December 19th marks 50 years to the day since the George Lazenby 007 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service had its world premiere to controversy and decidedly mixed reactions from both James Bond fans and critics. Lambasted at the time for not having Sean Connery as Bond and stirring tabloid salaciousness due to Lazenby's perceived falling out with co-star Diana Rigg and problems with the production crew, OHMSS left a sour taste in the mouths of many who never accepted George Lazenby as the new James Bond and disliked both his performance as well as Bond's marriage at the movie's climax which quickly ended in tragedy for both 007 and his new bride.
In the half-century since the movie premiered it has risen steadily in the eyes of the fans and of moviegoers in general who have come to accept Lazenby for who he was and enjoy the plot and co-starring performances, a plot that was closer to its original Ian Fleming novel than any other in the 007 film series. The John Barry soundtrack enhanced by Louis Armstrong's blissfully beautiful "We Have All The Time In The World" are now widely beloved by Bond fans and director Peter Hunt's clever use of color pallette, editing and timing resulted in a film that - while not remotely perfect - is clearly not the redheaded stepchild of the Bond series and certainly not a bad film. It holds up more than well compared to its immediate predecessors in the franchise that starred Connery and is a vastly superior movie to the campy, disjointed mess that followed it and that saw Connery return to the EON Bond series one last time in a story that not only takes James Bond into the sillier, less reverent decade of the 1970s but pales in practically every regard compared to its predecessor.
As the 50th Anniversary nears in a matter of weeks I'd like to start a thread to talk about the film and what we both like and don't like about it. Was George Lazenby adequate or even good in the role? Can you overlook his Bond and still enjoy the plot, or does his inexperience with acting show too often for the viewer to remain focused on the film's narrative? Was Bond's marriage to Teresa di Vicenzo(Tracy) a good idea and one that should have been expanded upon had both Lazenby and Peter Hunt returned for Diamonds Are Forever? Now that we're about to welcome No Time To Die to the franchise in 2020 how does OHMSS fit into the franchise and how should we remember it?
Whatever one thinks of it - either as a great if not the greatest 007 film or a mediocre movie that tried to be something bigger than it could pull off - it definitely leaves an impression and has made its mark on the James Bond franchise. A mostly good one from what I've seen.
In the half-century since the movie premiered it has risen steadily in the eyes of the fans and of moviegoers in general who have come to accept Lazenby for who he was and enjoy the plot and co-starring performances, a plot that was closer to its original Ian Fleming novel than any other in the 007 film series. The John Barry soundtrack enhanced by Louis Armstrong's blissfully beautiful "We Have All The Time In The World" are now widely beloved by Bond fans and director Peter Hunt's clever use of color pallette, editing and timing resulted in a film that - while not remotely perfect - is clearly not the redheaded stepchild of the Bond series and certainly not a bad film. It holds up more than well compared to its immediate predecessors in the franchise that starred Connery and is a vastly superior movie to the campy, disjointed mess that followed it and that saw Connery return to the EON Bond series one last time in a story that not only takes James Bond into the sillier, less reverent decade of the 1970s but pales in practically every regard compared to its predecessor.
As the 50th Anniversary nears in a matter of weeks I'd like to start a thread to talk about the film and what we both like and don't like about it. Was George Lazenby adequate or even good in the role? Can you overlook his Bond and still enjoy the plot, or does his inexperience with acting show too often for the viewer to remain focused on the film's narrative? Was Bond's marriage to Teresa di Vicenzo(Tracy) a good idea and one that should have been expanded upon had both Lazenby and Peter Hunt returned for Diamonds Are Forever? Now that we're about to welcome No Time To Die to the franchise in 2020 how does OHMSS fit into the franchise and how should we remember it?
Whatever one thinks of it - either as a great if not the greatest 007 film or a mediocre movie that tried to be something bigger than it could pull off - it definitely leaves an impression and has made its mark on the James Bond franchise. A mostly good one from what I've seen.
