109 replies to this topic

[Miles Miservy]

What I like most about OHMSS is that it's the only film that's most loyal to the original book (maybe that and FRWL). I didn't discover this one until I started collecting them in the early 90's. I'd wished that George Lazenby had better people advising him in his early career. He'd been talked out of reprising the role because OHMSS didn't initially do well at the box office. I feel that if he'd stayed on & continued with DAF, he would've made it a better movie than it is (my LEAST favorite of the Connery films).

Edited by Miles Miservy, 02 July 2012 - 01:36 PM.

[Double-0-Seven]

I never noticed this until I saw part of 'OHMSS' the other day, the opening minutes set Lazenby far apart from usual Bond actors, and struck me as to why the producers make this large change.

For one, the gunbarrel blood erasing Lazenby's image, and second, that George Lazenby appears AFTER the title of the film is shown on the credits under 'Starring' as if he's a second player.

Just my first time noticing it after all these years, and just wondered how come this was their choice to be SO different.

No idea about the gun barrel, but in the "Inside OHMSS" documentary from the DVDs, they explain that the reason they did not give Lazenby top billing is because ads for You Only Live Twice loudly proclaimed that "Sean Connery IS James Bond" and so the publicity department at United Artists wanted to downplay the fact that it was a new actor in the role. In John Cork's excellent book The Legacy, he also mentions that the surprising success of the Casino Royale spoof led Cubby and Harry to believe that audiences just wanted to see James Bond in general, regardless of who was in the role. Therefore, with Sean gone they decided it'd be best to market OHMSS simply on being the new Bond film.

Thus, OHMSS posters and home video releases have always read "Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman present James Bond 007" as opposed to say "George Lazenby as James Bond 007" a la the other actors.

[doublenoughtspy]

I know people love to dissect the gun barrel and attach some greater meaning to it, but it was simply a graphic design choice by Maurice Binder.

He worked on his own, and in interviews he said he purposely did not let anyone see the titles until the last minute - because then no one could second guess or edit or change his work.

Claiming that Lazenby is "erased" and looking for meaning behind it puzzles me - because most likely it was a cost issue - doing a full color wipe would probably have been cheaper and quicker back with 60s technology than creating a transparent wipe where the blood was see through.

If you think Lazenby is being "erased", I guess that also means his crouching down meant producers were "putting him down" because they thought less of him? I'm joking of course but again, why attach producer/director intention when it was simply a Binder decision?

As for Lazenby's billing, that was completely contractual, and since Lazenby had zero acting experience, he wasn't ever going to get above the title billing.

[thecasinoroyale]

Interesting bits there, thanks for that.

I don't agree with people when they say the gunbarrel was a was the producers were 'erasing' Lazenby before he had even started, it's a funny theory but a bit much! Just a very interesting idea to use in that one Bond film that really has so many elements in that one, that none others have had before or since.

[bey-columbo]

8/10.

Not my favourite, but very good James Bond. More realistic, an unusual and dark end, human character.

[QuantumOfRoyale]

8/10

As a big Bond fan, everyone told me this movie would change my views on the character and on the series. As it remains, it's simply one of the better ones. There are certainly things I would've done differently, but its still definitely an above-average Bond movie. Lazenby is pretty good, Rigg is fantastic, Savalas is fantastic, the fight scenes are pretty good, the John Barry score is fantastic, the pacing is also pretty good.

In the end, I daresay the love story here works better than any of the traditional Bond stuff.

It's not the end all, be all best of the series like some may lead you to believe, but its still pretty damn good, and an interesting movie that was far before its time.

[Gothamite]

9 out of 10. Just rewatched it recently and was impressed by how well made it was. I even liked Lazenby(I'm considering putting him ahead of Brosnan on my Bond actor ranking list). Diana Rigg is far more convincing than any of the "female equal" types of late (Pam, Wai Lin, Jinx) . What keeps it from getting a 10? It kind of drags a little in the first half starting with the long expositional conversation between Draco and Bond in Draco's office. There are some good scenes in the first hour(mainly at the casino and at the office where "Miss Moneypenny saves the day") but once OHMSS gets to Switzerland and "Sir Hilary Bray" meets Blofeld's "patients", the film takes off and never lets up until it's unforgettable end. If only Dalton had been Bond in it.

To be perfectly honest, everything that happens in between Bond arriving at Piz Gloria and his spectacular escape I find to be the duller moments of the film. Blofeld's plot really is a bit run-of-the-mill, compared to everything else that happens in the film (not that Savalas isn't terrific in the role). Every scene with Draco, Tracy, and even M is just magical.

OHMSS stands proudly at the top spot for me.

[TheHouseholdCat]

I gave it a 7. I liked most of it, especially the odd plot. But it didn't fully convince me, so it didn't get 10.

