On Her Majesty's Secret Service

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a 1969 spy film and the sixth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is based on the 1963 novel by Ian Fleming. Following Sean Connery's decision to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected George Lazenby, a model with no prior acting credits, to play the part of James Bond. During the making of the film, Lazenby announced that he would play the role of Bond only once.

In the film, Bond faces Blofeld (Telly Savalas), who is planning to hold the world to ransom by a threat to render all food plants and livestock infertile through the actions of a group of brainwashed "angels of death". Along the way Bond meets, falls in love with, and eventually marries Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg).

It is the only Bond film to have been directed by Peter R. Hunt (with this serving as his directorial debut), who had served as a film editor and second unit director on previous films in the series. Hunt, along with producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, decided to produce a more realistic film that would follow the novel closely. It was shot in Switzerland, England, and Portugal from October 1968 to May 1969. Although its cinema release was not as lucrative as its predecessor You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service was still one of the top-performing films of the year. Critical reviews upon release were mixed, but the film's reputation has improved greatly over time and is now regarded as one of the strongest entries in the series as well as one of the most faithful adaptations of a Fleming novel.

Storyline[]

Plot[]

Agent 007 (George Lazenby) and the adventurous Tracy Di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) join forces to battle the evil SPECTRE organization in the treacherous Swiss Alps. But the group's powerful leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas), is launching his most calamitous scheme yet: a germ warfare plot that could kill millions!

Genres[]

Action
Romance
Spy
Adventure
Thriller
Crime Fiction

Motion Picture Rating[]

13 (Argentina)
A (Argentina) (original rating)
PG (Australia) (1987, re-rating)
12 (Brazil)
PG (Canada) (Manitoba/Ontario)
A (Canada) (Nova Scotia)
G (Canada) (Quebec)
15 (Denmark) (DVD and Blu-ray rating)
K-15/13 (Finland) (uncut)
K-16/13 (Finland) (uncut)
K-16 (Finland) (DVD and Blu-ray rating)
K-16 (Finland) (1978, uncut)
K-16 (Finland) (1969, cut)
Tous publics (France)
12 (Germany) (nf)
II (Hong Kong)
12 (Iceland)
U (India)
PG (Ireland)
T (Italy)
G (Japan) (2015)
P13 (Malaysia)
AA (Mexico)
12 (Netherlands)
15 (Norway) (DVD and Blu-ray rating)
9 (Norway) (recommended rating)
16 (Norway) (1969, cinema rating)
14 (Peru)
16 (Poland) (self-applied)
M/12 (Portugal) (DVD rating)
M/18 (Portugal) (original rating)
PG (Singapore)
15 (South Korea) (2000, DVD rating)
18 (Spain) (ICAA)
15 (Sweden)
7A (Turkey) (self-applied)
PG (UK)
A (UK) (original rating, passed with cuts)
PG (UK) (TV rating)
PG (UK) (2000, video rating)
M (USA)
PG (USA) (1994, re-rating)
16 (West Germany) (theatrical and VHS version, cut)

Images[]

Cast and Crew[]

Director[]

Peter R. Hunt (as Peter Hunt)

Writing Credits[]

Simon Raven (additional dialogue)
Richard Maibaum (screenplay)

Cast[]

George Lazenby - James Bond
Diana Rigg - Tracy
Telly Savalas - Blofeld
Gabriele Ferzetti - Draco
Ilse Steppat - Irma Bunt
Lois Maxwell - Moneypenny
George Baker - Sir Hilary Bray
Bernard Lee - 'M'
Bernard Horsfall - Campbell
Desmond Llewelyn - 'Q'
Yuri Borienko - Grunther
Virginia North - Olympe
Geoffrey Cheshire - Toussaint
Irvin Allen - Che Che
Terence Mountain - Raphael (as Terry Mountain)
John Gay - Hammond
James Bree - Gebrüder Gumbold
Angela Scoular - Ruby
Catherine Schell - Nancy (as Catherina Von Schell)
Julie Ege - The Scandinavian Girl
Mona Chong - The Chinese Girl
Sylvana Henriques - The Jamaican Girl
Sally Sheridan - The American Girl (as Dani Sheridan)
Joanna Lumley - The English Girl
Zaheera - The Indian Girl (as Zara)
Anouska Hempel - The Australian Girl (as Anoushka Hempel)
Ingrid Back - The German Girl (as Ingrit Back)
Helena Ronee - The Israeli Girl
Jenny Hanley - The Irish Girl

