And this week's Friday night movie has been... On Her Majesty's Secret Service!
Behold George Lazenby. The first successor to the role Sean Connery made his own and the least of the actors to play James Bond.
I can't say i was looking forward to this one: For many years Lazenby has borne the brunt of a lot of hate, being the worst of the six Bond actors, a one-hit wonder and the weak link in a chain of excellence.
But in more recent years, he's gone under something of a rehabilitation: many people are now pointing to On Her Majesty's Secret Service as the best Bond movie and citing that the movie represents an evolution in the character of Bond - which wouldn't have worked with the self-assurance that Connery used to define the role.
Well I do agree: This does indeed show Bond in a different light in that he's allowed to be vulnerable: he is frequently shown to be in danger (and certainly shown to be afraid for his life) and he has some great scenes with Tracey. It may be easy to dismiss Lazenby for his limited acting skills but it's not to the detriment of the movie - his scenes with Tracey sparkle with chemistry and you can't say he doesn't nail the final, gut-punching scene.
Other than that, everything here shows a Bond movie firing on all cylinders: Tracey is a compelling character played by Diana Rigg (Olenna Tyrell!). The Swiss alps make for a beautiful setting. The action sequences are existing and fast paced. Telly Savalas makes an engaging Blofeld. And Peter R. Hunt makes for a great director (shame he didn't do any more Bond movies).
So is On Her Majesty's Secret Service the blemish on the series that is often made out to be? I don't think so. If anything, there's a lot going for it - which makes stand proudly amongst the best.
And damn, that final gut-punching scene....
No comments:
Post a Comment