eh
I don't know if this is hillarious. But Draco had awful attitude. Maybe it didn't cause massive outrage in the 60s but it was still wrong. Plus moments when he tells James that Tracy needs a man to dominate her and that she should obey her husband.
@@klaudiagrob oh it’s completely messed up. I don’t think the act itself is funny. I just think the fact that it comes so far out of left field is.
Draco is the capu of the Union Corse, basically the Corsican mob. His character in the book: when a young man he kidnapped a girl (Tracy's mother). He dominates her and she falls for him and it's happily ever etc.
Marc-Ange wants a similar man for his daughter who is wasting her life in shallowness, who loses her baby (Count d'Vicenzo) ...
Draco was just Draco.
I love the editing in this. Timothy "Scared-Shitless" Dalton had me laughing for a solid minute!
That part with Dalton and the monkey nearly had me in stitches 18:05 - 18:10 😂😂🤣
Clearly, the reason why Blofeld doesn’t recognize Bond is because Blofeld is actually the cat, psychically controlling his various owners.
Thus this Blofeld, being a new owner, doesn’t recognize Bond.
Paranoid white cat for sale, $3,000. Trust us, that'll be the least of your expenses.
This film is the Most accurate to all the titles from the novels. Bond and Blofeld never met until the first faccia a faccia in Sweden
I love it!
But that ruin For Your Eyes Only, since the cat survived!
Love that idea 😂😂😂😭
My Mother (who is of the Lazenby generation) told me that she thought the reason why the title of the story was "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" was because that is all that James Bond has left to live for after the death of Tracy. So perhaps it's the most depressing and tragic title of them all (unless, Skyfall).
David Who that's a good observation by her.
That's quite tragic like you say! Never thought of it like that... Discovering new things about Bond all the time!
Great post!
hi I'm maybe a minority on this but I always found the gag before the title sequence referring to the archetype of the handsome hero rescuing the damsel in distress rather than Sean Connery, so in all honestly I really actually love that joke
well damn
While I agree that Lazenby's performance is shaky at times the film has an emotional weight to it that just makes it more gripping and touching than most Bond films. Even in the action scenes I'm genuinely on the edge of my seat because I feel the humanity of this particular version of Bond in a way that I only do about Dalton in Licence to Kill or Daniel Craig to a large extent. This probably is my favorite Bond film.
Well said. Great bond film I don’t care what anyone says.
Overall, it’s a good film. My biggest issue is Telly Savalas as the wrong actor playing a villain. He’s too friendly looking and the wrong actor to play a villain. His American New York City mannerism is also out of place with this film too.
mine too !
True.
Regardless I think it’s just hard to judge his tenure as bond when most of the other bond actors had 4 or more movies as the character
"Well fancy meeting you here irm.."*SMACK*
Lol that never fails to crack me up
James007HungerZone How about when the St. Bernard shows up after the bobsled chase “...never mind that, go get the brandy!” And then calls out for a particular vintage
I love the editing after that whack in the head, when Bond is coming around and finds himself revealed.
John Barry’s music throughout this film is excellent. ‘We have all the time in the world’ is a true classic
A true classic ruined by Louis Armstrong. But as no one else has ever said anything about it, then I guess I stand alone in my objection to it.
calql8er yes you do
@@SimonLeicester And so I stand proudly and correctly.
calql8er Well you’re half-right.
@@magnusprime962 I know I'm the skunk at the garden party when it comes to Louis Armstrong singing. But how can anyone possibly stand "We have all... the time...in the WOILD!" Gawd. It is just plain awful.
Connery simply couldn't project the vulnerability that has made the love scenes in this movie so iconic. Paradoxically it is Lazenby's awkwardness and isolation on the set that help make these scenes work.
I disagree. I think instead of going back pleading to Connery anyway later on with the horrendous mess that was Diamonds Are Forever, they should have just offered him this screenplay and said look, we'll give you something much more serious and nuanced and a powerful note to end your tenure as Bond on. If they'd given him this same production along with the extra salary they ended up having to give him anyway for DAF, he would have done it and he absolutely could have acted the role far better than Lazenby. Connery can act more than just the tough and suave guy if given the opportunity and good material that he feels invested in.
If they'd done this instead of waiting until they were actually filming the thing with nobody still cast as Bond and then just grabbing some dopey Australian who wasn't even an actor, OHMSS would have been an unrivalled perfect Bond film never to be matched again.
Idk if that would've worked. OHMSS puts a lot of money into the rest of its cast and sets. DAF Connery money would've easily taken away from that and you can see it did effect DAF given how cheap it looks.
I recently showed a casual Bond fan this film for the first time (he's only seen all the Craig's and three other films) and he said George impressed him considering he wasn't an actor. Given this was also a revisit for me I walked away still loving George despite his obvious flaws.
