180 replies to this topic

[lazenbyland]

This slipped under the radar recently.

http://www.amazon.co...ref=oss_product

Reviews on the US and UK Amazon sites seem positive.

[Lachesis]

Rather expensive...particulalry for a paperback, but I admit to being tempted ^^.

[Jeff007]

Originally I was thinking this was a 1969 release but it says 2009. So I don't think it's anything special.

[jaguar007]

Interesting, I was not aware of this book, but the author is CBn's own Doublenaughtspy.

[Major Tallon]

Wow! How did I miss this? From the reviews, it sounds irresistable.

[Mr. Somerset]

I want one.

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

I learned about it on 007magazine.co.uk
Very interesting!

[Turn]

I learned about it on 007magazine.co.uk
Very interesting!

Same here. I too wondered how we all missed this as it seems it could have gotten a lot of word of mouth considering he's THE OHMSS authority and a frequent CBn poster.

If it were the holiday season I'd be more inclined to pick it up, but I may have to put this one on hold for a while. Hope it isn't too limited.

[sharpshooter]

Look here: http://www.ohmss.info/

Written by our very own doublenoughtspy. Must be good, then. As On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is my favourite Bond film, I may just have to get this one. It looks fantastic.

[Bucky]

tempting since on her majesty's secret service is my favorite film and it is written by a fellow marylander

[doublenoughtspy]

To answer the original question - yes I've read it - I wrote it.

I could tell you how wonderful it is but I'm a bit biased - I'll let others have their say:

Helfenstein knows the real secrets of James Bond.
The Associated Press

Top-notch research.
NBC News

The depth of the research is jaw-dropping, the pictorial content is amazing, and
the labor of love that obviously went into this valuable addition to the Bondian
library is palpable. Charles Helfenstein has done a fabulous job illuminating one
of the greatest of all Bond films. Make all the time in the world to read it!
Raymond Benson, author of the The James Bond Bedside Companion and
Bond anthologies THE UNION TRILOGY and CHOICE OF WEAPONS

The Making of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is quite simply the ultimate companion to Peter Hunt’s cinematic masterpiece. OHMSS is undoubtedly the ‘David Lean movie’of the Bond series, and Helfenstein’s research and staggering picture content in this attractively designed volume is simply breathtaking, matching the movie in its scope and detail. It’s difficult to imagine that any other James Bond film will ever have such a scholarly written and pictorial history, or deserve it!
Graham Rye Editor & Publisher 007 MAGAZINE

This is the most comprehensive look behind the scenes of a James Bond movie EVER...There is just too much here to go into, but know that there is, literally, a major revelation on every page. There is more information contained in the photo captions than you'll find in the entire text of most "making of" books. Even if you're not a James Bond buff, seeing the day to day production of a movie made in the swinging '60s is a real treat. The book is also jam-packed with never-before-published photographs, publicity material, and OHMSS collectibles. Visually, it's a mind blower!
John Cox, The Young Bond Dossier

'The Making of OHMSS' is a dream come true.
It's everything I wanted to know, see and read about this film in one book.
Martijn Mulder, On the Tracks of 007

Bloody Fantastic! I see it as a prime example on how a book on a single film should be done.
Heiko Baumann

Literally no stone unturned...if you think you know this film, think again.
Delmo Walters, Jr.


So there you have it. Yes the book is expensive. Yes it is an extremely limited edition. Amazon Canada has it on sale for $44.

[SecretAgentFan]

SHOCK!!! I´ll order it immediately!!! Why did I only come across this by chance? Where´s the PR for this one?

Kudos, doublenoughtspy - I´ll spread the word!

[photographer]

Thanks for this excellent book, Charles.

It is a hell of a ride and about all what a fan would ever dreamed to know and to learn about this cinematic masterpiece. You can exclaim for sure the status of Bond fan No. 1 for this special Bond movie.

Edited by photographer, 08 April 2010 - 02:52 PM.

[zencat]

Here's my full Amazon review, which says it all.

The most comprehensive look behind the scenes of a James Bond movie EVER, March 28, 2010
By John Cox (Studio City, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

There have only been a handful of "Making of" James Bond books, and being official publications, they have not always provided a very satisfying look behind the scenes. Eon Productions do not open their doors very wide, something that Bond fans know all too well. In fact, the last two "making of" books have just been a collection of set photographs. That is why Charles Helfenstein's The Making of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is true manna from heaven for the James Bond fan. This is the most comprehensive look behind the scenes of a James Bond movie EVER.

Here is the complete story of the making of this particularly fascinating and unique James Bond film (now generally regarded as one of the best of the series). The author starts with the writing of the original 1963 novel, uncovering much never-before-revealed information from various Fleming archives and dispelling a few long-held myths (Bond's Scottish heritage was not a nod to Sean Connery). He also tracks the lengthy script development, which spanned many years as OHMSS was twice considered for production and then postponed. There's even a gatefold breakdown of all the scripts and their changing elements -- something you certainly will never find in any official "making of" book.

