26 replies to this topic

[quantumofsolace]

http://www.denofgeek...-secret-service

[Call Billy Bob]

The best one yet. Thanks for the continued links!

[FlemingBond]

i like the comparison of Draco to Kerim Bay, i've always thought the same. Although the line about Draco pimping out his daughter didn't make sense.

[dtuba]

That fight on the beach in the PTS was not ridiculous.

 

It feel more real than many of the other Bonds' save one or two.

Edited by dtuba, 18 March 2015 - 05:19 AM.

[sharpshooter]

One thing I like about OHMSS is the way it remains grounded despite 'out there' plot-lines such as brainwashing. There's an emphasis on human relationships and human ability under pressure. Be it hand to hand combat, sneaking around at night, skiing or evading capture. It's a film with genuine tension, too. The SPECTRE skiier who simply won't die quietly, Bond's escape from the cable car machinery room and cracking Gumbold's safe. And whatever people say about Lazenby, I think his more vulnerable approach suits the film. The moment where he sits down, rolls up his collar and effectively gives up (before Tracy arrives) is a highlight of the film. 

[Major Tallon]

I agree, sharpshooter.  The scene at the ice rink is an excellent Lazenby moment.  Bond has survived a long downhill run on an unfamiliar mountain at night.  He's recently been knocked unconscious, he's been shot at repeatedly, he's had to absorb the trauma of grappling with two guards on the brink of a cliff, one in an especially grisly battle, and he's thrown both of them to their deaths.  He narrowly escaped the bell shop, he's unarmed and being hunted by a team intent on killing him, and he's alone and vulnerable, physically and emotionally exhausted.  His only hope is that, in his scrap of a "disguise," he can avoid being spotted, but spotted he is, by a guardian angel. 

 

It's a key moment for Bond, and Lazenby portrays it well.

[Turn]

This review opens a lot of good discussion. Glad to see he appreciates it as a whole, the soundtrack and the Tracy character. Not sure why he thinks Bond is in France.

 

A lot to disagree with:

 

As FlemingBond said, the Draco pimping Tracy notion is pretty ridiculous. Draco isn't getting anything in return, just trying to protect his daughter. Bond is the one seeking something out of the arrangement. Bond is used to using women to get his way.

 

I'd also disagree that Scaramanga is bar none the best villain in the series. He's up there, but THE best? Possibly if the film had been in another director's hands, but that's another matter.

 

The beach fight isn't a poorly choreographed mess. It's brutal and is perhaps the most picturesque setting for a fight in the series. What's not to like?

 

And why is Lazenby using the iconic "Bond, James Bond" line a violation? "Suicide pass?" Hardly. If you saw this in 1969, yeah, I can see it being a shock and weird. But today, no way with 6 different actors in the role.

 

Blofeld's plot is far from ridiculous. Think about it, if he can come up with it stands to reason they would leave him alone for fear on what he may also have or come up with should he be successful.

 

Perhaps the most ridiculous observation: Tracy isn't the most memorable heroine because of her name? Was he serious?

[lazenbyland]

Someone needs to read the novels.

[DaveBond21]

I like these but he gets a few things wrong this time.

 

He seems to think that it's Lazenby's voice when it's George Baker dubbing for the Hilary Bray imprersonation.

 

Also, yes, he is in Portugal, not France, at the start.

[SecretAgentFan]

ON HER MAJESTY´S SECRET SERVICE (re-watch)

 

I know.  Lots of fans love this, Steven Soderbergh considers it as the best Bond film ever made.  

 

For me, it has been one of the less often watched.  And it´s been years since I last tried it.  Now, on blu-ray for the first time, I gave it another shot...

 

And I loved it.

 

I even loved Lazenby as Bond!

 

So much has been written about him that it is nearly impossible to experience his performance with an open mind.  But after all my previous viewings of this film I feel I finally managed to look at his performance in an unprejudiced way.  

 

Of course, he plays Bond differently from Connery.  But he gives Bond the same kind of arrogance and fun Connery is so adept at.  In addition, he shows real fear as Bond, something Connery was seldom asked to deliver.  And together with this particular story, his performance works magnificently.

 

It helps, of course, that he has one of the best Bond girls in the franchise, and that the film is perfectly edited and shot.  The photography is not only beautiful but so masterfully planned out, the framing is always interesting, highlighting the locations without showing off.  The action is exciting and always believable.  And Barry´s score is a marvel.

 

Could the film have benefitted from a tightening in the first hour?  Maybe.  On the other hand, OHMSS takes its time before concentrating on the main plot so that we really can feel a connection between Bond and Tracy.  This is a film that favors character over plot, and that alone must have been quite a shocker when EON showed the first cut to the studio.  In fact, OHMSS is the first re-boot of the franchise and, dare i say it, takes bigger risks than CASINO ROYALE did later on.

 

One other thing: when Bond says goodbye to Moneypenny... boy, that is such a heartbreaking, moving moment, delivered by Lazenby and Maxwell without words.  One of my favorite scenes in the whole series.

[Messervy]

 

One thing I like about OHMSS is the way it remains grounded despite 'out there' plot-lines such as brainwashing. There's an emphasis on human relationships and human ability under pressure. Be it hand to hand combat, sneaking around at night, skiing or evading capture. It's a film with genuine tension, too. The SPECTRE skiier who simply won't die quietly, Bond's escape from the cable car machinery room and cracking Gumbold's safe. And whatever people say about Lazenby, I think his more vulnerable approach suits the film. The moment where he sits down, rolls up his collar and effectively gives up (before Tracy arrives) is a highlight of the film. 