The vulnerability, readability and his brutal nature in fight scenes are great.
Connery is actually a great actor than people give him credit for. Just watch his movies with Sidney lumet (of 12 angry men) and especially the hill that came out the same year as thunderball he gave a fantastic Oscar worthy performance heck he WON an Oscar for best supporting actor 22 years later for the untouchables. Long story short he has plenty of acting chops to offer they just didn’t allow him to do much and plus it made him a lot of money and no one is gonna say no to that lol 😂
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the most underrated film in the franchise. Calvin's review is quite interesting and informative, but I think he is over thinking it some.
It used to be, but now it is regarded by most as one of the best Bond films.
some is an understatement
his review is bullcrap.how dare he criticize Lazenby,the best bond till date.this loser doesnt know bond if bond hits him in his face
@@cfajohnson5207 Regarded by most critics and diehard 007 fans, yes. But it's probably fair for Michael to say it's underrated by the general movie audiences. When it's shown on TV in the US, it tends to get lower ratings than many of the others. People don't recognize the actor and lose interest fast. I once showed it to a roommate and got that reaction. "Who's this guy?!" And he spent the entire movie laughing at the movie, rather than FEELING it.
Calvin loves The World is Not Enough. That tells you all you need to know about the subjective lens through which he views James Bond.
In the scene where Bond/Lazenby reacts to the polar bear, to be fair, in the book, Bond was at the end of his rope and he knew it. Bond was truly expecting to die and was in complete shock when he saw Tracy.
Imagine how tired he would be after climbing out of his cell, fighting guys on the tower, skiing down hill partially with one sky, killing two guys, skiing some more. fighting some guys in a cabin, running through the crowd. lol
@@ryanminaker157 Exactly. The Fleming novels usually had Bond really getting put through the wringer before he prevailed at the end. This was the case in the earlier Connery films but as the series progressed the more impervious he became. Lazenby always said he thought Bond had become "a little too armour-plated" and he wanted to show Bond had more to him. OHMSS is faithful to the book in terms of the character and the story. For that reason it remains one of the stand out classics of the series.
My thoughts exactly. And Diana Rigg showing up at the skating rink - pure magic. The best moment in all the Bond movies.
Agreed, which is why I like Lazenby so much, he truly felt like the book Bond, much more so than Connery ever did.
I think the only time we see Connery's Bond shaken, is when he kills the tarantula in Dr. No. He's physically upset afterwards. The next movies he's much more on top of things, to such an extent that the tension is hardly there.
he was in shock at a bear in the movie... different compare dude!
Honestly, Lazenby would've gotten better by his second or third movie and really hit his stride. Just like how Connery, Moore, Brosnan, and Craig has. I still love this movie though. It's in my top five.
billa107 this is really a classic film apart from the Bond franchise.
At the very least, he should have sticked along for "Diamonds are forever" and make that both a direct sequel to OHMSS and a more serious film as a whole.
I agree with you I think he might have become one of the best bond
Totally agree! George did a good job and would’ve been even better in Diamonds Are Forever since it wasn’t as complex as OHMSS
I know right? It makes me want to beat the shit out of his agent more.
Excellent work Calvin!
Oliver Harper hey its oliver
No way, I had no idea that Oliver knew of Calvin!
Hey!
The safe cracking scene was oddly omitted from the original VHS release.
Like Calvin says, it's the best scene in film.
Stupid 80s video editors!
10:06 "Quite why Bond needs that huge safe cracking device..."
Don't forget, it incorporates a photocopier as well :)
Also, as you stated, the Gumbold break-in scene is excellent, but the reason the safe cracking machine was so large is that is that it was also a photocopier. Such a shame that so many scenes hit the cutting room floor like the London roof chase and more footage of Campbell helping Bond have been lost.
Yes a roof chase action scene would have helped the pace of the film. As it is, all the action is crammed in at the end (not that I would cut a minute of it). However, the original script called for the Phideas's body to be disposed of in a staged train crash. With carriages full of corpses from the local morgue. So glad they didn't film that!
@@TomfromExeter Note there's still a reference to it in the finished film: When Campbell stalks Bond at the railway station he's reading a paper. The headline talks about deaths in a train crash.
and btw that Gumbold break in was also in Switzerland
Goodbye Dame Diana... Rest in Peace
The best and most accurate depiction of a Bond story
I think this film is fucking incredible. Has always been my Number 1 Bond film.
I'm fascinated by the not completed extended scene that picked up from the meeting in Hillary Bray's office. Notice the bird statue on his desk? Bond does. He asks Bray about it, who says his assistant, the man who left at the beginning of the meeting gave it to him. Bond discovers a microphone on it and gets Bray to take him to the assistant's office upstairs. The doors locked, so Bond breaks in, and finds he's escaped out the window. The tape he was recording on is gone. Bond follows, and clambers down the back of The Royal College Of Arms. A fight ensures on the steps near St Pauls Cathedral. It seems at this point filming stopped to be continued. What would have happened is Phidian gets away, and into the nearby Post Office Building on King Edward Street. The chase continues, and gets to the real life Postal Underground Railway in the basement. Bond and Phidian end up on the tracks,and Bond kicks him in front of a train, killing him.
