On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Special Edition) [DVD]

Short version: Bond movies are fun, so this is alright. But it's one of the lesser films in the series. Not as bad a couple of the Brosnan flicks, but not great. And somehow it manages to both break important conventions and not be that interesting.Longer version, including some spoilers:First things first: when Sean Connery wanted too much money and Broccoli and Co. needed a new Bond, they hadn't yet figured out that they could get away with each actor being distinctly different, so they went with George Lazenby, a hilarious cookie cutter Connery knockoff. Then they compounded the problem by giving him lines specifically referencing the issue, like "this never happened to the other fellow" at the end of the pre-credits teaser. The effect is eye rolling. And by today's lights with 4 more Bonds under our belts, it's just jarring when he walks into the casino and you think "wow, they really did just go on a lookalike search, huh?" The fact that they rehired Connery afterward makes it even worse. Poor guy...it's not Lazenby's fault of course.Anyway, apart from the casting the movie has plenty of other issues. First, the driver of the plot is that Bond just goes looking for Blofeld. Come on. The way this is supposed to work is Bond goes looking into some random thing, like gold smuggling or spaceships getting eaten by bigger spaceships, and then finds out, shockingly, that it's that dastardly Blofeld again! Going out searching for the bad guy is cheating.Likewise, it's cheating to go incognito. One of the fun parts of Bondism is the ridiculousness of his very public "secret agent" schtick: "Bond. James Bond. I work for Her Majesty's Secret Service; just between you and me I've never understood why they call it that." Granted, Connery pulled the same thing with that "Peter Franks" nonsense in Diamonds are Forever, but only briefly, and that movie had a lot of redeeming qualities to get you past that. This one, less so.Not living up to his public agent persona isn't the only way he's out of character either. Why is this man wearing a kilt? Why is he pretending to be gay!?!? No, seriously, that's totally unnecessary to the subterfuge he wasn't supposed to be engaged in, and antithetical to the openly womanizing and dare we say borderline misogynistic 1960s alpha male we're looking for. And don't think this is a positive, like he's woke and better behaved...nope, he uses his fake LGBTQ card to go womanizing! And to make matters worse, he does it lazy! Every bond seduction in every other movie is cleverly tailored to the woman in question, and now we have to watch knockoff Connery use the same generic junk lines with two women one after another? Weak sauce, Lazenby; go back to your fiancee......which brings me to the worst part. He gets married. And not to a Japanese ninja secret agent as part of the job (this is a good job!), but to some mafioso's daughter who he had already run into, saved from totally unexplained bad guys, loaned 20 grand, and bedded, back in the teaser which again was simply utterly unexplained. Not only do we have to endure a stock love montage in the middle of a Bond movie, but we also get a mafioso at a wedding talkin' glory days with M about that time some of M's guys killed some of mafioso's guys. Ugh. We also get Bond saying he's quitting MI6, which is not the King and Country man we know.And finally, as if Broccoli realized his egregious mistake after they were done filming and decided to try to put things right with one more scene, they just straight knock her off. And not in some interesting Felix Leiter shark attack or something...in a drive-by shooting from knockoff Rosa Klebb, who didn't even stick around to make sure she got Bond even though she had a machine gun and he was driving home from a wedding. This is seriously Tasha Yar levels of bad. And this is how we end the movie. Not on a life raft getting laid and then rescued by airplane. Not in a spaceship getting laid in zero G. Nope, dead wife, sad Bond, cut to credits. Disaster.There are a couple of good action scenes that are worthwhile in the midst of this otherwise poor showing. The car chase that ends up in a rally race has a certain Blues Brothers quality which, while not exactly proper Bond, is still good fun. The ski chase is legitimately good, although having Blofeld personally involved is a little weird. That's probably made up for (and in fact explained by) his sinister avalanche move...killing your henchmen in front of your henchmen is pretty on-brand here. I don't want to give the impression that there's nothing worthwhile at all. But a lot of it, including a lot of the fights, the dastardly plan, and even the choice of easily-escaped imprisonment (seriously, the machine room for a gondola? You didn't realize he'd get on the gondola!?) are just phoned in.So there you have it. A Bond movie with a backwards plot and out-of-character Bond with knockoff casting, that goes off the reservation but not in interesting or fun ways. A sad showing for a vaunted series.

Grew on me with age. Now one of my favs!