Other Cast (in alphabetical order)[]

Lewis Alexander - Casino Patron (uncredited)
Sam Ammon - Piz Gloria Guard (uncredited)
Andrew Andreas - Waiter (uncredited)
Carol Barnes - Waitress (uncredited)
Honor Blackman - Pussy Galore (archive footage) (uncredited)
David Brandon - Piz Gloria Guard (uncredited)
Shakira Caine - Extra in Casino (uncredited)
George Cooper - Waiter (uncredited)
George Lane Cooper - Piz Gloria Henchman (uncredited)
Leslie Crawford - Waiter (uncredited)
John Crewdson - Draco's Helicopter Pilot (uncredited)
David de Keyser - Draco (voice) (uncredited)
Takis Emmanuel - Kleff (uncredited)
Peter Evans - Casino Patron (uncredited)
Judy Geeson - Allergy Patient Piz Gloria (uncredited)
Thomas Gould - Blofeld's Man (uncredited)
Richard Graydon - Draco's Driver (uncredited)
Ron Gregory - Casino Patron (uncredited)
Brian Grellis - Aide to Sir Hilary Bray (uncredited)
Reg Harding - Waiter (uncredited)
Victor Harrington - Casino Patron (uncredited)
Peter R. Hunt - Man Reflected in Universal Export Sign (uncredited)
Dudley Jones - Hall Porter (uncredited)
Roy Lansford - Casino Patron (uncredited)
George Leech - Strangled SPECTRE Skier (uncredited)
Aileen Lewis - Casino Patron (uncredited)
Martin Leyden - Chef de Jeu Hussier (uncredited)
Bessie Love - Baccarat Player (uncredited)
Norman McGlen - Janitor (uncredited)
Bill Morgan - Kleff, Draco's Man (uncredited)
Lola Morice - Casino Patron (uncredited)
Willy Oehrli - Piz Gloria Guard (uncredited)
Luciana Paluzzi - Fiona Volpe (archive footage) (uncredited)
Steve Plytas - Greek Tycoon (uncredited)
Lenny Rabin - Casino Guest (uncredited)
Robert Rietty - Casino Baccarat Official (uncredited)
Guerra Rugosto - Waiter (uncredited)
Andreas Schlunegger - Piz Gloria Guard (uncredited)
Hans Schlunegger - Piz Gloria Guard (uncredited)
Bunny Seaman - Casino Patron (uncredited)
Valerie St. Helene - Silhouette Girl in Credits (uncredited)
Emile Stemmler - Croupier (uncredited)
Elliott Sullivan - American Guest (uncredited)
Salli Tomaso - Waiter (uncredited)
Nikki Van der Zyl - Various (voice) (uncredited)
Joseph Vasa - Piz Gloria Receptionist (uncredited)
José Diogo Vieira - Hotel Bell Boy in Estoril (uncredited)
Rudi Wehren - Piz Gloria Guard (uncredited)
Brian Worth - Manuel (uncredited)
Bruno Zryd - Piz Gloria Guard (uncredited)
Stefan Zürcher - Piz Gloria Guard (uncredited)

Producers[]

Albert R. Broccoli (produced by)
Harry Saltzman (produced by)
Stanley Sopel (associate producer)

Details[]

Countries[]

UK
USA

Language[]

English
Italian

Release Dates[]