Later, an elaborate fake rail crash is staged at St Pancras to make Phidian's death seem none suspicious, so Blofeld doesn't realise MI6 are on to him Phidian along with several corpses from a mortuary are the passengers. The fake story is reported in the papers. This can actually be seen in the finished film, as a headline on Campbell's paper as he spies on Bond getting off the train in Switzerland.
I wish they'd been able to finish this. A chase through London would be wonderful in a Bond film (diff to TWINE's and Skyfall's). I also love how elaborate MI6's plans are.
Thanks for detailing the scene here, David. It is quite fascinating and I really wish we had it in some form... Would have been a cool bit of action for that point in the film.
@@calvindyson Yes! It would have been a nice palate cleanser, as this section is action free for quite a while (the Gumbald scene has tension, but no action). Apparently they intended to come and back and finish it, but as the schedule ran on they decided to drop it. It probably would have been cut anyway, as OHMSS was going to be cut from it's long length of 2hrs 20 until the President of American cinema owners of all people told UA not to, as he said the film was just right.
Feel sorry for actor Brian Grellis who plays Phidian, as he only gets a couple of seconds and one line in the released film.
It is interesting plot-wise, as to why Blofeld would bribe or threaten Bray's assistant into bugging him. Was he onto MI6, paranoid, or wanted to know what Bray's research was really turning up?
Lazenby makes good Sir Hillary Bray and terrible James Bond.
As someone who takes their villains and henchmen/henchwench's seriously I think Irma Bunt is one of the most interesting henchwench's of the bond franchise. It took a long time to get another even close to her in the dynamic and distinct personality department and that is Xenia Onatopp imo. Still, Live & Let Die was my first classic bond movie and Baron Samedi made such an impression he'll always be my favorite...talk about dynamic.
Stefan Filipovits Apparently, in the early draft of 'Spectre' that was leaked in the Sony hack, Irma Bunt was due to return along with Blofeld.
This movie, despite Connery’s weariness of playing Bond, would have been a great final film for Connery’s Bond. He would have actually had to stretch his acting range to convincingly fall in love and get married, plus the tragedy of his newlywed’s death!! It COULDA been great!!
He wouldn't have tried, though. He didn't try last film, and he wouldn't have tried in this one.
It's one of my favorites and a true classic. Diana Rigg is amazing and Savalas is the best Blofeld. Draco is a good ally. Irma Bunt is such a nasty henchwoman. The action scenes are great. There's a lot to praise about this beautiful film. That's not to say there aren't flaws. The whole Hilary Bray impersonation should have been avoided. Find some other way to get Bond into Piz Gloria. Bond gets in, gets captured. This avoids the issue of having Blofeld not recognize him. Bond's dalliances with the Angels of Death could have been trimmed, shortening the movie. As for Lazenby, for a first time actor, I think he did a good job. It's unfortunate that he listened to stupid advice and quit. He would have grown into the role.
The film has the right actors to the other roles (for Blofeld more right is Yul Brynner), but not in Bond. In the original script, Bond undergoes plastic surgery to disguise him from his enemies; the intention was to allow an unrecognisable Bond to infiltrate Blofeld's hideout and help the audience accept the new actor in the role (On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Wikipedia). The dalliances with the Angels of Death, is also because Bond needs informations. Director Peter Hunt did a great job, but the film is more like a romantic movie. Until the early 70s Connery was Bond for everyone and after him here, I believe to Stanley Baker. Also Moore, especially from ''The Spy Who Loved Me'', was the right man at the right time (except the last film).
Top 3 60's Bond movies for me:
01. Goldfinger (1964)
02. From Russia with Love (1963)
03. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Excellent choices
I truly believe the whole "This never happened to the other fellas" line really was a reference to Cinderella like like because watching this great film it is almost like a twisted version of the Cinderella story and its message:
The main thing that I love about this one is the story itself and how the characters play into it. I have always said this before about this film and I will say it again, but “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” is a Cinderella like story but with a twist in regards to its main themes of self-worth and the development of both Bond and Tracy. Tracy is the obvious Cinderella stand in as in the fairy tale, her father, Draco, is a heart-broken widower. Both in the Cinderella and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, this widower isn’t able to provide the right needs for his daughter the family upbringing. Both Tracy and Cinderella are both upset in her life, she seems lost with sense of worth to them. This dynamic suddenly changes with the arrival the dashing, outside saviour, a Prince Charming figure or in the case of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, James Bond, himself. Although James routinely romances glamorous women, he soon falls hopelessly in love with Tracy, realizing that she is his soul-mate and, in a very real sense, a mirror-image of himself. She is as physically capable, verbally witty, and sexually carnivorous as he is, they are a match made in heaven (shame I cannot find a woman like that).