Casting of one-time Bond George Lazenby is covered in great detail, as is all aspects of the production. There is just too much here to go into, but know that there is, literally, a major revelation on every page. There is more information contained in the photo captions than you'll find in the entire text of most "making of" books. Even if you're not a James Bond buff, seeing the day to day production of a movie made in the swinging '60s is a real treat. The book is also jam-packed with never-before-published photographs, publicity material, and OHMSS collectibles. Visually, it's a mind blower!

If the book has a fault, it could be that the author doesn't really examine all that closely the conflicts surrounding star Lazenby and his legendary "bad" behavior on and off set (Lazenby, inexplicably, announced mid-way through production that he would not make another Bond film). Not that the legendary incidents aren't covered, but they are presented without much added information or embellishment (but also without judgment). The author spends more time explaining the challenges the production faced in getting a generator to work at the Piz Gloria elevation, which, actually, I found fascinating! So maybe this isn't a fault after all. All the "drama" of making OHMSS is presented in proper measure. Frankly, the generator might have been a bigger headache to the production crew than the antics of a wild star, which, the author speculates, may have been exaggerated by the press once Lazenby forsook the series.

The author completes with a chapter on the legacy of OHMSS, and just when you thought you heard it all, here comes another wave of tantalizing bonus info. Diamonds Are Forever pre-titles sequence with Irma Bunt. Photos of Pierce Brosnan's 1986 screen test using OHMSS scenes. And how about the original plot of Octopussy, using elements from a rejected OHMSS script, which has never been revealed...until now.

Expensive? Not when you understand and appreciate what this is. This is a life's work by THE leading expert on OHMSS -- a meticulously researched, rare gift to Bond fans and movie buffs that doesn't come along all that often. And because it is a small publisher (self-published?), it might not be around for all that long. It will, unquestionably, become one of the most hotly collectible James Bond books ever produced (I'm thinking of grabbing another copy as an investment). In fact, if you are reading this review and this book still shows as being available, consider yourself lucky. For all these reasons and many more you will discover on your own, The Making of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is an essential buy.

Amazon

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

Charlie, congrats for the book!
It's very far from my hands now, but I'll try to buy it as soon as I have some money!

[Lachesis]

Order placed ^^

[007 Magazine]

Originally I was thinking this was a 1969 release but it says 2009. So I don't think it's anything special.

Nothing as good as this book is could have been produced in 1969. It has taken 40 years for OHMSS to be seen in the true perspective in which it should have been viewed on its original release, and for all the fabulous material this book contains to be collected.

For anyone who considers themselves to be a real Bond fan Charles Helfenstein's very special book The Making of On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a 100% must have for their bookshelf.

And it IS very special - I guarantee no purchaser will possibly be disappointed!

Graham Rye
Editor & Publisher
007 MAGAZINE & ARCHIVE Limited
www.007magazine.co.uk

[trs007]

As OHMSS as my favorite film, what could I do---ordered. Note to US buyers: Although Canadian site is around $44 USD, the shipping will bring it to $55; so... choice is whether worth another $5 just to get delivered via Amazon.com vs delays from Amazon.ca.

Look forwarding to reading this....

[TheSaint]

No matter what you pay for it it's worth every penny! I'm currently unemployed and I bought a copy so all employed Bond fans who like the film have no excuse. To paraphrase the OHMSS trailer "Drop everything, try and buy it."

[manfromjapan]

An absolutely amazing book Charlie. Well done. Surely one of the best books ever written on James Bond and a dream come true for a OHMSS fan like myself.
Thinking about writing a follow-up?

[doublenoughtspy]

Thanks guys - I'm glad you love the book, I worked very hard on it.

ManfromJapan, asking for another book already? That's like asking a woman who just gave birth if she wants to have another child

Let me rest for a bit. Maybe I'll be a one and done like Lazenby. Maybe not. One project I'm considering is Fleming rather than film related.

[stromberg]

I'm not a good at reviews and I rarely do any.
But this wonderful book truly deserves. It was originally intended for amazon.com, but I can only post it there when I ordered something there (which I have yet to do). In order to not let the write-up be a waste, here it is:

"The Making of 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'" by Charles Helfenstein – I've been waiting for years on this dream of a book to become reality. And now that it's finally here, I'm totally amazed, even though I had a rough idea of what was to be expected. Helfenstein has made himself a name among Bond fans as the expert on all things OHMSS. What he doesn't know on this movie isn't worth being known. It was only natural that he was going to write this book sooner or later, and rumours of it being in production have been making the rounds for a while. For more than 20 years, Helfenstein has collected virtually everything related to this movie — from newspaper clippings to shooting scripts, from Corgi toys to Tracy's wedding dress. He travelled to all the locations, interviewed numerous crew members and searched the archives, with the ambitious aim to get to know the full story.

At first glance one notices the sheer incredible amount of pictures in this book. Promotional shots, behind the scenes pictures, Newspaper ads and clippings, artwork, concepts, many of them hard to find, previously unpublished, or even unheard of. Those alone are worth every penny. Lazenby's "Big Fry" adverts or his kilt fitting? The 'Angels of Death' while knitting and bowling? 8 pages with pictures and storyboards from the famous deleted rooftop chase? You name it, it's there. Some of them are amusing, others are informative and/or revealing and many of them are simply stunning. I spent my first hour with this book just flicking through the pictures.

