On Her Majesty's Secret Service

James Bond woos a mob boss's daughter and goes undercover to uncover the true reason for Blofeld's allergy research in the Swiss Alps that involves beautiful women from around the world.

Although George Lazenby sort of shot himself in the foot by walking away from the Bond franchise, he is arguably the best James Bond ever on screen and this is one of the better films. Even telly Savalas plays a great Blofeld, though Donald Pleasance is clearly the best. And Diana Rigg? This may be her best role outside of "The Avengers".

I feel like there is more development of plot and characterization, rather than non-stop action or strange gadgets. This was a fully-baked Bond, something you just never see.

Admittedly, I did not like this film at first and I can't adequately explain the reasons why. Was it because I didn't like George Lazenby, or that it distanced itself from the Sean Connery outings? On second viewing though, I was surprised at how wrong I initially was. It is not the best Bond but it is light years away from the worst. George Lazenby may be a tad inexperienced and the least charismatic of the Bonds, but he is still likable and does try hard, that I can see. And it does tone down some of the gadgetry and spectacle, however in doing that the film does boast some of the best and slickest sequences in a Bond film. The story is believable and sticks closely to the book, and the script goes into a greater psychological depth. Consequently both Bond's pursuit of Blofeld and romance with the feisty Tracy are wholly believable. Terry Savalas is great as Blofeld, and Diana Rigg is splendid as Tracy. The cinematography and scenery are beautiful, and John Barry's score and Louis Armstrong's theme song are simply terrific. In conclusion, better than I thought and dare I say underrated. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I am a James Bond fanatic. I own all the films on video. During my film school days, I sponsored a "James Bond" film fest. I told my wife she MUST be a James Bond fan before we could marry. I introduced her to the films and she is now a Bond fan.

My favorite Bond will always be Sean Connery.

My favorite film will always be "On Her Majesty's Secret Service".

"That film with that Australian actor as Bond? Telly Savalas as Blofeld?"

That's the usual reaction I get when I mention that. But this film has a lot going for it. When Connery left the series before this film began production, the film's producer, Albert Broccoli, knew he was in trouble. The next film could make or break the future of the Bond films.

He knew he couldn't get anyone remotely close to Connery as a new Bond. So he found an unknown, George Lazenby, to play the role. Broccoli knew this film would sink or swim on its assets: the plot, special effects, gadgets, the Bond girls, the music, battle scenes, and the locations.

Boy did he succeed! This film has the BEST of all of the above! The plot is the standout. While James Bond, master spy and savior of the world, battles the forces of evil, he also shows us he is human by falling in love with Diana Rigg (a great choice for a Bond film!).

Many people have passed over this film because it doesn't have a Bond named Connery, Moore, or Brosnan. Lazenby does a decent job as Bond but lacks the refinement and polish of the others. Still, watch this film and imagine what Sean, Roger, or Pierce could have done with the role. It ranks with any of their best Bond roles and stands as the best film of the whole lot.

I have read some of the negative reviews for this movie and I have to say that I agree with NONE of them except for the slightly unnecessary two and a half hour length. Regardless, this doesn't ruin On Her Majesty's Secret Service in any way to warrant a serious complaint as far as I'm concerned. As with the positive reviews this film received, I agree with most all of them. For one, George Lazenby replacing Sean Connery as Bond may have displeased some but I think he did just as good of a job and would not have minded a bit if he became the next Bond for a few more films. This movie also had some enjoyable action scenes; some of which would later get mimicked in future Bond installments. The bond girl is by far one of the best. To be a little more specific, this bond girl plays a significant part in the Bond series as a whole that no other bond girl shares. However, I won't reveal why that is because I don't usually give spoilers for the courtesy of those who haven't seen the films that I review. The ending alone for this movie got several mixed reviews but I can say with certainty that had it not ended the way it did, the Bond franchise might have come to an end.

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a sadly under-appreciated Bond film which is stylishly-directed and features an outstanding score, like most of these early Bond films. Other than a silly self-referential line in the teaser and some sappy romantic montages, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a thrilling adventure which sees Bond traveling to the Swiss Alps to encounter villains and partake in dangerous action sequences.

It sounds like a Bond film, alright, but this is actually quite different from the formulaic films one would later expect from the series, and the sort of film Bond was gravitating towards with "Thunderball" and "You Only Live Twice". It certainly delivers on the promise of sexual innuendo and lots of provocatively dressed women, but it's a different sort of Bond in that it seems to be more straight-faced and harsh, culminating in what is probably the saddest Bond ending. It's also probably the closest to Fleming's version of Bond outside of "Casino Royale", although "The Living Daylights" was also somewhat similar to the literary Bond. As a Fleming fan it is nice to see the Bond series take after the books.

Lazenby, who has been frequently criticized and is many people's least favorite Bond, actually does a decent job of the role. He's nowhere near as good as Connery, of course, but I thought that other than the scenes where he tried to seriously emote, he carried the film with his charisma and physical presence. I strongly believe he should have continued in the role. Lazenby fits the content of the film, which is certainly far more down to Earth than many other Bond films, and focuses heavily on hand-to-hand combat in the action scenes, which is somewhat refreshing after the overblown (entertaining, but seriously outrageous) action scenes in "You Only Live Twice". This is a genuinely good script, with a solid plot, good dialogue, and good characterization.

It's not just a throwaway action flick, it's an excellent espionage thriller with a strong dramatic core, and as fun as things like "Goldfinger" certainly are, it's nice to see one of these movies treat women as more than mere sex objects, and it's interesting to see a Bond girl paired with a Bond who reacts as a human would and not a cartoon character. Diana Rigg is probably my favorite Bond girl. She gives a strong performance and is helped by an excellent script which gives her a fair amount to do.

By staying closer to the source material, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" dramatically improves on its two predecessors and features some of the best locations in the series, although I admit my familiarity with the majority of the Swiss shooting locations gives me a nostalgic view of things. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a strong contender for the title of best Bond film.

9/10