-
But damn does this film tell its twisted Cinderella like story so well in many aspects, especially in dialogue, character development and even imagery. Only the likes of Casino Royale and Skyfall have managed to rival it. In the first scene, Bond recieves stops to pick Tracy’s slippers immediately after she runs away from him and disappears into the distance. At this point, Bond is unaware of the name of this princess (or contessa), as is also the case in the fairy tale. The scene then concludes with the line “this never happened to the other fellow”, a line I’ve always seen as more of a reference to Prince Charming rather Connery as many people have suggested, mainly because of the context of the scene is very similar to Cinderella and the very same thing happened to Prince Charming. Now Bond must find the shadowy woman who has captivated him and win her over. Several times, the Cinderella-like idea of “happily ever after” is recognised and advantageously re-parsed in this Bond film, specifically in the turn of saying “we have all the time in the world.” Both saying have the connotation of both a long future of happiness and shared time. And proximately preceding her death, Tracy even states to Bond that the wedding gift he gave her is "a future.” “Happily ever after” thus seems within real reach, not simply the romantic fantasy of some childhood story. Sadly, that future is not to be.
-
Later Tracy is killed in the film’s final scene by a vengeful Blofeld and his henchwoman, who you see could the former as the Lady Tremaine. Like Blofeld is to Bond, Tremaine is somewhat the opposite to Prince Charming in terms of appearance, goals, personalities and even the handling of the fate of the Cinderella like figure. While in the Cinderalla story, Prince Charming is the one responsible for the final fate of Cinderella and therefore giving her a happy ending. While in this film it makes you think they are going to go that route, but turns it on its head as Blofeld drives back to get his revenge by attempting to kill Bond, but instead kill his new wife. Thus On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the Cinderella story as seen through a cracked mirror, or a cracked windshield as the case may be; the film's final, haunting image, as I can see this film suggesting the idea of self-worth is an ideal may not be for everyone because as some imprisonment imagery of this film has shown throughout this film that people like Bond cannot always have what they want, kind of like most middle class citizens of the UK.
Great write-up. However if they wanted it to be a Ciderella reference wouldn't he have picked up one shoe rather than two?
Fair point.
All these are good but the film is not ''Modern Ciderella'', or ''The Secret Agent And The Countess''.
Honestly I think it was tongue-in-cheek British humor...simple as that
@@kuznickic1 I think Calvin is simply over thinking the film.
also I love the Cinematography in this film :3
Even M's office looks great.
It's one of the most gorgeous-looking films, I have to keep reminding myself every time I watch it that Ken Adam surprisingly wasn't involved.
Glad to see Calvin finally post his review of OHMSS. Great review! I'd like to add that OHMSS has what is possibly John Barry's finest Bond score.
30:02
My favorite single shot not just in OHMSS, but in the entire James Bond film series.
The calm before the storm so to speak.
Yes, it's iconic
I think Timothy Dalton would have been the best Bond actor for this movie. Judging from the time he had in Living Daylights and Licence To Kill he would have nailed the rogue aspect and the emotional aspect of OHMSS
He thought himself to be too young to do the role, so he didn't accept it.
@@Neville60001 yes he did but I think he would have been great in this; Connery would have been to bored and laid back to do it justice
I'd like to see the parallel universe where this was made today and Daniel Craig was in it. The closest we get is that cutscene in 007 Legends.
That's what I like about OHMSS, it feels like the first modern Bond film.
This could have been made today with with Craig or, at the time, Dalton and Brosnan.
@@Kasino80 Dalton would have nailed the emotional part of the role. And its such a shame that Diamonds didn't follow the theme.
This is one of the few films that actually makes me cry. I'm not even ashamed because everyone I've showed this film to has had the same reaction. Brilliant review as always Calvin!
bad review.this guy is fake
Great to have you back, for now, Calvin! ;) Honestly, I can't help but feel that Lazenby might have been the perfect choice for this story; Bond falling in love and getting married due to it essentially being an unfamiliar narrative for Bond. I've never been able to imagine Connery in this role because of how out of it he was at that point. I'll never say Lazenby was a great actor but I can't help but feel that his inexperience led to the vulnerability Bond shows in this film; not only for the plot with Blofeld but with Tracy as well.
Devi vedere MARNIE con Sean Connery ed immaginartelo in OHMSS. Sean Connery è un ATTORE VERO ed è in grado di esprimere durezza, tenerezza, ogni cosa...
