On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

1969  PG  ACTION  2h 20min

CAST— George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Gabriele Ferzetti, Telly Sevalas, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Catherina von Schell (Catherine Schell), Bessie Love, Joanna Lumley

MUSIC— John Barry  DIRECTOR— Peter R. Hunt  BASED ON— On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (novel), by Ian Fleming

     Wait a moment. Who has had the audacity to fill the shoes of the legendary Sean Connery, THE 007? Oh, it’s George Lazenby (he’ll barely make it though this one, just you see). So let’s see the newbie in  action; car chases- check; wooing ladies- check; the fact that he’s a drunkard is a given (so far so good). Let’s get down to the story: M has relieved 007 from his duties concerning Blofeld. Devastated, Bond takes a leave of absence from MI6, falls in love with a spirited, willful daughter of a crime lord whose empire stretches all of Europe. But Bond cares not about this frivolous matter; all he cares for is the woman. But the other side of the page is a darker one: it seems that Bond has indeed tracked down the illusive Blofeld, somewhere in the Swiss Alps. After speed skiing and bob sledding to death the audience is probably ready to say goodbye to Switzerland (not to mention Bond’s God-awful kilt). Be prepared for an emotional and rather shocking ending to this pretty mediocre film. And remember: “The World Is Not Enough”.

OUR RATING— **

PRECEDED BY— Dr. No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967)

FOLLOWED BY— Diamonds are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View to a Kill (1985), The Living Daylights (1987), License to Kill (1989), GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002)