On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Connery-Lazenby James Bond Movie #6

Synopsis: James “Coy-and-Vance-Duke” Bond romances mafia sweetie, out-skis Kojak.

Blurb From the VHS Jacket: "Just as James Bond finally discovers true love, he is thrown into non-stop thrills and chills in this explosively entertaining action/adventure. George Lazenby leaps into the role of Agent 007 with supreme confidence and undeniable charisma."

What Did I Learn?: Lazenby was basically set up to fail. The opening credits showed clips from the first five Bond films, there’s a scene where Bond cleans out his desk and reviews treasures (accompanied by snippets of theme music) from those movies, and if THAT isn’t enough, a janitor whistles the first few notes from “Goldfinger”.

You Might Like This Movie If: You know it’s never easy to step into an iconic role made famous by somebody else…

Really?: 1) Wait – didn’t Bond and Blofeld already meet in You Only Live Twice? How the fuck can he go undercover as Sir Hilary Bray when Blofeld knows his identity? 2) Based on the previous Bond films, I never would have guessed in a million years that Blofeld is a highly athletic, and talented skier and bobsledder. 3) So wait – Blofeld sends three of his ski goons to pursue Bond and Tracy and then sets off an avalanche to kill all of them. I have to wonder if SPECTRE has a problem retaining employees, considering it enjoys bumping so many of them off. 4) Leaving aside the fact that Bond is supposed to be in love with Tracy, he’s posing as a gay genealogist in a mountain headquarters with paranoid security and a whole bunch of guns. Wouldn’t any rational human being keep his pants on, and refrain from banging the hot chicks?

Rating: Clocking in at two hours and 22 minutes, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the longest of the Bond films, and it occasionally feels that way – two extended ski chases are a bit much, in my opinion. It’s also weirdly psychedelic in places, and Bond’s philandering doesn’t seem so charming after we see him getting serious with Tracy. Lazenby isn’t bad as Bond – as a karate black belt, he brings an added realism to his fight scenes – but it’s very difficult to watch this film without thinking: “I wonder how Sean Connery would have handled this.” And while I like Telly Savalas, he’s completely wrong for the role of Ernst Blofeld. 7/10 stars.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064757/?ref_=sr_1