Diana Rigg is there anything you can't do? Assassination Bureau, The Avengers, Tracy in OHMSS, and the "queen of friggin' thorns" Olenna Tyrell! What a career. God I hope the GoT rumors aren't true....
Stefan Filipovits What rumours?
TheStrongestGamer (SPOILERS): that early in season 7 the Lannisters take High Garden and rather than be captured Olenna Tyrell poisons herself. The thought of no more Olenna "queen of thorns" Tyrell just breaks my heart.
Stefan Filipovits You forgot Miss Gillyflower in Doctor Who!
Stefan Filipovits Don't worry, Olenna goes out like a badass.
I met Rigg at her only con , amazing :D
I love OHMSS. Really blew my socks off when I first saw it. The fight scene at the beginning got me hooked. I realise it might be a bit OTT but that's what I love about. Can't believe you think it isn't 'full on'! I think it's pretty brutal and shows Bond can handle the goons with his bare hands. It's a really physical, well choreographed fight. Brilliant opening. Going to have to watch it again now...
I just watched it, and I now believe it is the best Bond movie ever done.
The guy reviewing this film is way over thinking it.
This has always been in my top five Bond movies. That opening scene was what inspired me to hit the gym thirty-two years ago! George Lazenby's physique in that shirt is fantastic! Too many lead actor's in this genre are overbuilt. The fighting is great and really plays to his strengths. Like Connery, Lazenby was a genuine tough-guy in real life.
After your last OHMSS review I convinced myself the "This never happened to the other fellow" was a Cinderella reference even though I knew it wasn't, but he picks up both shoes on the beach so it can't be.
Perhaps that’s why he said it never happened to the other fella. He got two shoes instead of one
Definitely my favorite in the series. It combines a thrilling spy plot with an emotional twist at the end, and has an epic soundtrack with gorgeous cinematography.
I really like this film - in spite of Lazenby's uneven performance. It's just an incredibly well-made film!
I really wish that after such a tender poignant ending, they had stuck with that sad subdued music for the credits instead of blasting us with the blaring and jarringly inappropriate Bond theme. They should have had more reverence for the moment they created.
Can we all agree....best Bond soundtrack?
Andrew Ball no
I can!
I actually have to go with A View To A Kill, but I would agree that On Her Majesty's Secret Service is easily in the top five.
No, that belongs to A View To A Kill.
For me its a struggle between this and YOLT.
Calvin, this is me and my mother's favorite home movie, and I have to tell you: We loved it so much, and I still love it today, believe me or not!😄❤
Telly Savalas is defintely the best Blofeld
I'm Greek like Savalas who advertise Greece in the film (What were all the world's charms to mighty Paris, when he found that first dawn in the arms of his Helen?), but Yul Brynner is closer to the role as required by the film series. Savalas as Greek and Balkan must take the role of Yul Brynner in ''Battle of Neretva''.
I wish they had gotten donald pleasence again, he his my favourite
He's got menace, but I think he ought to have been more suave as well. He's supposed to be a super-rich count running an exclusive Swiss clinic (with a penchant for hypnotising pretty girls). We need aristocratic hauteur and creepiness (think Hugo Drax) before we get to the ruthless bully/coward inside. I would love to have seen Pleasance in the role.
Nahhhh
Well he certainly brought a certain gravitas to the role.
“This never happened to the other fellow” is great. Love it lol
Lazenby was adequate in the first act; in the second he struggled quite a bit until the scene in which Blofeld revealed his plot -- and then he found his footing. I think he was superb in the third act. And, dammit, he was *brilliant* in the epilogue. I honestly don't think Connery could have played that moment as well.
The quality that sets this film apart from the rest of the series is that it was the only one (with the possible exception of Casino Royale) in which Bond was the underdog. It is also exquisitely made.
I agree. I think the element of magic about OHMSS is that we all feel a little more in common with Lazenby as he's not Connery's Superman Bond
troyundroy1 Lazenby he's not only Connery's superman Bond but also he's not the character of Bond in O.H.M.S.S..
FreedomZealot I think Connery could have pulled off the last scene just because his bond never had something like that in the earlier films it doesn’t mean it couldn’t be done
Ma tu lo hai visto Sean Connery nel film MARNIE ? Immaginatelo nel film OHMSS.
Great review... For me personally, this is the last of the great "old school" Bond movies. The cinematography, the soundtrack and the fantastic locations and action felt so close to the Connery Bond movies. I always wondered why Diamonds are Forever felt much cheaper looking and generic, even though it was only released 2 years later. As for Lazenby, I've noticed that he comes across as wooden and uneasy in the first half of the movie, but the moment the whole Hilary Bray thing ends, he really seems to get into the role, and his acting really isn't that bad towards the end. I think he would have been a great Bond had he continued.
The Los Angeles and Las Vegas settings - especially Las Vegas - added a good portion to the cheapness - and tackiness.
