"This never happened to the other fellow."
And with that cute, fourth wall breaking line, we begin our look at George Lazenby's single turn as James Bond in the superior On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I have so much love for this entry in the Bond series, it's hard to know where to start so I'm just going to dig in.
This entry begins with Bond catching sight of a mysterious woman driving at night. He follows her and they wind up at a beach. Bond watches from the road as the woman walks into the surf. When it becomes clear she intends to kill herself, Bond chases after her and rescues her from the ocean. While they recover on the beach, Bond is attacked by a couple of thugs and the mystery woman runs for her car and takes off. Bond is able to fight off the two goons and seems utterly baffled that a damsel in distress ran out on him. He later meets her at a casino and discovers she is Countess Tracy di Vicenzo (played by Diana Rigg). She thanks him for saving her life and invites him to her hotel room. The following morning, Bond is kidnapped by several men who take him to see Marc-Ange Draco (played by Gabriele Ferzetti), who is revealed to be Tracy's father. He tells Bond of Tracy's troubled past and offers him a million pounds dowry if he marries Tracy. Bond declines the offer but agrees to continue to romance her in exchange for information Draco has of the whereabouts of Ernst Stavro Blofeld (played by Telly Savalas). The information leads him to discover Blofeld has been conversing with London College of Arms Genealogist Sir Hilary Bray (played by George Baker) in an attempt to claim the title Comte Balthazar de Bleuchamp. Bond travels to Switzerland under the guise of Bray to infiltrate Blofeld's operation and discover what he is up to.
I admit I absolutely love this entry in the Bond series. It is definitely in my Top five all time great Bond movies. Despite being one of the longest Bond films, it never once feels long. It moves along at a great pace with director Peter Hunt at the helm. Peter Hunt began as an editor on the film series before graduating to Second Unit Director on the previous film, You Only Live Twice, before graduating to director for this one. The results speak for themselves and I find myself shocked this was the only Bond film he directed. The film is absolutely gorgeous to look at and Mr. Hunt directs the action sequences perfectly picking such fantastic and interesting shots that I still marvel at. It's a crime he only directed one of these films. The script by Richard Maibaum is quite faithful to Ian Fleming's source novel, perhaps a little too faithful in the instance that Blofeld should have instantly recognized Bond yet it is like they are meeting for the first time in this one (despite having met in the previous film). Still, that's a small nitpick in an otherwise well written script, focusing more on the characters and plot rather than on gadgets or action sequences (although as mentioned before this movie does have some fantastic ones). The film also has an exquisite score by John Barry that I just adore. I love it so much I audibly gasped when I heard it used in the new Spectre trailer.
George Lazenby seems to be one of the most divisive Bond actors, with most either loving him in the role or not particularly caring for him. While I wouldn't say he was the best Bond, he's not terrible either. He gives the role a very unique spin that is actually a bit of a departure from Connery's interpretation of the character. Lazenby's Bond is much more down to earth and even dare I say a bit vulnerable. We as the audience worry about him whether he is dangling from a cable car wire or trying to dodge Blofeld's goons in the middle of a Winter Carnival. If Connery's Bond was the fantasy then I'd say Lazenby is the reality. There are no clever gadgets to save him this time, just him and his wits and perhaps some exceptionally good timing by Tracy. I've heard some people say they wish Connery had stayed on to do this film, but I have to wonder if it would have worked as well. Would Connery have been able to portray the asexual fop that Lazenby poses as for a good portion of the film? Probably not. Nor am I sure that the romance between James and Tracy would have worked as well. Maybe I'm wrong, but we will never know. Although I do have to laugh at the fact that the first film in the series to overtly reference Bond's Scottish heritage, with Lazenby in a kilt no less, is the first one Connery is not in.
Diana Rigg belongs in the Bond Girl Hall of Fame as Tracy. She is smart, feisty, strong and fiercely independent. She is no damsel in distress either and is perfectly capable of fighting off her attackers herself. It's easy to see why James ultimately falls for her and the romance aspect is much more of a plot element in this film than the others. But it works because Tracy is in many ways the perfect match for James. Rigg brings Tracy to life wonderfully, playing to both her more adventurous tendencies as well as her character's hidden troubles. She isn't the typical Bond girl as you get the sense Tracy has some hidden pains and has been through some things. Her father is genuinely worried about her and wants to find a strong man for her that he knows will look out for her, hence his interest in having Bond marry her. It's this depth of character that makes her so memorable to me.
Overall, On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a superior Bond film. With great direction and action sequences that still pack a wallop 46 years later coupled with a rich script and good performances. Heck, even as I think about it now I find myself wishing Lazenby had returned for the next film, Diamonds are Forever.
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