ON HER MAJESTYS SECRET SERVICE (1969)

This was the sixth James Bond movie of the series and it became the first
movie where Bond was not played by Bond, that is, by the usual Bond, Sean
Connery, who had made this role his own. It was also the first Bond movie which had
a different ending (which we ask not to reveal in case there are still audiences which
havent seen it). As a rule, all James Bond movies, but the last series with Daniel
Craig which I think they are no proper Bond movies though this is something we won
t discuss here, ended with Bond making love to the Girl while M was ringing him with
another mission in the offing.

To begin with, there are three small details that show that this was not your
usual Bond movie, but that it tried to be a turning point in the series, maybe keeping
in mind one would like to think- that Connery was getting tired of the series and a
new replacement was needed for his role, that is, the Bond role. As it was, Connery
returned in the next installment of the series, Diamond are forever which was an
average Bond movie in the sense that it did not announce the end of his cycle as the
Bond character- and afterwards Connery declined to continue the role which went to
Roger Moore- with the exception of a ridiculous comeback by Connery in 1983 with
Never say never again, where faced against such beauties as Barbara Carrera and
Kim Basinger with whom he shared a tango dance in probably the most ridiculous
scene of his whole career-, Connery looked too old for the part. Well, we think On
Her Secrets Majesty Service (OHMSS) would have made a far better adieu of the
series for Connery than Diamonds are forever.

As we said before, there are three small details that show this Bond movie
was trying to be a different one:

1st) When Bond (played by George Lazenby) looks at the camera after his first
encounter with Tracy (Diana Rigg) and says This would have never happened to the
other Bond, one cannot help thinking that this scene could have been played with
more bite into it by Connery saying this would not have happened to me before;
which would have told the audience that this was not your average Bond movie,
where Bond meets a girl and next he is bedding her.

2nd) When the credits appear at the beginning, after the preliminary sequence,
as a rule in all the series, the title song is played while on the screen usually appear
all the beauties of the film dancing in scantily clad clothes. But, in OHMSS, an
orchestral theme composed by John Barry is played instead of the title song
another oddity as this had only happened with Dr. NO-. This theme has an epic
sound, as if something is bound to happen. And, instead of dancing girls, the title
credits begin with a fabulous still picture of Ursula Andress, emerging from the sea in
Dr. NO. Of course, probably in order to avoid copy right problems, that still picture of
Ursula Andress doesnt show her face properly and hardly lasts a wink. (My, what
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these series owe to her though she only appeared in the first installment! She surely
deserved an homage in the series, maybe as a flash back or a mention of her
character in a later film of the series. But the only homage she ever got was in that
still picture and another scene from this film).

Next and here our memory fails us- there are other still pictures from other
Bond movies, including from other girls, some villains and explosions. So that, in this
film or installment of the series, the title credits work as a compilation from previous
films which add to the sense that we are about to see a different Bond movie. (1)*

3rd) When, in another scene, Bond -always played by Lazenby- is clearing up

his desk, he collects mementos from other previous Bond films and he shows to the
camera Ursula Andresss belt knife -while we hear the Mango song which she sang
at her famous beach scene in Dr. NO-; the stiletto shoe worn by Rosa Klebb in
From Russia with Love and another item which we failed to identify (2)*. Again, in
this clearing-up-the-desk scene should the camera have focused on Connerys face
instead of Lazenbys we believe this scene would have gained in intensity. As it is,
the camera hardly shows Lazenbys face as if the director wed like to think- was
afraid the new Bond guy couldnt convey the intensity needed for this scene.

Usually Bond movies evolve around his mission, that is, Bond is sent by his
superiors to a mission or accidentally thrown into it and we follow his progress as he
overcomes all sorts of villains and attempts to stop him, seduces the girl and, in the
end, he keeps the girl while all his enemies have been destroyed and their plans
ruined. Instead, in OHMSS, there are two plot lines: one, about his relationship with
Tracy, and the other one, about his quest for Blofeld (Telly Savalas).

As for his relationship with Tracy, the Bond girl, usually these are roles that
dont require much acting, just knock out beauties who are fit for a lot of physical
action. So, as a rule, playing a Bond girl is not much appealing for professional -in
the sense of dramatic or Shakespearian- actresses. But, in the case of OHMSS, the
character of the Bond girl is played by a professional actress who can perfectly fit the
light or inconsequential role of a Bond girl (Diana Rigg had begun her acting career
at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art but she easily switched to divertimentos as
The Avengers series on TV). This helps her a lot because in a few strokes she
portraits all the complexity of her character without forgetting all the time that we are
at a Bond movie.

