On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Dir: Peter R. Hunt
1969
****
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a great film and one of the better Bond films in the franchise. The sixth film in the series and the first without Sean Connery, it was George Lazenby who bravely took the title role as well as the criticism that came with it. He played the part rather well, some commented that he was too stiff while others thought he was too casual. Many said he was too Australian to play an Englishman, but if a Scott can do it, why can't an Aussie? For some, there will be no other Bond like Connery and in many respects they are right but there are many, like myself, who think Lazenby did a fine job. On Her Majesty's Secret Service also marked the first film that Peter R. Hunt directed as before 1969 he had acted as film editor only on the five Bonds before. Albert R. Broccoli believed Hunt was ready and thought he could be the man to return an element of realism to the character and to steer the stories back to a more authentic adaptation of Ian Flemming's books. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is indeed more in keeping with the novel than previous adaptations but it did feel like there was something missing. A different side of Bond was also revealed which was a nice change but thankfully short lived. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is more of a one off than a continuation of the story, an interesting sub-chapter in the overall franchise. It has one of the best bad guys, the infamous Blofeld played by the awesome Telly Savalas and it arguably has the most beautiful Bond Girls, beauty isn't everything though, Diana Rigg's Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo is one of the most interesting, best written and wonderfully performed Bond girls of the franchise and is a firm favorite of the hard core fan base. For a debut, the film is very confidently directed and well balanced. It is fair to say that this is one of the Bond films that spy spoofs have fed from the most since its release but then no one ever spoofs a forgettable film or one they didn't love.