December 13, 1969 (Japan)
December 18, 1969 (Belgium) (Brussels)
December 18, 1969 (Denmark)
December 18, 1969 (France)
December 18, 1969 (Greece)
December 18, 1969 (Italy)
December 18, 1969 (Netherlands)
December 18, 1969 (Norway)
December 18, 1969 (Sweden)
December 19, 1969 (Finland)
December 19, 1969 (UK)
December 19, 1969 (USA)
December 19, 1969 (West Germany)
December 22, 1969 (Spain) (Barcelona)
December 22, 1969 (Spain) (Madrid)
December 25, 1969 (Colombia)
December 25, 1969 (Hong Kong)
January 1, 1970 (Portugal)
January 5, 1970 (Brazil)
January 16, 1970 (Belgium) (Gent)
February 13, 1970 (Ireland)
May 22, 1970 (South Korea)
July 2, 1970 (Uruguay)
August 6, 1970 (Mexico)
January 24, 1971 (Turkey)
August 9, 1977 (Philippines) (Davao) (re-release)
December 18, 1990 (Poland)
October 17, 2002 (Netherlands) (restored version)
April 20, 2010 (Czechia) (DVD premiere)
September 15, 2015 (Australia) (DVD premiere)
September 15, 2015 (Canada) (DVD premiere)
October 30, 2017 (Netherlands) (Leiden International Film Festival)
July 6, 2020 (Singapore) (DVD premiere)

Also Known As[]

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (original title)
Al servicio secreto de su majestad (Argentina)
007: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Australia) (TV title)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (Australia)
Agente 007 - Al servizio segreto di Sua Maestà (Italy)
007 - Al servizio segreto di Sua Maestà (Italy) (alternative title)
Al servizio segreto di Sua Maestà (Italy) (short title)
Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (UK) (complete title)
O.H.M.S.S. (UK) (promotional abbreviation)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (UK)
Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (USA) (complete title)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (USA)

Production[]

The novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service was first published after the film series started and contains "a gentle dig at the cinematic Bond's gadgets"; Broccoli and Saltzman had originally intended to make On Her Majesty's Secret Service after Goldfinger and Richard Maibaum worked on a script at that time. However, Thunderball was filmed instead after the ongoing rights dispute over the novel was settled between Fleming and Kevin McClory. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was due to follow that, but problems with a warm Swiss winter and inadequate snow cover led to Saltzman and Broccoli postponing the film again, favouring production of You Only Live Twice.

Between the resignation of Sean Connery at the beginning of filming You Only Live Twice and its release, Saltzman had planned to adapt The Man with the Golden Gun in Cambodia and use Roger Moore as the next Bond, but political instability meant the location was ruled out and Moore signed up for another series of The Saint. After You Only Live Twice was released in 1967, the producers once again picked up with On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Peter Hunt, who had worked on the five preceding films, had impressed Broccoli and Saltzman enough to earn his directorial debut as they believed his quick cutting had set the style for the series. It was also the result of a long-standing promise from Broccoli and Saltzman for a directorial position, which they honored after Lewis Gilbert declined to direct. Hunt also asked for the position during the production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and he brought along with him many crew members, including cinematographer Michael Reed. Hunt was focused on making his mark – "I wanted it to be different than any other Bond film would be. It was my film, not anyone else's." On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the last film that Hunt worked on in the series.

Writing[]

Screenwriter Richard Maibaum, who had worked on all the previous Bond films except for You Only Live Twice, was responsible for On Her Majesty's Secret Service's script. Saltzman and Broccoli decided to drop the science fiction gadgets from the earlier films and focus more on plot as in From Russia with Love. Peter Hunt asked Simon Raven to write some of the dialogue between Tracy and Blofeld in Piz Gloria, which was to be "sharper, better and more intellectual"; one of Raven's additions was having Tracy quoting James Elroy Flecker. When writing the script, the producers decided to make the closest adaptation of the book possible: virtually everything in the novel occurs in the film and Hunt was reported to always enter the set carrying an annotated copy of the novel.

With the script following the novel more closely than the other film adaptations of the eponymous source novels, there are several continuity errors due to the films taking place in a different sequence, such as Blofeld not recognising Bond, despite having met him face-to-face in the previous film You Only Live Twice. In the original script, Bond undergoes plastic surgery to disguise him from his enemies; the intention was to allow an unrecognisable Bond to infiltrate Blofeld's hideout and help the audience accept the new actor in the role. However, this was dropped in favour of ignoring the change in actor.

