On Her Majesty's Secret Service

One thing I didn't anticipate would be so interesting about catching up with earlier Bond films is all the lore and history that goes into the films (and actors) themselves, not to mention the character.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service represents the first Bond film without Sean Connery - the "fellow" who'd starred in the previous 5 films and catapulted himself + the character to stardom. Relative newcomer, George Lazenby, was selected as the new Bond but decided halfway through the production that he would be one-and-done. Why? Because his agent - in what's perhaps one of the biggest Hollywood blunders in retrospect - believed that with the 70s right around the corner, the world would be "like, more free man" and governments/governmental agencies like those represented in the Bond films would be ignored by audiences. 

Yikes. And judging by the lack of Lazenby's middling career afterword, I'd say he should have fired his agent. 

So, yes, for better or worse, this is the first & only outing we get with Lazenby as Bond before hopping back to a then-record-paying amount they gave Connery to come back. 

In a lot of ways, On Her Majesty's Secret Service (or OHMSS for the rest of this review) reminds me of Casino Royale. Not necessarily because the movies share similarities, but instead because that OHMSS feels decidedly different from the Connery Bond films before it - especially the zany and over-the-top (but very fun) You Only Live Twice. However, unlike Casino Royale's intense open and early-on stupendous action scenes that scream, "BOND'S BACK BABY!", OHMSS takes a lot of time to make it's lasting impact known. 

Now having completed the entire film (which I realize is a weird thing to say in a review), OHMSS truly felt like two different movies to me. I'm sure watching it over multiple sittings only exacerbated that sensation, but regardless - the movie you're partaking in the last 30 minutes is far different (and much better) than the first part. It was shocking to me because by the time the credits rolled, I was stunned by how much I'd reversed my opinion of the film, just from flat-out better filmmaking and direction at the end. I can see why OHMSS sits so highly on some Bond-ranking lists, but for me it's impossible to ignore the middling/kinda-bad opening.

"No James, I'm not going to get naked just because you winked at me."
"Wait wut?"

Where I have seen this before...
*Inception horn blares*

The best example I can give of this is the opening action scene vs. the incredible ski chase near the end. Our opening scene is weird, staged poorly, and lacks any form of context. It over indulges in the fact there's a "new" Bond by not showing his face and the action - an incredibly awkward and cringy fight on a beach - is disjointed, poorly edited, and just plain bad. Immediately, the film felt like a step backward in the Bond franchise, which was a taste I'd have on my mouth for ~ half the film. Near the end, you have a tremendous ski/car/bobsled chase which is entertaining, filmed well (despite the amount of greenscreen), edited even better, and exciting. It's probably the best action scene in a Bond film thus far. It becomes abundantly clear the inspiration the latter part of this film has had on others (Inception's winter fortress, anyone?). 

The same can be said for the story. Our first hour is a lethargic slog without much direction and a hint that Blofeld is still alive and Bond wants to track him. It's forgettable Bond fare. Once Bond begins falling in love with Tracy (an energetic Diana Rigg), the mood and my opinion for the film begin to change. Bond? The semi-rapey womanizer we've seen just stare at women to get them in his bed for the past 5 films is falling in love? We're then side-tracked by a mission to the aforementioned winter fortress and, aside from a weird brainwashing & allergy-based doomsday endgame, treated to a very espionage-heavy Bond who eventually has to save Tracy after he proposes to her. It's in the final hourish of the overly long (almost 2.5 hours) film that OHMSS advances significantly in storytelling and overall quality. Like Casino Royale, this now feels like a different Bond from the ones we got before...in a good way. He's more human and we learn more about him as a person. He can *gasp!* love and not just go to bed (which is unfortunately offset by some poorly chosen moments of floozy women throwing themselves at him again). And with the shocking and heart-wrenching ending, we find that Bond truly did love Tracy (spoiler alert for a 50+ year old film!) as she's gunned down by Blofeld and his crony. 

[Lazenby to his agent, decades after passing up more Bond films]
"How could you let me make that decision? For that...you must die!"

In the final moments I was stunned and somewhat sad that we'd only get one film with Lazenby, unsure what the consequences would be for future installments (keep in mind I've seen very few Bond's before Brosnan). That's less because of Lazenby himself, though, much like the film he's a part of, his second half is far better than the awkward first. It's clear he was well suited for the role in style, stature, and swagger, but (like Connery) he'd need a couple more films to become truly confident in holding the weighty mantle of Bond. In that sense, it's lucky he has Diana Rigg to act off of as her Tracy is memorable and probably the best Bond girl I've encountered thus far in the journey. 

Almost more than ever, I'm eager to continue the Bond saga to learn more about how OHMSS did (or did not) affect future installments and also continue to learn why it was so difficult to place an actor in a blockbuster role. For now however, Lazenby's single entry astounded me with just how little I cared at the start to how much I was invested at the end and how the quality (and my opinion of it) grew upward throughout. 

CONS

• Takes a while to find its footing. The first hour-ish feels like a slog
• Awful action to start
• Vere minimal use of the Bond theme, so in some ways, feels less like Bond vs. any other spy
• Blofeld endgame is weird/kind of stupid

PROS

• Lazenby never assumes the role like Connery had by the end, but that's to be expected with his first film. He grows into it as a suitable replacement
• Diana Rigg's Tracy is the best Bond "girl" thus far. Her and Bond's relationship and eventual marriage are a significant turn in maturity for the character and help to ground him against some of the zanier Connery films that came before
• Pulse-pounding action (that holds up well) in the latter half of the film. The ski/car chase and eventual bobsled chase are thrilling
• Gorgeous cinematography later in the film too. Once the film moves to Switzerland this is readily apparent
• Has a strong, shocking ending that was a strong indicator of different things to come for Bond. Alluding back to the Casino Royale reference, it would have been as if that was the only Daniel Craig film. In that regard, OHMSS has aged well vs. when it initially released

Retro Rath's Review Score | 8/10