O.H.M.S.S (1969) - A Retrospective | *****

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)  
Directed by Peter R. Hunt

FAR UP! FAR OUT! FAR MORE! JAMES BOND 007 IS BACK!

James Bond woos a mob boss' 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(IMDb)

George Lazenby ( Danjaq LLC )

O.H.M.S.S was for many years the forgotten Bond film.  George Lazenby' only Bond movie failed to capture the public's imagination on release; on the basis that Lazenby was not Connery.

Troubled with reports of a bad working relationship between Lazenby and Diana Rigg and Lazenby refusing to promote the film on release ( he didn't see the point as he felt the movie would be a failure), the film went on to be criticized for everything from Lazenby's accent and acting style ( a male model as Bond! but then so was Connery ), to Bond wearing a kilt and Bond looking at a copy of playboy at one point.

I remember seeing this in 1971 on a double bill with Diamonds Are Forever ( double-bills, that dates me ) and loving it.   And I still do.

O.H.M.S.S (1969)

George Lazenby / Diana Rigg  ( Danjaq LLC )

Time has been so kind to this movie that its currency has improved to the point that it is often quoted as one of the best Bond - I put it in my top three Bond films.   

Distinguished directors such as Christopher Nolan ( the influence of O.H.M.S.S is clear on Inception ) rate the movie highly.  Steven Soderbergh wrote an essay on the merits of O.H.M.S.S.

So what do we have?  

We have a movie that is way closer to its source novel that any other Bond movie.  We have great effects, the ski-scenes set the standard for following Bond movies.   

Lazenby is not the best actor for sure but would probably improved, given he had a 5 picture deal.  Connery's performance in his first Bond movie, Dr No is not that brilliant.  Certainly he's not Craig or Dalton.  But in truth Lazenby is no worse than the other actors to play Bond and his performance holds it own against Moore and Brosnan for instance.

O.H.M.S.S (1969)

Also at the key moments Lazenby delivers.  

The death of Tracey is one of the major moments in the Bond series.  Lazenby delivers the last line ("We Have All the Time in the World") just right, making the moment really emotional - and I don't believe Connery could of done any better.

O.H.M.S.S (1969) - Lobby Card

Very few movies can get away with ending on such a downer. O.H.M.S.S is in the minority with The Empire Strikes Back, that does.

Sure we have to accept that Bond and Blofeld do not know each other on first sight.   Movie wise O.H.M.S.S succeeds You Only Live Twice but precedes the novel.  But that's OK as O.H.M.S.S by today's standards would be called a reboot. 

O.H.M.S.S (1969) - Album Cover

And then finally we have the score, one of John Barry's finest and one of the great movie love songs in We Have All the Time in the World ( John Barry / Hal David) which was the great Louis Armstrong last recording (Armstrong was too ill to play his trumpet so just sang).

What is there not to love?

O.H.M.S.S (1969) - Title Card (Maurice Binder)

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