To make audiences not forget it was the same James Bond, just played by another actor, the producers inserted many references to the previous films, some as in-jokes. These include Bond breaking the fourth wall by stating "This never happened to the other fellow"; the credits sequence with images from the previous instalments; Bond visiting his office and finding objects from Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Thunderball; and a caretaker whistling the theme from Goldfinger. Maibaum later said he thought "Lazenby was not ideal for the part" but that "it was a marvelous script."

Casting[]

In 1967, after five films, Sean Connery resigned from the role of James Bond and was not on speaking terms with Albert Broccoli during the filming of You Only Live Twice. Over 400 actors, including many of the most famous actors in the Commonwealth, were considered for the role of James Bond. The confirmed front runners were Englishman John Richardson, Dutchman Hans De Vries, Australian Robert Campbell, Englishman Anthony Rogers and Australian George Lazenby. Broccoli also met with Terence Stamp about playing the part. Broccoli was interested in rising star Oliver Reed but decided he already had too distinct of a public image. Future Bond star Timothy Dalton was asked to audition after his appearance in The Lion in Winter but decided that he was too young, as he was 25 years old and did not want to succeed Connery as Bond. In an interview in 1987 when he was playing Bond in The Living Daylights, Dalton said "I was 24-25 then, I had a good career then as a young man in films The Lion in Winter and Mr Broccoli kindly asked me if I was interested, I think I'm just too young for this role. I think Bond should be between 35 and 40, and as a 25-26 year old and I wouldn't have been right".

Broccoli and Hunt eventually chose Lazenby after seeing him in a Fry's Chocolate Cream advertisement. Lazenby dressed the part by sporting several sartorial Bond elements such as a Rolex Submariner wristwatch and a Savile Row suit (ordered for, but uncollected by, Connery), and going to Connery's barber at the Dorchester Hotel. Broccoli noticed Lazenby as a Bond-type man based on his physique and character elements, and offered him an audition. The position was consolidated when Lazenby accidentally punched a professional wrestler, who was acting as stunt coordinator, in the face, impressing Broccoli with his ability to display aggression. Lazenby was offered a contract for seven films; however, he was convinced by his agent Ronan O'Rahilly that the secret agent would be archaic in the liberated 1970s, and as a result he left the series after the release of On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969.

For Tracy Draco, the producers wanted an established actress opposite neophyte Lazenby. Brigitte Bardot was invited, but after she signed to appear in Shalako opposite Sean Connery, the deal fell through, and Diana Rigg—who had already been the popular heroine Emma Peel in The Avengers—was cast instead. Rigg said one of the reasons for accepting the role was that she always wanted to be in an epic film. Hunt and Maibaum admired Donald Pleasence's performance as Blofeld in You Only Live Twice but wanted to recast the character. Maibaum originally wrote the role of Blofeld with Max von Sydow in mind; coincidentally, von Sydow would later play Blofeld in the non-Eon Bond film Never Say Never Again. Telly Savalas was ultimately cast following a suggestion from Broccoli. Hunt's neighbour George Baker was offered the part of Sir Hilary Bray. Baker's voice was also used when Lazenby was impersonating Bray, as Hunt considered Lazenby's imitation not convincing enough. Gabriele Ferzetti was cast as Draco after the producers saw him in We Still Kill the Old Way, but Ferzetti's heavy Italian accent also led to his voice being redubbed by English actor David de Keyser for the final cut.