From the Bond films I have seen so far (I am still stuck in the 80s films), it is one of my favourites. Definitely. And Diana Rigg is my favourite Bond girl.

Edited by TheHouseholdCat, 26 October 2012 - 07:53 PM.

[univex]

10 from me. Perfect Bond film. Even after I just saw SF, which was bloody perfect, OHMSS still remains the King, or should I say, Queen of the cannon.

[thecasinoroyale]

Well tomorrow night my Bond50 Blu-ray marathon continues with 'OHMSS' and safe to say I've not seen it for ages and already my view has changed slightly on previous Connery entries, so I will report back how this viewing goes and if I appreciate it more or less after... 

[thecasinoroyale]

'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' done...oh boy.

 

 

I really thought after not seeing it for a while it would grow on me more than it had in the past, but sadly I was wrong. I want to like George Lazenby, and in BTS clips I do, but his portryal as James Bond is awful. He's like a petulant child, throwing his toys out of the pram and sulking by not getting his own way. And the god-awful delivery of his wooden one-liners is cringe worthy. And why the hell does his Boind talk to himself so much, as if he's narrating the adventure for us? He ruins sequences that could be decent by these delivieries when they are not needed - "He's branched off!" springs to mind.

 

 

I even wanted to like the story itself away from Bond, but I still find it a little boring. It's only when Bond is identified that it picks up for me, all the back and forth before hand, and I'm sorry, but the most un-convincing love story with Tracy taking place. After only a couple of meetings, arguments and a slap, they fall in love too quickly for me to believe it.

 

 

Awful sped-up action sequences, over-the-top fist fights, a boring finale with Bond and Blofeld and bad use of the blue-screen didn't win me over at all, and I'm sorry to say it.

 

 

The attack on Piz Gloria is the stand out moment of the film for me and all of 5 minutes of it, with the Monty Norman theme and a real battle of good and evil, it's a great sequence. After all that, the ending still does hit home, I think Lazenby's best acting in the film and a tender moment, haunting and powerful.

 

 

Safe to say I won't be revisiting this Bond anytime soon, and I can't see why people rate this as one of the best Bond films out there.

 

This never happened to the other fella'.

[jmarks4life]

Still one of the best Bond movies of the series.

[jmarks4life]

'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' done...oh boy.


I really thought after not seeing it for a while it would grow on me more than it had in the past, but sadly I was wrong. I want to like George Lazenby, and in BTS clips I do, but his portryal as James Bond is awful. He's like a petulant child, throwing his toys out of the pram and sulking by not getting his own way. And the god-awful delivery of his wooden one-liners is cringe worthy. And why the hell does his Boind talk to himself so much, as if he's narrating the adventure for us? He ruins sequences that could be decent by these delivieries when they are not needed - "He's branched off!" springs to mind.


I even wanted to like the story itself away from Bond, but I still find it a little boring. It's only when Bond is identified that it picks up for me, all the back and forth before hand, and I'm sorry, but the most un-convincing love story with Tracy taking place. After only a couple of meetings, arguments and a slap, they fall in love too quickly for me to believe it.


Awful sped-up action sequences, over-the-top fist fights, a boring finale with Bond and Blofeld and bad use of the blue-screen didn't win me over at all, and I'm sorry to say it.


The attack on Piz Gloria is the stand out moment of the film for me and all of 5 minutes of it, with the Monty Norman theme and a real battle of good and evil, it's a great sequence. After all that, the ending still does hit home, I think Lazenby's best acting in the film and a tender moment, haunting and powerful.


Safe to say I won't be revisiting this Bond anytime soon, and I can't see why people rate this as one of the best Bond films out there.

This never happened to the other fella'.

After rewatching this recently, I gotta agree with you. I know previously I said its one of the best Bond films. His one liners we're awful, and poorly said. They weren't said with any class and weren't funny at all. I also agree the best acting Lazenby did was when Tracy died.

Edited by jmarks4life, 16 June 2013 - 05:26 AM.

[tdalton]

 

'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' done...oh boy.


I really thought after not seeing it for a while it would grow on me more than it had in the past, but sadly I was wrong. I want to like George Lazenby, and in BTS clips I do, but his portryal as James Bond is awful. He's like a petulant child, throwing his toys out of the pram and sulking by not getting his own way. And the god-awful delivery of his wooden one-liners is cringe worthy. And why the hell does his Boind talk to himself so much, as if he's narrating the adventure for us? He ruins sequences that could be decent by these delivieries when they are not needed - "He's branched off!" springs to mind.


