53 replies to this topic

[bogard]

Those who saw "the making of" will know that George was dubbed during his disguise as Hillary "Hilly" Bray. Do you think Peter Hunt made the right choice here, or should they have kept Lazenby's voice? When Lazenby attempted the voice in the "making of" I personally didn't think it was that bad...

[Bucky]

i would have liked it more probably if they had kept lazenby's voice because it always feels weird when i can tell that it is not ireally him talking when it suddenly changes

[DamnCoffee]

I would have liked Lazenbys voice to have been used and according to the Documentary on the DVD he did a great impersination but he was dubbed

[bogard]

i would have liked it more probably if they had kept lazenby's voice because it always feels weird when i can tell that it is not ireally him talking when it suddenly changes

Yes, but it's really noticeable when Bond does the imitation in the presence Bray himself. Then you REALLY notice it isn't Lazenby's voice anymore. Sigh...this never happened to the other fellas...

[Santa]

The early Bonds were full of dubbed voices, it was commonplace in those days but for whatever reason, it's not done anymore, not for English language films, anyway. These days, if an actor cannot do or be taught to do the voice required, he doesn't get the job, it's that simple. Foreign language dubbing is still done in some parts but the greater trend these days is for subtitling. I fully agree with this and if a film is in a language that I don't understand and has been dubbed, I won't watch it, only with subtitles. Where I work, if we show films with dubbed voices, we get a barrage of complaints and requests for subtitling instead, although we are working on acquiring better quality dubbing. We are used to a very realistic look from films now, no more vaseline smeared lenses, and dubbing simply doesn't look real, no matter how well it's done.

[bogard]

dubbing simply doesn't look real, no matter how well it's done.

I do have to say I would never been able to tell Honey Ryder was dubbed too. The best dubbing EVAAAAAA!!!

Edited by bogard, 14 September 2006 - 12:50 PM.

[Double-0-7]

They should have let Lazenby's voice stay. Think about the lame reason for the dubbing: Bond has to disguise his voice so Bloefeld won't recognize him - so much effort went into his physical disguise with glasses and a kilt it would be a shame for his voice to give it away!

[Santa]

dubbing simply doesn't look real, no matter how well it's done.

I do have to say I would never been able to tell Honey Ryder was dubbed too. The best dubbing EVAAAAAA!!!

Really? Or are you being sarcastic? I tend to get upset by it because I'm very anal.

[bogard]

dubbing simply doesn't look real, no matter how well it's done.

I do have to say I would never been able to tell Honey Ryder was dubbed too. The best dubbing EVAAAAAA!!!

Really? Or are you being sarcastic? I tend to get upset by it because I'm very anal.

No, I'm serious. I think the voice really suited the character well. When she asks Bond "Do you have a woman of your own" it really works. If it wasn't for the documentary I would have never guessed. Having said that I am against dubbing in general though (ever for animation),but when I don't notice it, at least the're doing something right.

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

I'd have just kept Lazenby's voice.

No glasses, pipe and kilt either - Bond doesn't use disguises.


Sable Basilisk Hilary Bray kills terrorist....yeah that just might fool them.

[crheath]

Keeping Lazenby's voice would have been better. I thought it was very corny listening to the dubbed voice.

[Red Barchetta]

They should have kept GL's voice. I have no doubt Bofeld knew it was Bond when he first showed up in disguise, so changing the voice wouldn't have made a difference. IMHO.

[Bucky]

i dont mind the dubbing of characters in the early movies because it is the same voice throughout the movie but to suddenly have somebody else dubbing james bond's voice just wasnt right for me. one of the very few problems i have with this great film.

[Double-O Eleven]

Interestingly, when I was younger I never noticed the dubbing of Lazenby when he was "Hilly," and so consequently it didn't bother me. When I later found out, then it started to bother me. Oh, well... like Bucky said one of the few problems I have with one of my favorite Bond films.

[Tiin007]

Interestingly, when I was younger I never noticed the dubbing of Lazenby when he was "Hilly," and so consequently it didn't bother me. When I later found out, then it started to bother me.

The same thing happened to me.

They dubbed Lazenby so it would've added to his disguise, but had he not been dubbed, would the audience have thought to themselves, "gee, Blofeld should realize it's Bond because he doesn't sound like Sir Hilary Bray"? No, it wouldn't have occured to anyone had Lazenby kept his normal voice, even if he didn't do his imitation of Bray.

Edited by Tiin007, 14 September 2006 - 10:54 PM.

[Arch Stanton]

The dubbing of Sir Hilary is the ONLY beef I have with this movie. I'd much prefer them using Lazenby's imitation voice that he gave us a sample of on the documentary on the DVD.

On the subject of dubbing, wasn't there a large ammount of actors dubbing themselves back in the day? Watching the 60's and maybe even the early 70's Bond films, it seems like there's dubbing all around.

[Double-O Eleven]

One thing about the dubbing that bothers me is that it seems to send the message: "Lazeby isn't a good enough actor to pull off the voice himself." Well, he apparently was, as he shows on the DVD. I don't know--and furthermore, don't believe--that this was Peter Hunt's reason for looping Lazenby with George Baker. If anything, based on what the late Mr. Hunt says on the DVD, he did it on a "wouldn't it be neat" whim and because of his friendship with Baker. Still, it doesn't help convince people who already dislike Mr. Lazenby that he actually is quite talented and good in the role.

Edited by Double-O Eleven, 15 September 2006 - 03:29 AM.

[stamper]

Dubbing is still used, on all american movies, most of the dialogue is not stage, it's dubbed. Original dialogue is just "witness" dialogue, most actors redub their lines either for technical reasons (allow a 5.1 multi track mix) or to get the right tone for the right line.
I'm speaking of course big Hollywood movies, Tom Cruise etc...