Filming[]

Principal photography began in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, on 21 October 1968, with the first scene shot being an aerial view of Bond climbing the stairs of Blofeld's mountain retreat to meet the girls. The scenes were shot at the revolving restaurant Piz Gloria, located atop the Schilthorn near the village of Mürren. The location was found by production manager Hubert Fröhlich after three weeks of location scouting in France and Switzerland. The restaurant was still under construction, but the producers found the location interesting,^[why?] and had to finance the provision of electricity and the aerial lift to make filming there possible. The first chase scene in the Alps was shot at the Schilthorn and the second one at Saas-Fee, while the Christmas celebrations were filmed in Grindelwald, and some scenes were shot on location in Bern. Production was hampered by weak snowfall which was unfavourable to the skiing action scenes. The producers even considered moving to another location in Switzerland, but it was taken by the production of Downhill Racer. The Swiss filming ended up running 56 days over schedule. In March 1969, production moved to England, with London's Pinewood Studios being used for interior shooting, and M's house being shot in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. In April, the filmmakers went to Portugal, where principal photography wrapped in May. The pre-credit coastal and hotel scenes were filmed at Hotel Estoril Palacio in Estoril and Guincho Beach, Cascais, while Lisbon was used for the reunion of Bond and Tracy, and the ending employed a mountain road in the Arrábida National Park near Setúbal. Harry Saltzman wanted the Portuguese scenes to be in France, but after searching there, Peter Hunt considered that not only were the locations not photogenic, but were already "overexposed".

While the first unit shot at Piz Gloria, the second unit, led by John Glen, started filming the ski chases. The downhill skiing involved professional skiers, and various camera tricks. Some cameras were handheld, with the operators holding them as they were going downhill with the stuntmen, and others were aerial, with cameramen Johnny Jordan – who had previously worked in the helicopter battle of You Only Live Twice — developing a system where he was dangled by an 18 feet (5.5 m) long parachute harness rig below a helicopter, allowing scenes to be shot on the move from any angle. The bobsledding chase was also filmed with the help of Swiss Olympic athletes, and was rewritten to incorporate the accidents the stuntmen suffered during shooting, such as the scene where Bond falls from the sled. Blofeld getting snared with a tree was performed at the studio by Savalas himself, after the attempt to do this by the stuntman on location came out wrong. Heinz Lau and Robert Zimmermann served as the stunt doubles for Bond and Blofeld during the bobsleigh scene. Glen was also the editor of the film, employing a style similar to the one used by Hunt in the previous Bond films, with fast motion in the action scenes and exaggerated sound effects.

The avalanche scenes were due to be filmed in co-operation with the Swiss army, who annually used explosions to prevent snow build-up by causing avalanches, but the area chosen naturally avalanched just before filming. The final result was a combination of a man-made avalanche at an isolated Swiss location shot by the second unit, stock footage, and images created by the special effects crew with salt. The stuntmen were filmed later, added by optical effects. For the scene where Bond and Tracy crash into a car race while being pursued, an ice rink was constructed over an unused aeroplane track, with water and snow sprayed on it constantly. Lazenby and Rigg did most of the driving due to the high number of close-ups.

For the cinematography, Hunt aimed for a "simple, but glamorous like the 1950s Hollywood films I grew up with", as well as something realistic, "where the sets don't look like sets". Cinematographer Michael Reed added he had difficulties with lighting, as every set built for the film had a ceiling, preventing spotlights from being hung from above. While shooting, Hunt wanted "the most interesting framings possible", which would also look good after being cropped for television.

Lazenby said he experienced difficulties during shooting, not receiving any coaching despite his lack of acting experience, and with director Hunt never addressing him directly, only through his assistant. Lazenby also declared that Hunt also asked the rest of the crew to keep a distance from him, as "Peter thought the more I was alone, the better I would be as James Bond." Allegedly, there also were personality conflicts with Rigg, who was already an established star. However, according to director Hunt, these rumours are untrue and there were no such difficulties—or else they were minor—and may have started with Rigg joking to Lazenby before filming a love scene, "Hey George, I'm having garlic for lunch. I hope you are!" Hunt also declared that he usually had long talks with Lazenby before and during shooting. For instance, to shoot Tracy's death scene, Hunt brought Lazenby to the set at 8 o'clock in the morning and made him rehearse all day long, "and I broke him down until he was absolutely exhausted, and by the time we shot it at five o'clock, he was exhausted, and that's how I got the performance." Hunt said that if Lazenby had remained in the role, he would also have directed the successor film, Diamonds Are Forever, and that his original intention had been to conclude the film with Bond and Tracy driving off following their wedding, saving Tracy's murder for the pre-credit sequence of Diamonds Are Forever. The idea was discarded after Lazenby quit the role.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the longest Bond film until Casino Royale was released in 2006. Even so, two scenes were deleted from the final print: Irma Bunt spying on Bond as he buys a wedding ring for Tracy, and a chase over London rooftops and into the Royal Mail underground rail system after Bond's conversation with Sir Hilary Bray was overheard.