The textual content is amazing. Helfenstein starts from scratch with the publication history of the novel, summarises early script drafts and goes into detail about the movie's extraordinary casting process. We learn what happened on location in Switzerland, Portugal and England, and about the perils of post production. Music, marketing, fashion, what the critics said and…, and…, and… Also, we get a good portion of remarkable side notes and cross references, some real gems and a few remarkable insights. Mysteries are solved, rumours confirmed or denied and records set straight. This book pinches the interest of every Bond fan, and it delivers. If there ever was a prime example on how a book on a single movie should be done, this is it. Don't think twice, buy it now!

[Trident]

Great review, Stromberg! Made me put an order on it!

Btw: You can also post your review on German Amazon, they currently haven't one on Charles' book as yet, and a review such as yours, together with a rating, would doubtlessly spur interest and help the book finding its audience.

[stromberg]

Great review, Stromberg! Made me put an order on it!

Btw: You can also post your review on German Amazon, they currently haven't one on Charles' book as yet, and a review such as yours, together with a rating, would doubtlessly spur interest and help the book finding its audience.

Intend to do that, but it's all the same: I never ordered anything on Amazon, be it .de, .com, co.uk or else, so I can only do a rating, but not a detailed review. But I'm going to spread the word over at the German forums, where OHMSS is a massive fan favourite.

[zencat]

I'm pretty sure you can post reviews on Amazon without having ordered the item. I know I have.

[stromberg]

I'm pretty sure you can post reviews on Amazon without having ordered the item. I know I have.

Created an account yesterday, and it didn't let me do it. Says I must have ordered somethng and then wait 48 more hours. Puzzled now.

[Trident]

Great review, Stromberg! Made me put an order on it!

Btw: You can also post your review on German Amazon, they currently haven't one on Charles' book as yet, and a review such as yours, together with a rating, would doubtlessly spur interest and help the book finding its audience.

Intend to do that, but it's all the same: I never ordered anything on Amazon, be it .de, .com, co.uk or else, so I can only do a rating, but not a detailed review. But I'm going to spread the word over at the German forums, where OHMSS is a massive fan favourite.

You never ordered on Amazon? Really? Never?

God, I agreed to let them have all my and my decendant's earnings for the next hundred years. They're practically supplying everything in my house, might as well send them my monthly pay cheque and go begging for food. If they insisted they could make me wear an Amazon-collar as a mark of my peonage.

God, to meet one of the last free men; on the internet, of all places...

I'm pretty sure you can post reviews on Amazon without having ordered the item. I know I have.

Created an account yesterday, and it didn't let me do it. Says I must have ordered somethng and then wait 48 more hours. Puzzled now.

I've had the same problem with Amazon.UK and Jeremy's first book; they wouldn't let me post my review without ordering from them, so I posted it on German Amazon. But if you want I can post your piece under my account and add you name, shouldn't be a problem.

[stromberg]

Great review, Stromberg! Made me put an order on it!

Btw: You can also post your review on German Amazon, they currently haven't one on Charles' book as yet, and a review such as yours, together with a rating, would doubtlessly spur interest and help the book finding its audience.

Intend to do that, but it's all the same: I never ordered anything on Amazon, be it .de, .com, co.uk or else, so I can only do a rating, but not a detailed review. But I'm going to spread the word over at the German forums, where OHMSS is a massive fan favourite.

You never ordered on Amazon? Really? Never?

God, I agreed to let them have all my and my decendant's earnings for the next hundred years. They're practically supplying everything in my house, might as well send them my monthly pay cheque and go begging for food. If they insisted they could make me wear an Amazon-collar as a mark of my peonage.

God, to meet one of the last free men; on the internet, of all places...

No, I never did. I hate buying on the 'net and do it only if there's absolutely no other way.
I also refuse to own a mobile pone. I'm a free (and busy) man. I' not a number.

I'm pretty sure you can post reviews on Amazon without having ordered the item. I know I have.

Created an account yesterday, and it didn't let me do it. Says I must have ordered somethng and then wait 48 more hours. Puzzled now.

I've had the same problem with Amazon.UK and Jeremy's first book; they wouldn't let me post my review without ordering from them, so I posted it on German Amazon. But if you want I can post your piece under my account and add you name, shouldn't be a problem.

Permission granted. Much appreciated. If you're going to write a review on it, I'll post it on my account when I ordered something.

But now, enough derailing of this thread.
Heap more praise on this fantastic book!

[Shaun Forever]

I absolutely adore the cover art you've used, first time I've seen that image of Lazenby before, very stylish IMO.

Really tempted by this book, pay day is just a few weeks away now...

[spynovelfan]

Many many congratulations on what looks to be a fantastic acheivement, doublenoughtspy! It looks splendid, as does the website, and I look forward to getting my hands on a copy and devouring every last page.