I am a 007 fan for life

Always the underdog and never the Top Dog, OHMSS has a bad reputation that it doesn't deserve. I honestly don't know what Bond fans really want in their movies as they hate anything that has too many gadgets and set pieces and turn their nose up at anything that represents Ian Fleming's true vision of Bond. Lazenby, like Daniel Craig, suffered a press backlash before the film was released that swayed public opinion against OHMSS.The story has Bond taken off the Blofeld case after failing to apprehend him twice and sent on a 2-week holiday. He soon falls in love with Contessa Tracy Di Vicenzo who's daddy is the boss of one of Europe's largest crime syndicates. Daddy, has a deal for Bond. Make his daughter happy and he'll point him in the direction of the elusive Blofeld and give him a £1,000,000 bonus. An offer he can't refuse huh? It turns out that Blofeld (Television Savalas, the best incarnation of the character) is hiding in the Swiss Alps and Bond goes undercover as Genealogy expert Sir Hilary Bray to smoke him out. Bond just happens to be a bit of a Genealogist himself (this movie has him discover that the Bond family motto is 'Orbis Non Sufficit'...interesting)and reckons he bluff his way through it.Blofeld's world conquering plot this time around is kinda Austin Powers-ish but it's thankfully played down. Bond, stripped of his stupid gadgets, must rely on his cunning and wits to outsmart Blofeld and defeat his evil schemes. I particularly like the scene where Bond is locked in a cable-car gear-room and his attempts to escape. Despite the obvious rear-projection a ski-chase, car chase and bobsleigh chase are all very well done.John Barry's score is also noteworthy and his main OHMSS theme is brilliant. If there was ever anything that could come close to replacing the signature Bond theme while still retaining that familiar sound then this is it. Hunt it down, check it out. The scope cinematography is also a standout and often has some nice, atmospheric shots. Something not often seen in a Bond film.I first saw OHMSS when I was a kid and I remember reading about how it was a flop when it was released in theatres. Which is actually a total lie, it DIDN'T flop. The mediocre review in the horrid tabloid newspaper I read made me, as a 10-year-old, dislike the the film. I don't feel that way now though. And despite remembering how it ended I was still pretty shocked when it came. It's far more dramatic and memorable than typical Bond endings. Is this what turns most people off OHMSS? Who the hell wants same-old same-old? Yes, there are a few continuity problems, such as Bond and Blofeld not recognizing each other but since their only face-to-face was with Connery and Donald Pleasence (the most parodied Bond villain performance) it would be absurd for Lazenby and Savalas to be familiar with each other.Too bad Lazenby didn't come back for Diamonds Are Forever. It would have been better for him to be given a nice little double-feature instead of Connery returning one last time. The youngest Bond actor (he was 29 at the time of filming), he certainly looked athletic and believable but apparently his youthful cockiness onset ruffled the producers feathers too much and his own doubts in the series and himself as an actor prevented his return.Don't let the ancient bad rep put you off. OHMSS is just as worthy as another other superior Bond film.The Blu-ray is in brilliant 2.35:1 1080p with a pretty decent DTS HD-MA sound design. Extras are plentiful.

Obviously it's a matter of personal preference who is your favourite Bond and I have to admit that George Lazenby is rather low on the list for me. But that doesn't mean this isn't a very solid entry in the franchise.The story is decent, Telly Savalas is quite magnificent as Bond's arch enemy Blofeld and Diana Rigg is possibly the best Bond girl and certainly the only one he marries (at least to date). Also fun the villain's mountain top lair and his "harem" of alluring ladies including the young Joanna Lumley. There's an exciting ski chase down the mountain and, like him or not, Lazenby is a very athletic actor and he is great in the action scenes.Add to this the usual array of exotic locations, high production values and a nice 60s flair and you have a very entertaining film indeed. One of the better Bond films as far as I'm concerned. Certainly worth checking out for anybody who hasn't yet seen it and worth owning for any Bond fan who doesn't yet have it.The 2 DVD Ultimate Edition has a huge amount of bonus material. If you like your DVD extras, this is certainly the one to go for.

Great Bond film, after Sean C. quit. Tough act to follow. But followed up well. Clever intro gave us a new Bond slowly and effectively to pull us into acceptance. Rest came off well, with added interest boost by having Diana Rigg, (another legend of a character as Mrs. Peel on Avengers cult series) as his romance. All plays out very well.

I have had this D.V.D. for a long time, having the video in that era, as well as the vinyl soundtrack. I have always liked the film and George Lazenby, plus the film, got bad press at the time of its release. But I feel its still one of the best, on a par with Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig.The only thing that goes against it and dates it is the dress sense of the day, frilly shirts in the casino, mini skirts, and the colours of the day.

This is far and away the best of all the James Bond film series ( though we are very grateful for the high standard of the Sean Connery films also) The film that totally captures the atmosphere of the Ian Fleming novels.People who don't read books ( especially Ian Fleming's books)people who don't appreciate beautiful photography and breathtaking Alpine locations, people who don't understand scripts or the business of acting, people who don't understand what fine directing is or magnificent soundtrack music is - in short, people who have no taste whatsoever have panned this film in the past.It was panned in a fit of pique by people who were angry at George Lazenby for quitting the Bond films - this was stupid on Georges' part - but the film itself is marvellous.And George Lazenby and Sean Connery are the only actors (so far) who are right for the part of James Bond.This film is not only an excellent action adventure film it is directed like a European art film with a strong Romance element. Well done Peter Hunt - Franco Zefferelli couldn't have done better.

You know when you see Maurice Binder's title sequence together with John Barry's exciting theme, you're in for something special. To follow Sean Connery in the rôle was thought to be impossible, but George Lazenby acquits himself admirably. The commentary with director Peter Hunt & others is a fount of information which I found hugely interesting & answered many questions.The score is my personal favourite of all John Barry's Bond music. (I strongly recommend the cd soundtrack)The digital transfer is excellent & the film looks great.This is a collectors 'must have' & I'm glad I've now got it!HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.Very quick delivery!