Release and reception[]

On Her Majesty's Secret Service was released on 18 December 1969 with its premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. The avalanche sequence in the film had been recorded in stereo and the Odeon installed a new speaker system to highlight the effect.

Lazenby appeared at the premiere with a beard, looking "very un-Bond-like", according to the Daily Mirror. Lazenby claimed the producers had tried to persuade him to shave it off to appear like Bond, but by then he had already decided not to make another Bond film and rejected the idea. The beard and accompanying shoulder-length hair "strained his already fragile relationship with Saltzman and Broccoli".

Because Lazenby had informed the producers that On Her Majesty's Secret Service was to be his only outing as Bond and because of the lack of gadgets used by Bond in the film, few items of merchandise were produced for the film, apart from the soundtrack album and a film edition of the book. Those that were produced included a number of Corgi Toys, including Tracey's Mercury Cougar (1969), Campbell's Volkswagen and two versions of the bobsleigh—one with the 007 logo and one with the Piz Gloria logo. On Her Majesty's Secret Service was nominated for only one award: George Lazenby was nominated in the New Star of the Year – Actor category at the 1970 Golden Globe Award ceremony, losing out to Jon Voight.

Box office[]

The film topped the United States box office when it opened with a gross of $1.2 million for the week. It was the highest-grossing film in January 1970. The film closed its box-office run with £750,000 in the United Kingdom (the highest-grossing film of the year), $64.6 million worldwide, half of You Only Live Twice's total gross, but still one of the highest-grossing films of 1969. It was one of the most popular movies in France in 1969, with admissions of 1,958,172. Nonetheless, this was a considerable drop from You Only Live Twice. After re-releases, the total box office was $82,000,000 worldwide.

Contemporary reviews[]

The majority of reviews were critical of either the film, Lazenby, or both, while most of the contemporary reviews in the British press referred to George Lazenby at some point as "The Big Fry", a reference to his previous acting in Fry's Chocolate advertisements. Derek Malcolm of The Guardian was dismissive of Lazenby's performance, saying that he "is not a good actor and though I never thought Sean Connery was all that stylish either, there are moments when one yearns for a little of his louche panache." For all the criticism of Lazenby, however, Malcolm says that the film was "quite a jolly frolic in the familiar money-spinning fashion". Tom Milne, writing in The Observer was even more scathing, saying that "I ... fervently trust (OHMSS) will be the last of the James Bond films. All the pleasing oddities and eccentricities and gadgets of the earlier films have somehow been lost, leaving a routine trail through which the new James Bond strides without noticeable signs of animation."

Donald Zec in the Daily Mirror was equally damning of Lazenby's acting abilities, comparing him unfavourably to Connery: "He looks uncomfortably in the part like a size four foot in a size ten gumboot." In yet another unfavourable comparison of Lazenby to Connery, Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune remarked that he "doesn't fill Sean Connery's shoes, Aston-Martin, or stretch pants. The new 007 Is more boyish and consequently less of a man. He doesn't order food with the same verve, and generally lacks the self-satisfied smirk that Connery kept with him and transmitted to his audience." A. H. Weiler of The New York Times also weighed in against Lazenby, saying that "Lazenby, if not a spurious Bond, is merely a casual, pleasant, satisfactory replacement."

Zec was kinder to Lazenby's co-star, saying that "there is style to Diana Rigg's performance and I suspect that the last scene which draws something of a performance out of Lazenby owes much to her silken expertise." Siskel also wrote that Rigg "is well-cast as the girl, but we lose her for about an hour In the film, only to have her return in a most implausible location and time."

