Sean Connery had had enough of James Bond and did not accept the offer to play the suave super spy in this, the sixth installment of the James Bond series. Filling in for Connery is Australian model George Lazenby. Often times this film is cited as one of the most inferior in the series. I actually quite enjoyed it.
Bond nearly quits MI6 after being told to quit searching for mastermind Ernst Blofeld. However, through chance encounters and a few lucky breaks, 007 finds himself hot on his nemesis’ trail while wooing the lovely daughter of a crime boss at the same time.
Different from the previous three entries, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is more straight-laced, including minimal gadgetry and camp. Sure, Bond still makes the ladies swoon and never passes up a chance to partake in the forbidden pleasures of a more proper life, but the film has a seriousness to it that has been absent from 007’s adventures since From Russia With Love.
It’s a back-to-basics move for the series (though it didn’t last) and it is one of the better non-Connery portrayals of James Bond. The film is supposed to be very true to the Ian Fleming story, which is a bonus for those fans who have read the book. For the rest of us though, it’s a bit too long. At 2 and a half hours, it’s the longest Bond film ever made, and while the story itself is good, there are too many points where we seem to be dragging our feet. Perhaps this comes from an ambitious true-to-the-story attitude, or perhaps it’s because previous entries in the series have dumbed us down a to the point where we’re expecting gadgets and wit to carry us from one explosive scene to the next.
Either way, it’s not bad and by far not the worst. It also features two theme songs. The first is an instrumental piece used during escape and chase sequences, and the other is a charming song called “We Have All the Time in the World” which plays during Bond’s wedding- that's right, 007 straightens up and ties the knot (though the day is spoiled shortly thereafter, setting up future adventures).
Sean Connery had had enough of James Bond and did not accept the offer to play the suave super spy in this, the sixth installment of the James Bond series. Filling in for Connery is Australian model George Lazenby. Often times this film is cited as one of the most inferior in the series. I actually quite enjoyed it.
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