EON paid Connery$1.25 million for returning in DAF. From what I've read there were some compromises made in terms of "production values", and hence the cheapness issue. Fans over the years have pointed out that the oil rig climax was also a bit underwhelming for a Bond film. Connery's salary may have had some drawbacks for the overall production.
Christopher Nolan’s favorite bond film and you can definitely see the influence this film had on Inception
It's here!
I think 57 Year Old James Bond probably spent more than half his life waiting for it haha!
I think it's funny that _My Weekly Bond_ has become _My Half A Year Apart Bond_.
@Doktor z Hor now he's dead James Bond
Try as I might, I just cannot imagine Connery in this film. The tone would have had to have been entirely different to accommodate him. The falling in love bit would have been the first thing to go as it rubs against the grain with everything we know about the Connery Bond. I think OHMSS is a terrific entry in the series though, and I think having a new actor play Bond makes it, if anything, more special. Enjoyed the review, Calvin.
Lazenby's Bond (relatively young, vulnerable and infinite) has similarities with Bond in ''Casino Royale'' without the final scene. In this scene we see the character of Bond who had to be in O.H.M.S.S. The love part would be like Connery and Brigitte Bardot in ''Shalako'' 1968. After Connery in this film, I believe in Stanley Baker.
Sean Connery O.H.M.S.S.ua-cam.com/video/wivsl8JqLKc/v-deo.html
Stanley Baker O.H.M.S.S.ua-cam.com/video/vstr-jhCjVY/v-deo.html
Stanley Baker, Lost James Bondua-cam.com/video/q8CT-4LvqHc/v-deo.html
Having read some of the books as a teenager (a long time ago lol), I always thought this Bond was the closest to what Ian Fleming wrote...
You've been missed Calvin! It's almost like the wait between Bond films We have to endure...you should add "Calvin will be returning with ______" at the end of your episodes!
After Thunderball which was considered the peak of action, gudgets etc. Connery had agreed with the producers to make "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".
In his interview to PLAYBOY on November 1965 Connery said that the plan is "to start On Her Majesty's Secret Service in Switzerland in January" (1966). And then stated: "But we have to be careful where we go next, because I think with Thunderball we've reached the limit as far as size and gimmicks are concerned... What is needed now is a change of course ... more attention to character and better dialogue".
As we see Sean Connery was anticipating and not bored on doing OHMSS because it was a challenge for him to act in a darker and more complex Bond movie. He wanted to work in depth with the evolution of Bond's character. But then the producers decided not to proceed with that (because of some snow problems in Switzerland) but instead to make YOLT. Sean Connery was hugely disappointed. He wanted a new challenge of acting and the evolution of the Bond character. From then on he started to loose interest on the character. So yes! Connery would have made this great...
I like Lazenby in this movie. He may not be Connery but if you watch this movie in the context that he's a more shy, more unsure and less confident Bond he's performance is good for the most part. Anyway, great review here and the Diminishing Returns episode you did on this movie was great as well!
I like Lazenby, I feel like he is a bit more smarmy and self-aware, but his sarcasm was fun.
My understanding is that Bond fans usually either love or hate this film. I love it, but it does have some aspects that are personal favorites of mine in movies (e.g. snow, Christmas, a beautiful actress who can really act, more emotional impact than usual, emphasis on plotting and storytelling and letting the action happen mostly towards the end when the stakes have been set up properly, etc.) Lazenby had something, but he was inexperienced and he can't really project all that's needed in Connery's place, but he still had some natural characteristics that would have served him well once he got more experience. Lazenby's Bond has a different attitude to M than Connery's. Connery's Bond never expected anything except cool, cold professionalism from M, but Lazenby's Bond seems to think their relationship goes further than that and is not strictly boss to employee. Look at the way Lazenby first approaches M's desk.
I don't class myself as a bond fan anyway, but having seen all the official and unofficial Bond films I am somewhere in between. There were things I liked and disliked and although there were more of the former, it's hard for me to rate the film highly when I felt the main problem was the lead actor.
That page-turn sound cracked me up completely :-D
The king is dead. May his memory live forever. Sean Connery 25 August 1930 - 31 October 2020
My favorite Bond movie of all time. Lazenby was fine by me, he would've grown into it
I think Lazenby was a good appointment largely due to the fact that by casting an unknown they could afford to cast Diana Rigg who is the greatest Bond girl in my eyes. Yes his performance was patchy but I felt that he could do the final scene- the one that counted the most- perhaps better than Connery or Moore could have. The opening sequence is all good for me apart from the fourth wall break. Its certainly better than Moore's when we caught up with him in his house. I think keeping him in the shadows was quite a good move as it hypes up to the moment you see him in action as Bond.
And the man could throw a punch.
You know i never knew it was portugal in the start i thought it was wales
Dracos estate looks like Wales , lol ?