As it is, her character of Tracy, we learn in the movie, is that of an unstable

spoilt girl with suicidal tendencies; the daughter of a very rich father who lost her
mother as a child. Again, we are at a Bond movie, not your introspective
psychological film like those of Ingmar Bergman which were fashionable at the time
of OHMSS. Physically she was quite a knock out beauty in that movie, usually clad in
tight clothes revealing nothing but insinuating everything. And, understandably Bond
Lazenby- falls for her.

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 There is also another female role that appears in every bond movie, that of
Miss Monneypenny -at the time of OHMSS played by Lois Maxwell, who made this
role her own and none of her replacements have made us forget her-. She always
had a flirting relationship with Bond -first played by Connery and later by Moore. In
OHMSS there is clearly a miscasting as she looks much older than Lazenby and
therefore she looks more like a mother figure to him. This is particularly clear in the
scene when Bond is clearing up his desk where Miss Monepenny reminds us more
of a mother afraid that Bond is going to be reprimanded by his superiors- and
especially at their final scene which will come upon later on.

As we said before, there are two plot lines in OHMSS: Bonds relationship with
Tracy and his quest for Blofeld. So, in not a very clear script line, he must forget
about Tracy and start looking for his enemy: Blofeld.

Here we must thank we dont know whom because the script of OHMSS,
instead of getting into the usual fist fight, shoot out or car chase scenes every other 5
or 10 minutes so that the audience does not lose interest-, this script follows in
Bonds quest for Blofeld- two clear parts:

a) A first part of building up tension

b) A second part of cascading action

As for our so called first half of building up tension, Bonds quest leads him to
Berne (Switzerland), where in a scene paying homage to the Cold War and the
dividing wall in Berlin, a suitcase must be smuggled from one office building across to
the other side of a street with the help of a tower crane. For a change, theres no
action in this scene, just the tension of whether the suitcase will be smuggled
successfully. Anyway, not everything is as it should be in this scene, as Bond
-Lazenby- behaves in a rather off hand way which does not add to the tension
needed.

From Berne his quest leads Bond to a hotel at the top of a mountain in the
Swiss Alps. Here the script, in an original twist, requires Bond to disguise himself as a
misogynist Professor who loves birds and is going to stay as a guest at the hotel full
of beautiful girls. Again we think Connery would have had a field day playing such
role. As it is, Lazenby arrives disguised as the Professor, with a beret, a pipe and a
book on birds, and, on the next scene where he has to meet some girls who are
involved in the plot-; he appears wearing a kilt in one of the most ridiculous scenes till
Octopussy -where one thinks Roger Moore, appearing disguised as a gorilla and, at
the end of that movie, as a clown, succeeded in making the worst ridicule of Bond-.
One thinks that the director did not trust Lazenby to be good enough to play the role
of the misogynist Professor, oblivious to all the pretty girls surrounding him, and told
him to wear a kilt instead and play it rather silly instead of ironical. Again, we think
Connery would have excelled at such a scene and provided all the irony it required
as basically this was a scene played by a playboy pretending to be a misogynist
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Professor-. But, following Murphys Law, the next scenes are utterly nonsense: late in
the night Bond, still wearing his kilt, leaves his bedroom with the book on birds under
his arm and knocks at one of the girls room. Of course, she lets him in and
eventually into his bed. Next scene, Bond is seen walking back to his bedroom along
the corridor without the book! Next, Bond walks into his bedroom and there is another
girl in his bed who rather innocently asks him if he could show him his book on birds!
As we said before, this is the most ridiculous Bond till Octopussy.

A special mention deserves Telly Savalas as Blofeld. His character appears

when Bond, disguised as the Professor, arrives at the Hotel at the top of the
mountain. His Blofeld portrays a rather intelligent & calculating character instead of
the megalomaniac fool like Goldfinger. Though apparently he has world designs as
most of Bonds villains, in fact he is looking for a much simpler bargain which we won
t reveal in order not to spoil the film if you havent seen it. Again, this is a Bond
movie and those movies dont allow their villains to develop their characters to
Shakespearian levels. But as a whole, Telly Savalas Blofeld is a rather convincing
villain.

After this failed interval with the kilt scenes, the action begins what we
called the second part of cascading action- as Bond has to escape from that hotel
at the top of the mountain.

To begin with, theres another short scene full of tension -like the one in Berne
with the suitcase- where Bond has to escape through the cable way which, because
of its simplicity and sheer physical effort no Bond gimmicks here-, we think it can be
considered one of the best of the whole series.

