On Her Majesty's Secret Service

Before we had Daniel Craig's version of Casino Royale in 2006, the very closest adaptation one could find of Ian Fleming's series would be On Her Majesty's Secret Service from 1969, and coincidentally ranks as my favourite book from the whole collection. The book is an exciting adventure that takes Bond away from the Caribbean beaches and European cities for a mission high in the snowy Alps in pursuit of Blofeld. It was the second Bond book I ever read and is the only one, so far, that I have made time to revisit. But the film's history is a checkered past having seen Sean Connery part ways with the character leading which led to the casting of Australian actor/model George Lazenby that tainted the film's reputation for many years. Fast forward to today and On Her Majesty's Secret Service ranks among one of the best for fans in the Bond community.

Breaking the continuity with the books entirely, OHMSS sees Bond on the hunt for Blofeld (a fantastic performance from Telly Savalas) and through good fortune after saving the life of Tracy (the late, great Diana Rigg), her grateful and well connected father offers him the location of the evil genius in the Alps. Disguised as a researcher to help Blofeld with his ancestral past, Bond has to work alongside Blofeld (putting their first onscreen encounter in You Only Live Twice aside) while taking any opportunity to uncover the criminal's next sinister operation. 

It's a great setup that's expertly handled by Peter Hunt in his directorial debut from the beginning an entertaining pre-titles sequence with a wink and nudge to our new Bond before John Barry's incredible orchestral score takes over during the credits that forms one of the two theme songs for the film. The other being Louis Armstrong's superb "We have all the time in the world" and combined with some of the best visuals from any Bond film in the series, OHMSS ranks among favourite Bond films. 

However, newcomers will find the slower first act somewhat testing as we skip the gadget scenes with Q in favour of a more melodramatic pacing as Bond falls for Tracy. It is different from Connery's films before, and many that followed afterwards, but it doesn't bother me at all as the film improves on each viewing, and Lazenby is perfect in the role. Connery was tired of the character and it was starting to show so we needed someone new. It's just a shame that Lazenby would take up the mantle once and we would never receive that satisfying follow-up to the events in this film. 

Come the latter half of the film and see Bond in action in the alps that is expertly crafted together leaving all the Bond films that have attempted to put on ski since in a spray of powder (Spectre in particular fails at this). It's thrilling to watch even today and combined with how Lazenby is perfect in the final scene, OHMSS gets my full recommendation. A great Bond film and a faithful adaptation rarely go hand in hand but the cast and crew really succeed here in an exciting adventure which should not be overlooked. Was this the best Bond film of the 1960s? That's a dangerous question but I would have to say yes!