On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

"This never happened to the other fella.", 29 June 2009

I'll skip the usual plot description. If you're a fan of James Bond, you've most likely seen On Her Majesties Secret Service anyway. If you haven't seen it, then what are you doing reading this – go out and get it right now. And anyway, this is going to be long enough so why unnecessarily add to it with a pithy little plot summary. On my list of all-time favorite Bond movies, On Her Majesties Secret Service would be somewhere in the top 5. Why? Well, first it's one of the few James Bond movies where I've actually read Ian Fleming's book. And I liked it – I liked it a lot. The plot and storyline appeal to me in a major way. I appreciate the fact that the movie is so true to the source material. I like that there are so few over-the-top gadgets. Bond gets by on his wits and brawn alone. That's one of the things that also appealed to me about the recent Bond movie, Casino Royale – the lack of incredible gadgets. It makes things a little more believable. (I realize that I'm being a bit hypocritical here. It goes against everything I usually stand for when I write about how much a I appreciate the relative realism in this movie. I'm usually so in favor of outlandishness in my spy movies. Just read some of my other user comments and you'll see what I mean. It's difficult for me to explain, but it works in this case.)

Second, Diana Rigg. Is there any reason to say anymore? Beyond Ms. Rigg, I love the whole cast. Of all the actors that played Blofeld, Telly Savalas is my favorite. Donald Pleasence was a bit too close to a being a parody (i.e. he's practically Dr. Evil) and Charles Gray, though a good actor, was never right for the role. And don't you just love the way Savalas holds that cigarette? I've never seen anyone but him do that. Too cool! (That's right – I just called smoking "cool".) While I'm talking about the cast, I suppose I should mention George Lazenby. It's not that he's that bad, it's just that he's not Sean Connery. I find it impossible to judge his worth as Bond from one movie. He's okay I suppose, but I would have liked to see him given the chance to grow into the character the way Connery and Moore did.

Third, On Her Majesties Secret Service is an amazing looking movie. Some of the shots of the Alps, especially those from the helicopter, are some of the best photography in the entire series. Cinematography, sets, locations, lighting, and anything else that goes into making a movie look good are all outstanding. It's a wonderfully shot movie.

Finally, I really appreciate Peter Hunt's direction. On Her Majesties Secret Service might most well paced Bond movie ever made. It's so even form start to finish. As much as I hate to admit it because I enjoy most all of the Bond movies, there are some that drag on and on to the point of distraction and lack the flow of this movie.

If I've got one complaint it would be with some of the lame attempts at comedy. They're terribly forced and don't feel right in what is otherwise such a straight forward movie. There are a couple that are so bad I wince every time I hear them. For example, after one of the baddies is sucked into the giant snow blower turning the snow a pale pink, Bond quips, "He had a lot of guts". Groan worthy or what? Still, that's my only real complaint so a 9/10 would seem to be in order.

9/10