We feel reinforced in our opinion of these two parts in OHMSS (the building
up tension and the cascading action) because in some links of OHMSS there is a
dispute on whether there was an action scene or chase scene filmed in the first part
of the movie (our so called building up tension), after Bond had gone to meet a
Professor to help him with his disguise as the misogynist Professor, which was
finally omitted. Again, we think that it was omitted because the director kept
deliberately all the action and stunts for the second part of the film (what we call the
cascading action).

Next, there is the ski chase, beautifully filmed with real stunts. Here an epic
effect is added as John Barrys opening theme is played as Bond tries to escape,
making a very impressive effect if you can enjoy of big screen (in my case, I had the
chance of seeing OHMSS at a cinema in Barcelona called Phenomena & the 35mm
copy in English with subtitles covered the whole huge screen).

The plot has Tracy (Diana Rigg) thrown in the chase again, this is a Bond
movie and unexpected twists are allowed- and the movie improuves in intensity with
her presence again, we think Lanzenby couldnt pull it off on his own as if he
needed other actors to support him-.
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 As Bond and Tracy try to escape from Blofelds minions with a romantic
interlude rarely achieved again in the whole series except perhaps in From Russia
with Love where some key notes of the title song We have all the time in the world
are played-, the movie reaches a climax when Bond allies himself with Tracy`s father,
Draco who has links with the underworld- and his gunmen to attack Blofelds hotel
up in the mountain with helicopters.

The following scenes of the choppers, disguised as from the Red Cross, flying
over the snowed mountains while Draco, Tracys father played by Gabriele Ferzetti-,
is talking nonsense to the Swiss air traffic controllers, asking permission to fly over
Switzerland in a Red Cross rescue mission with John Barrys epic theme playing
along, are just magnificent. Just for this one sequence, we think, Gabriele Ferzetti as
Draco would have deserved a series of his own. This was filmed ages before
Coppola ever dreamed of his fantastic chopper attack in Apocalypse Now (1979). But
again, it only works on the big screen.

We think the action should have finished with the gunfight at the hotel Bolfeld
s lair- as there had already been enough of that but, in another twist of the plot or
perhaps because, as a rule in Bond movies, there has to be a final showdown movie
between Bond and the villain-, Bond and Blofeld fight it out on a bobsleigh chase. It
is very well filmed, with plenty of tension, but it is too much. We think here OHMSS
needed a severe editing as that final confrontation should have been resolved very
quickly or, as we said before, all the action should have finished at the hotel gunfight.

Next the movie picks up Bonds relationship with Tracy as it leads to its
conclusion. Here OHMSS gains a romantic aura seldom seen in the Bond series,
besides making this relationship quite believable for a Bond movie. There is again
another miscasting scene when Miss Monneypenny drops a tear of joy at Bonds
happiness with Tracy because, as we said before, her character, played by Lois
Maxwell, looks much older than Lazenby. So that she looks more like a mother figure
seeing his son off with his fiance than somebody who had a flirting relationship with
Bond, as it was the case when she had opposite Sean Connery and Roger Moore-
And so the movie goes towards its end, where in another unexpected twist and
perhaps for the only time in the whole series-, the title song (We have all the time in
the world, sung by none other than Louis Armstrong) achieves a full dramatic sense
with the plotline and, yes, this time Lazenby played it perfectly.

OHMSS remains an oddity as it was the only Bond movie played by Lazenby,
between two Connery movies and before Moore took over the series. Had it been
played by Connery, it could have been his perfect adieu to the series and paved the
way for his replacement by Roger Moore, who could have continued the series as a
new Bond with his relationship with Tracy forgotten or left behind.

In this respect we mustnt forget that in our culture heroes are sort of
professionals and when they try to lead a family life, they inevitably fail (their wife
usually they are married- suddenly dies by accident or by giving birth or by a new or
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old foe that prompts our hero back into action or even sometimes she leaves him
because our hero cannot adapt to normal life). So that, in the end, our hero goes
back into action, after a brief family life interval, more hardened than before as this
is the only thing he can do as a professional.

In the case of our hero, OHMSSs director, Peter Hunt, wanted to begin the
next installment Diamonds are forever with the prequel scene showing the ending
of Bond and Tracy relationship and next, after the credits, throw Bond into his next
adventure. But, of course, Lazenby was needed to play Bond which was impossible
as he refused to continue the series after OHMSS-. So, what happened was that
Connery appeared again in Diamonds are forever and, in the prequel scene, there
was a funny allusion to OHMSS which we find completely wrong as a more serious
approach was needed for instance, what Peter Hunt intended-. We believe if
Lazenby could not be had to play Bond- that Diamonds are forever should have
started as an independent film from OHMSS with a simple mention of his past
relationship with Tracy (perhaps by Miss Monneypenny?).