I even wanted to like the story itself away from Bond, but I still find it a little boring. It's only when Bond is identified that it picks up for me, all the back and forth before hand, and I'm sorry, but the most un-convincing love story with Tracy taking place. After only a couple of meetings, arguments and a slap, they fall in love too quickly for me to believe it.


Awful sped-up action sequences, over-the-top fist fights, a boring finale with Bond and Blofeld and bad use of the blue-screen didn't win me over at all, and I'm sorry to say it.


The attack on Piz Gloria is the stand out moment of the film for me and all of 5 minutes of it, with the Monty Norman theme and a real battle of good and evil, it's a great sequence. After all that, the ending still does hit home, I think Lazenby's best acting in the film and a tender moment, haunting and powerful.


Safe to say I won't be revisiting this Bond anytime soon, and I can't see why people rate this as one of the best Bond films out there.

This never happened to the other fella'.

After rewatching this recently, I gotta agree with you. I know previously I said its one of the best Bond films. His one liners we're awful, and poorly said. They weren't said with any class and weren't funny at all. I also agree the best acting Lazenby did was when Tracy died.

 

 

I had the opposite happen for me after reviewing On Her Majesty's Secret Service as a part of my recent Bond marathon.  The film actually made a significant leap up my list, landing in the top 5.  I do find it somewhat odd that a Bond film can be that good while featuring a rather weak performance by the actor playing Bond.  Rigg and Savalas do a lot to make up for Lazenby's shortcomings in the dramatic scenes and from there Lazenby does a decent job of carrying things in the action sequences (even though they're terribly edited). 

[Hansen]

Funny. As for me, editing is a strong asset on th film. The pacing of the beach fight is just brilliant.

[jmarks4life]

'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' done...oh boy.
I really thought after not seeing it for a while it would grow on me more than it had in the past, but sadly I was wrong. I want to like George Lazenby, and in BTS clips I do, but his portryal as James Bond is awful. He's like a petulant child, throwing his toys out of the pram and sulking by not getting his own way. And the god-awful delivery of his wooden one-liners is cringe worthy. And why the hell does his Boind talk to himself so much, as if he's narrating the adventure for us? He ruins sequences that could be decent by these delivieries when they are not needed - "He's branched off!" springs to mind.
I even wanted to like the story itself away from Bond, but I still find it a little boring. It's only when Bond is identified that it picks up for me, all the back and forth before hand, and I'm sorry, but the most un-convincing love story with Tracy taking place. After only a couple of meetings, arguments and a slap, they fall in love too quickly for me to believe it.
Awful sped-up action sequences, over-the-top fist fights, a boring finale with Bond and Blofeld and bad use of the blue-screen didn't win me over at all, and I'm sorry to say it.
The attack on Piz Gloria is the stand out moment of the film for me and all of 5 minutes of it, with the Monty Norman theme and a real battle of good and evil, it's a great sequence. After all that, the ending still does hit home, I think Lazenby's best acting in the film and a tender moment, haunting and powerful.
Safe to say I won't be revisiting this Bond anytime soon, and I can't see why people rate this as one of the best Bond films out there.
This never happened to the other fella'.

After rewatching this recently, I gotta agree with you. I know previously I said its one of the best Bond films. His one liners we're awful, and poorly said. They weren't said with any class and weren't funny at all. I also agree the best acting Lazenby did was when Tracy died.

I had the opposite happen for me after reviewing On Her Majesty's Secret Service as a part of my recent Bond marathon. The film actually made a significant leap up my list, landing in the top 5. I do find it somewhat odd that a Bond film can be that good while featuring a rather weak performance by the actor playing Bond. Rigg and Savalas do a lot to make up for Lazenby's shortcomings in the dramatic scenes and from there Lazenby does a decent job of carrying things in the action sequences (even though they're terribly edited).

This movie stumps me. At times when I watch it I'm like this is one of the better Bonds in the series, and is a top 5 Bond movie. Then sometimes I watch it, and I'm like this movie sucks. I guess it depends on my mood, lol

Edited by jmarks4life, 30 July 2013 - 03:33 AM.

[The Krynoid man]

The best Bond film of them all. The only reason I gave it a 9 instead of a 10 is because Lazenby is probably the weakest Bond. However everything else is great.

[Fisico]

One of my favourite all-time Bond movies, 9/10!

[Marcin]

Yes, this movie is seriously underrated. Good plot (okay, thanks to Fleming), fantastic music, impressive action scenes and beautiful filming (watching the ski chase it's hard to believe it was made in 1960's). Even Lazenby is not that bad (especially considering he was basically an amateur). And most of all: the climate. No gadgets, no unnecessary stunts. Definitely one of the best in the series!

[MISALA1994]

8/10 underrated like Lazenby himself: "We have all the time in the world".

Edited by MISALA1994, 07 December 2016 - 03:33 PM.