[Double-Oh Agent]

The dubbing of George Lazenby's voice by George Baker in 007's Hilary Bray guise is about the only thing I dislike about On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It detracts from Lazenby's performance because the audience is so aware of the switch. Bond is many things, but a voice impersonator isn't one of them. Besides, it wasn't a necessary step to take. Bond and Blofeld had only met once before for a few minutes and (in real time) it was two years previously. Sure, Bond's voice could have been tattooed into Blofeld's brain, but I think he'd be more likely to remember 007's appearance which the filmmakers subtly changed to help disguise Bond. Whether or not Blofeld sees through 007's disguise is debatable, but what is not debatable is that Lazenby's voice did not need to be dubbed. Bond's appearance was the only thing that needed disguising.

[Blonde Bond]

I guess they should have. Then again, I never paid much attention, until I heard about it from here,imdb or from some another page.

I was convinced, that Lazemby did the imitation himself. For long time, I didn't know he, James Bond , was dubbed by another actor. The thought never crossed my mind.

[Scottlee]

I'm a bit split on the Lazenby/Hilary voice changeover. I have to admit I never realised it wasn't Lazenby's voice until someone told me, so in that respect I can't be too critical of what the makers were trying to achieve. However, in principal it's not something I approve of. I certainly wouldn't want to see it done again.

[Blofelds Cat]

An interesting question.

I am not convinced that the decision to dub Lazenby for the Bray scenes was for any reason other than to counteract Lazenby's consistently uninspiring vocal delivery that was part and parcel of employing a person with little or no 'voice' acting experience.

If you listen to the undubbed sections of Lazenby's dialogue, it's readily apparent that much effort went into fixing problems with his delivery. Many passages of dialogue are cobbled together from several takes or overdubs and are rendered apparent due to aurally obvious changes in tonal qualities between one sentence and another in the same section of dialogue.

Hunt was always reluctant to bag Lazenby in any way and I believe that it is characteristic of his diplomacy that he gave a false reason for dubbing George L with George B. It was certainly Hunt's idea to overdub Lazenby with Baker and the choice was indeed a master stroke for it solved the problem of stilted delivery in a creative and acceptable way whilst allowing Lazenby's own voice - a voice that was recognised by much of the public already due to promotional interviews and filmed appearances - to still be used.

The overdubbing with Baker's voice gave both aural consistency and professional delivery to a large part of the OHMSS soundtrack that would otherwise have been missing. A previous contributor to this thread suggested that Lazenby had done a good impression of Bray but it was Lazenby himself who said that, not Hunt, so a significant element of doubt must be cast on the reality of the claim.

As a long-time champion of Lazenby and OHMSS, the crude, unsophisticated manner in which Lazenby's voiced dialogue was often a jigsaw of alternate takes and overdubs nonetheless makes me cringe whenever I hear the most obvious examples (e.g. 'Does this mean you've lost confidence in me?').

But all this is academic until we are given the opportunity to hear the soundtrack with Lazenby's voice undubbed. Perhaps the "100th Anniversary Really Really Really Ultimate Direct Brain Interface Edition" of OHMSS will allow us to settle the debate once and for all.

[Scottlee]

Perhaps the "100th Anniversary Really Really Really Ultimate Direct Brain Interface Edition" of OHMSS will allow us to settle the debate once and for all.

Unfortunately, I'll have to survive to the age of 89 to enjoy that

[Kingdom Come]

To have introduced a new Bond actor and then not only give him a disguise but a different voice was a mistake that they and us have paid for.

[stamper]

You mean 189 ?

[Blofelds Cat]

Perhaps the "100th Anniversary Really Really Really Ultimate Direct Brain Interface Edition" of OHMSS will allow us to settle the debate once and for all.

Unfortunately, I'll have to survive to the age of 89 to enjoy that

I plan to live forever.

[Blofeld's Cat]

Perhaps the "100th Anniversary Really Really Really Ultimate Direct Brain Interface Edition" of OHMSS will allow us to settle the debate once and for all.

Unfortunately, I'll have to survive to the age of 89 to enjoy that

I plan to live forever.

Plan's working so far, huh?

[Mr. Du Pont]

Some people are saying they didn't need to dub it because Blofeld only met him briefly one time. That's totally irrelevant. They filmed OHMSS as a break in continuity anyway. As far as OHMSS is concerned YOLT never even happened, so there was no need to disguise his voice.

As to the main question, I would have liked them to keep Lazenby's voice, but you really don't even notice it at Piz Gloria. The only time it's noticeable is when he busts it out for the first time in the presence of Bray.

Does anyone know if they still have the original voice track with Lazenby? It would be cool to have it reintegrated for a future release.

[00Twelve]

True, no specific reference to YOLT was in the action of OHMSS, but as there were shots from YOLT in the opening titles to reference the film, why do you suppose that

As far as OHMSS is concerned YOLT never even happened

?

Not shooting you down, just wondering how you got to that conclusion.

[Mr. Du Pont]

The title sequence was made to establish that "this is still Bond," so they used clips from all of Connery's films (although you'll notice Blofeld is not included from YOLT).

Peter Hunt came right out and said he wanted to stick to the novel, so as far as the movie was concerned Bond and Blofeld had never met. You could almost say YOLT and OHMSS are two "parallel" movies as opposed to successive movies (notice how when Bond is emptying out his desk the only film not represented with a prop is YOLT). It's not a plot hole for OHMSS. It's only a plot hole for the series as a whole.

That's why I think it's silly to try to come up with far-fetched explanations for Bond and Blofeld not recognizing each other. As far as OHMSS is concerned, they hadn't.