You have clearly never visted swansea :-)
I loved the "tongue in cheek" aspect of Lazenby's introduction. Like how Don Cheadle replaced Terrence Howard in Iron Man 2...
What I love about Lazenby’s Bond (as short lived as he was) was that this Bond knew how to properly throw hands. There were technical limitations that prevented fight choreography from being all it could be in those days, and that was VERY apparent during Connery’s era. His films are great, mind you, but I would always dread those horribly choreographed fight scenes. Lazenby’s Bond on the other hand not only had MUCH better choreographed fight scenes, but he put WAY more into the physicality of it than Connery or Moore ever did (eventually Lanzenby’s ferocity in combat would be matched and outdone by more modern Bonds, like Dalton, Brosnan and Craig).
I just watched this film for the first time as an adult - it's great! One of the best for sure. I thought I had memories of it being very camp and 60's and I thought it wouldn't have aged well, but I was completely wrong. The dialogue is good and smart. George Lazenby is excellent. He did really well for someone with limited acting experience and I would've loved to have seen him as Bond more than once, but I'm grateful we got this one. A hidden gem that I will watch many more times.
“Let’s hire an Australian man who appeared in a chocolate bar commercial”! You summed it up so well! Seriously, Lazenby was not THAT bad, and the movie’s plot was more serious, with him getting married and all. NOT George’s fault! He was just put into a bad place, at a bad time!
Interesting that he was offered a longer term contract, but his agent told him to turn it down!! WORST….AGENT…..EVER!!
22:17 Continuity...Blofeld's neck is wedged in the "Y" of a tree branch, a split second later he is hanging with the branch under both armpits. Never mind, quick edit/cut, no-one will notice it in the cinema.
What's this you say, fifty years later nerds will be freeze framing this on the computer screens??
Don’t believe the EON propaganda. I agree with Tarantino, Guy Ritchie and Christopher Nolan that this is the best movie in the franchise.
What critics of this movie fail to understand (and this is my second fave Bond movie) is that it was not written for a Connery Bond. It was written for a Lazenby Bond (whom, btw, is just fine in this role). Connery could not have played the final scene convincingly. IMHO, it still doesn't come off right. It should have been shot in silence. Another criticism, and it is a BIG one,...Louis Armstrong making mincemeat out of what is a truly beautiful Bond themed music. I can't stand to hear him sing it. I fast forward through it. The host nitpicks a bit too much. But he's right about Telly Savalas. I think he was the best Blofeld. We see him at work in his lab and we see him in action on the slopes. Something we didn't see from other portrayals of Blofeld. He nitpicks over Bond's reaction to the polar bear. Give it up! This is a different Bond. He is vulnerable. He is scared. He's on the run. But all is set right by the single best moment in ALL the Bonds - seeing Tracy at the skating rink...God's gift to a 16 year old Diana Rigg fan. It is a perfect moment. The visuals coupled with that all too beautiful music in the background. Just perfect. Now he is dead right about Bond not going back to check on Blofeld. Ordinarily one does not want to know how a movie ends. But Mom had read the book and she told me Tracy's fate. I'm glad she did or I would have been a crying mess coming out of the theater. (Don't you just love the short scene where M is pumping info out of Draco even at Bond's wedding?) The final scene should have been shot in silence. 20-30 seconds of Bond hugging Tracy. Fade to black and please, please, please NO James Bond theme. It ruins the ending.
I had already rewatched On Her Majesty's Secret Service a couple of weeks ago, and it still is hands down my favorite Bond movie. Since OHMSS is a James Bond movie, it got all the typical Bond ingredients, the difference is its great story and an actual character development in Bond and Tracy. Kind of ironic, that Lazenby got to play a part which Connery would have surely played much more interestingly, and Connery got to play the Flanderized version of Bond in Goldfinger, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice.
Ahhh... THIS one. Now I remember seeing this one as a kid. The ending never left my memory.
Aside from Casino Royale (2006) this is the best movie in the whole franchise. Lazenbys performance is splendid! The fact that he wasn`t even an actor and that this was his first major role is just astonishing! I never understood how people can call him wooden and boring. He gave a phenomenal and very personal performance as 007... and yes I absolutely would love to live in the parallel dimension where Lazenby starred in 7 Bond movies instead of Moore.
Welcome back Calvin! You're on top form, this is a great video.
Dalton vs Monkey HAHA
Authentic Swiss accent & Goldeneye64 Elevator music 😂
I always call this one _Her Satanic Majesty's Secret Service_, just because it makes me happy.
Now: "a guy in a bad polar bear costume"
I chalk that up to: his nerves are rattled, he knows he's being followed, there are probably enemy agents EVERYWHERE, the place is really bright and noisy, and...What better disguise for a potential killer than a crappy polar-bear costume?
Also he's not reacting to the sight, but the sudden-ness. Plus, who expects a Polar Bear costumed person to jump at you?