As for Lazenby, he was 29 years old when he made OHMSS the youngest
actor to date to play the Bond role-. Had he continued in the Bond series he
dropped out after filming OHMSS- and had he succeeded as the new Bond that is a
big if, because, we think, he could play the tough guy but he lacked the irony and,
more important to us, a gentleman quality to play Bond-. Well, had he succeeded as
the new Bond, he would have provided the series with a much needed continuity
because he could have easily played Bond for over a 20 year period (say, till he
turned 50 year old). As a rule, actors who play Bond, usually they have a filming
career of about ten years (Connery from 1962 till 1971; Moore from 1973 till 1985;
Brosnan from 1995 till 2002; and Craig since 2006), as usually they are around 40
when they begin and by the time they turn 50, they look too old for the part and a
new replacement must be found and, more important, has to be accepted by the
audiences.

Another hypothetical scenario that comes to mind is that Lazenby, after

starring in OHMSS, could have played the Bond character in a follow-up again,
filmed in the sort of realistic way OHMSS had been-, as there were some loose
ends which had not been resolved at the end of OHMSS for instance, it is not clear
whether SPECTRE had been totally destroyed and Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti) could
have returned in a supporting role-, and then Moore should have taken over as a new
Bond with a more humorous approach.

What happened, in fact, was quite ridiculous as Connery returned to the series
in Diamonds are forever and then Moore took over him. That is, Connery played
Bond between two different Bonds (Lazenby and Moore), which only added
confusion to the series as Diamonds are forever remains an average Bond movie
and period. That is, Connery did not try to make with Diamonds are forever his
comeback or farewell to the series. And to make his return worse or even more
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ridiculous-, when Connery filmed Diamonds are forever, he had put on weight and
did not look fit for the Bond role though hardly four years had elapsed since his
previous Bond movie, You Only Live Twice (1967). So, all in all, we think that
Connery could have saved himself the trouble of making Diamonds are forever and
stopped his Bond cycle with You Only Live Twice (1967) as Moore could have
started the series with Diamond are forever as easily as he did with Live and Let
Die.

So, again, we conclude it is a pity Connery did not make OHMSS as his final
Bond movie and that it remains, no matter all its flaws, one of the best Bond movies
of the whole series.

Finished in Barcelona, on January, the 16th, 2017.

By Darryl Stevens [darrylstevens.abogado@gmail.com)

(1) For a fuller explanation of the opening credits, check on:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064757 ; Crazy Credits; with the following
contents:
During the opening credits, images are shown of Bond girls and villains. (This
is the first Bond movie since Goldfinger to feature previous movies' footage in its
credits.) Specifics are as follows. *First Set. *Honey Ryder from Agente 007 contra el
doctor No (1962), standing on the beach. *Dr. No from the same, in front of his
underground aquarium. *Tatiana Romanova from Desde Rusia con amor (1963),
messing around with her hair. *Pussy Galore from James Bond contra
Goldfinger (1964), in the barn scene. *Second Set. *The title character from
Goldfinger. *Assorted Bond girls from the Goldfinger (1964) / Thunderball (1965) era.
*The "Flaming Car Crash" scene from Operacin Trueno (1965). *Third set. *Emilio
Largo, the main villain from Thunderball. *Aki, Kissy Suzuki, and a swordsman
from Slo se vive dos veces (1967). *Blofeld's volcano lair exploding from the end of
the same. Note the strategic absence of Blofeld from You Only Live Twice, as Blofeld
is played by a different actor in this film.

(2)* The third item when Bond is clearing up his desk is from Thunderball
though we have not identified it:

Bond visiting his office and finding objects from Dr. No, From Russia with
Love and Thunderball,

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty's_Secret_Service_(film) .writing)

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 (3)* The chase scene or action scene erased during the first half of the movie
our so called building up tension:

...and a chase over London rooftops and into the Royal Mail underground rail
system after Bond's conversation with Sir Hilary Bray was overheard.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Her_Majesty's_Secret_Service_(film) .writing)
A scene showing Bond murdering an enemy agent who is following him was shot,
but left incomplete as George Lazenby was injured and Peter R. Hunt deemed
the scene extraneous to the thrust of the plot.
(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064757/trivia)