 

Very much agree with you.

OHMSS does showcase genuine tension and a real focus on human reactions. And shows a more vulnerable aspect of Bond's character. That's one of the reasons why it's quite a special one in the whole franchise.

[DaveBond21]

By the way, I love the shot of the helicopters taking off through a window from inside Piz Gloria - a wonderful bit of camerawork.

[SecretAgentFan]

Indeed - the photography is not only beautiful but also always thematically or storywise interesting.

[glidrose]

Turns out Guy Hamilton badly wanted to direct this film. "The only other Bond I wanted to make was “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, back then scheduled with Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot: Bond gets married, he’s got a beautiful Goddess and they’d be a great couple. Unfortunately the picture didn’t work out the way they wanted it to be." GH also says he had to be talked into doing LALD which he enjoyed, but regrets doing TMWTGG.

[Turn]

I can't imagine OHMSS as directed by Guy Hamilton. Interesting to think about, though.

 

OHMSS directed by Terence Young, now that's intriguing.

[0072]

I still think that, considering his editing work on all the previous films, the best choice of director for OHMSS was the one they eventually settled on: Peter Hunt.

 

(Although, yes, Terence Young would have provided a film that closely rivaled the one we got.)

[DaveBond21]

The fight scenes are excellent and Lazenby is great in these. I love the PTS and also the noisy brawl 007 has with Draco's men just before they meet.

 

There are some beautiful shots - every shot featuring a helicopter is fantastic but especially the one of the chopper that goes past Bond's window at Piz Gloria. Draco's helicopters at sunrise is also a beautiful shot. The casino sign reflected on the pool in Portugal too

 

The ski chases are great as is the car chase.

 

 

What I didn't like

 

The script is all over the place and Bond's lines are the worst. He makes 7 different quips in the car journey from the hotel to Draco's place!

 

Lazenby is pretty wooden but also the lines don't help him one bit.

 

Blofeld's plot is the least believable of all the villain's plans.

[0072]

I love On Her Majesty's Secret Service and it can do no wrong, in my opinion.  It's probably the most faithful adaptation of Fleming's works and, as you'd guess, the book is my favourite title in the series.  (The title itself is also one of the series' best.)

Edited by 0072, 06 May 2015 - 08:00 AM.

[Walecs]

I love On Her Majesty's Secret Service and it can do no wrong, in my opinion.  It's probably the most faithful adaptation of Fleming's works and, as you'd guess, the book is my favourite title in the series.  (The title itself is also one of the series' best.)

This.

[quantumofsolace]

http://www.denofgeek...-name-that-film

[AMC Hornet]

I didn't wait until four other actors had played Bond to recognize what a great film OHMSS is.

 

I first saw it just before LALD was released, and I was already willing to accept another actor in the lead role. Perhaps if I'd been a little older and less naive, I too would have turned my nose up at it and said it wasn't a Bond film because it didn't have the 'real' James Bond in it.

 

It didn't matter who played Bond in SS - he would have been in for the same flak. I hope George has been enjoying all the (belated) appreciation.

[dtuba]

Watching OHMSS recently, I had a few thoughts.I've always considered Laz to be one of the weaker Bonds based on his acting, but that wasn't his fault as he had little or no acting experience. (Being in scenes with the amazing Dame Rigg did not help either - George is simply outmatched in every scene.).

What I realized is that while his verbal acting seems a bit weak, it is with his actions where his ability comes through. As opposed to Connery's confident, alpha-male persona, George's Bond shows hints of a complex, more emotionally vulnerable 007, one that unfortunately never had a chance to develop. Physically, he's a very good Bond, better than Dalton and at least as good as Connery or Brosnan IMO. (I still consider Craig to be the most physically imposing of all the Bonds.)

Edited by dtuba, 10 June 2015 - 06:38 AM.

[Gobi-1]

Just having looked at OHMSS I think one of George's best strength is his chemistry with the Bond regulars, M, Q, and in particularly Moneypenny. Their scenes together are wonderful.

[AMC Hornet]

Lois Maxwell was the only one in the cast who actually liked George.

[sharpshooter]

The hat toss at the end is magnificent. Possibly my favourite Bond/Moneypenny interaction in the franchise. They don't even need to speak to each other.

[FlemingBond]

i never thought much about George being re-dubbed for the Piz Gloria scenes as Hillary Bray, but after watching it again last week i just can't figure out the point. They're both supposed to be English and Blofeld hasn't spoken to Sir Hillary before.

Edited by FlemingBond, 26 July 2016 - 03:03 PM.

[Dustin]

OHMSS has numerous issues like that* in the logic department; the trick is how the film works its own magic to gloss them over with sleight of hand to the point where you may notice but don't mind them any more.



*How does Tracy end up in Bond's room when she just gave him the key to her's? Why do her father's goons attack Bond after he just pulled her out of the water? Why does Blofeld need that vulgar College-of-Arms diploma at all when he's already using the title and nobody on the globe cares? For that matter (this got lost on the cutting room floor), why bother at all with the show when he's got an agent in place at the College who should have knocked off the bloody parchment with seals and wax and everything for a little Christmas bonus?