Read the book. Bond is on the verge of delirium and exhaustion by this stage of his escape.
@@davidjames579 "NOBODY EXPECTS THE POLAR BEAR INQUISITION!"
Sometimes I think of this film as a prequel. I know that doesn't quite work, but I just keep thinking of it that way.
I'm surprised you didn't mention it's one of the few movies to actually show Bond's office
I love his little memory lane trip with the gadgets.
@@dereklewis4321 problem with that scene is that it really should have been Connery
It’s a movie I hated when I first saw it and over the years it’s become one of my favourite Bond movies. I agree Lazenby’s acting was uneven but for some reason, it doesn’t bother me as much as much as it used to.
I've got an answer to the whole "Bond and Blofeld don't recognize each other" controversy. I think Bond does recognize Blofeld but pretends not to so he can trick him into leaving Piz Gloria and go where he can arrest him. And Blofeld asked for Bray's description before he was sent, so he could assume this is just someone who looks like Bond, only for his later actions to blow his cover.
This was always my favorite one as a kid. No, I don't know why my dad let me watch James Bond with him as a little kid.
I can't believe you went through a 30 minute review without once mentioning the best bond song of all time
This movie's soundtrack is superb and really sets it apart from the other films. Having said that, I'd kill to have Armstrong in the opening sequence.
What an idea!
Satchmo ideally should have been at the wedding, if his health permitted.
So for the ending scene...
When they filmed the movie, Lazenby was still cool with doing another film. The murder of his wife was filmed so they could use it to begin the next movie without needing to call up the actress again.
It was after the filming, during post production that Lazenby decided not to do anymore films (he managed to get a 1 film contract, so he wasn't committed)
So they went ahead and put the scene at the end to avoid any issues going forward.
Then Lazenby basically ran off and became some kind of hippie
'Super James Bond Brothers' was the working title for Spectre.
Pleasance’s Blofeld was too over the top!
Telly played it cool and intellectual. And he wasn’t bothered about getting his hands dirty!
Great review Calvin, that final scene gets to me each time.
Calvin, thanks for accentuating the scene with the bad looking polar bear. You had my family in stitches!!!
I've been waiting for this one for 2 years now Cal! Well done! Great job - keep it up!
This one is my favourite because of the score and because its the closest to the book.
I've waited 5 months...
AngryNerds100 me too
Having watched this gem again last night for the first time this millennium I am forced to blossom into print…. OHMSS is the greatest Bond by any distance. I can’t believe just how blown away I was this time round. Best script, best cast, best ever quote, best premise delivered by 007…. “This never happened to the other fella”…. nonpareil. Imagine for a moment If only, if only Cubby and Harry had indulged George and his slightly OTT demands…. Jaws v George’s 007…. only one winner in that contest, eat your heart out Roger Moore.
That phone skit in-between the review was the highlight for me. Loved the Caverns elevator music in the background too.
Finally! I have been waiting for so long!
Loving the review Calvin of (IMO) The best Bond film of them all. While I do think some of your negative points are justified e.g. the fourth wall break, Lazenby's acting while undercover others are not. This version of Bond has been directed to be a softer take on the character, to differentiate it self from Connery, not down to Lazenby's acting. I love the pre-title sequence too, a great intro to a new actor, with fight sequences that feel and look more intense. While some of the editing seems a little quaint these days, it gave the series a much needed kick up the arse.
I am glad that people are finally beginning to appreciate this film. It's long overdue.
This appreciation has many people who don't like Bond films.
@@user-xp2gm8im2c do you like this film or not? In some videos you defend it and in others you bash it
Today, we lost Diana Rigg. RIP. We have all the time in the world.
Draco seems to me to fulfill the same type of role as Kerim Bey (much loved by Bond fans) and later Mathis, being an older father figure type ally.
Connery's good undercover scenes? Including the Japanese fisherman incident?
Good to see your OHMSS review is back! Last time I rewatched all your weekly bonds, I sadly couldn't find this one.
A pleasant surprise to see you back! Another great review, thanks!
WHAT? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?!?!?
Good to see you back, mate :D
Something I love about this film is that it does something rare. It shows James Bond vulnerable. He is just a mortal man, with desires, fears, and hardships, just like us. Showing James Bond wanting a relationship, being intimidated by Blofeld, and crying at the death of Tracy shows that while he may be a spy, he's still human.
ua-cam.com/video/XBIZQcVMaNo/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/P8Ke_-jEroI/v-deo.html
weird enough its intresting to see that in a 60s movie, guess it was ahead of its time.
Arguably the Best Bond film, also whilst Lazenby struggled with some performance problems, he gave some great moments and I think if he had done
more films I think he would have been a great Bond.
And also: welcome back, Calvin, your reviews and your acting bits have been missed!