On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Review

Title: On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Year: 1969
Director; Peter Hunt
Country: UK
Language: English

Sean Connery was unhappy with the politics, attention and low-pay of playing James Bond, so he left the role as soon as production wrapped on his 5th film. The producers wanted to make Man With the Golden Gun in Croatia with Roger Moore next, but instability due to the Vietnam War meant that project needed to be delayed. Once they decided on On Her Majesty's Secret Service, they sought to find an actor who's star power would not eclipse the popularity of the character. They found George Lazenby; a model who had no filmography prior. 

British agent James Bond (George Lazenby) goes undercover to pursue the villainous Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savales) , who is planning to hold the world to ransom.

The late 1960's were a chaotic time in the Western World. Race riots, student protests, and labour strikes were all rampant throughout Europe. Charles De Gaulle resignated in France. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated the US. The film industry itself had undergone a remarkable change, inspired by the Nouvelle Vague (French New Wave). Making Bond at this time was risky, but luckily OHMSS has a great screenplay, is wonderfully directed. and has some pretty impressive action scenes. 

Considered one of the best Bond films, OHMSS is a back-to-basics Bond that adds more emotional depth to our hero than the previous Connery pictures allowed. Its colour pallette and costume design give OHMSS a very groovy 60's feel. 

Unfortunately, this Bond installment does suffer from a long run-time (the longest until Casino Royale) and can feel very slow and meandering until Bond gets to Switzerland. The blue screen in some scenes, such as the bobsled race, seem cheesy and incredibly dated. 

Lazenby has been rumored to be difficult to work with. His agent didn't see the James Bond Franchise lasting much longer and suggested that Lazenby forgo further Bond roles. This is unfortunate, because he did make a good Bond. Fortunately, this meant the time for Roger Moore as the 007 Agent would come sooner.  OHMSS is a good film, but it's no Moonraker (1979) .