One of the few supporters of Lazenby amongst the critics was Alexander Walker in the London Evening Standard who said that "The truth is that George Lazenby is almost as good a James Bond as the man referred to in his film as 'the other fellow'. Lazenby's voice is more suave than sexy-sinister and he could pass for the other fellow's twin on the shady side of the casino. Bond is now definitely all set for the Seventies." Judith Crist of New York also found the actor to be a strong point of the movie, stating that "This time around there's less suavity and a no-nonsense muscularity and maleness to the role via the handsome Mr. Lazenby".

The feminist film critic Molly Haskell also wrote an approving review of the film in The Village Voice: "In a world, an industry, and particularly a genre which values the new and improved product above all, it is nothing short of miraculous to see a movie which dares to go backward, a technological artefact which has nobly deteriorated into a human being. I speak of the new and obsolete James Bond, played by a man named George Lazenby, who seems more comfortable in a wet tuxedo than a dry martini, more at ease as a donnish genealogist than reading (or playing) Playboy, and who actually dares to think that one woman who is his equal is better than a thousand part-time playmates." Haskell was also affected by the film's emotional ending: "The love between Bond and his Tracy begins as a payment and ends as a sacrament. After ostensibly getting rid of the bad guys, they are married. They drive off to a shocking, stunning ending. Their love, being too real, is killed by the conventions it defied. But they win the final victory by calling, unexpectedly, upon feeling. Some of the audience hissed, I was shattered. If you like your Bonds with happy endings, don't go."

Retrospective reviews[]

Modern reception of the film has seen a strong positive reversal, to the point that many Bond connoisseurs have ranked it as their personal favourite, including multiple Academy Award winners and participants in a magazine fan poll. Film critic James Berardinelli summed this up in his review of the movie: "with the exception of one production aspect, [it] is by far the best entry of the long-running James Bond series. The film contains some of the most exhilarating action sequences ever to reach the screen, a touching love story, and a nice subplot that has agent 007 crossing (and even threatening to resign from) Her Majesty's Secret Service." Julia Sirmons, writing in CrimeReads, also regarded it as the best Bond film, highlighting its mix of romance, the strong Bond girl, its cheekiness, and Lazenby.

The American film reviewer Leonard Maltin has suggested that if it had been Connery in the leading role instead of Lazenby, On Her Majesty's Secret Service would have epitomised the series. On the other hand, Danny Peary wrote, "I'm not sure I agree with those who insist that if Connery had played Bond it would definitely be the best of the entire Bond series ... Connery's Bond, with his boundless humor and sense of fun and self-confidence, would be out of place in this picture. It actually works better with Lazenby because he is incapable of playing Bond as a bigger-than-life hero; for one thing he hasn't the looks ... Lazenby's Bond also hasn't the assurance of Connery's Bond[,] and that is appropriate in the crumbling, depressing world he finds himself. He seems vulnerable and jittery at times. At the skating rink, he is actually scared. We worry about him ... On Her Majesty's Secret Service doesn't have Connery and it's impossible to ever fully adjust to Lazenby, but I think that it still might be the best Bond film, as many Bond cultists claim." Peary also described On Her Majesty's Secret Service as "the most serious", "the most cynical" and "the most tragic" of the Bond films.

Brian Fairbanks differed in his opinion of Lazenby, saying that the film "gives us a James Bond capable of vulnerability, a man who can show fear and is not immune to heartbreak. Lazenby is that man, and his performance is superb." Fairbanks also thought On Her Majesty's Secret Service to be "not only the best Bond, it is also the last truly great film in the series. In fact, had the decision been made to end the series, this would have been the perfect final chapter."

The filmmaker Steven Soderbergh writes that "For me there's no question that cinematically On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the best Bond film and the only one worth watching repeatedly for reasons other than pure entertainment ... Shot to shot, this movie is beautiful in a way none of the other Bond films are". The director Christopher Nolan also stated that On Her Majesty's Secret Service was his favourite Bond film; in describing its influence on his own film Inception (2010), Nolan said: "What I liked about it that we've tried to emulate in this film is there's a tremendous balance in that movie of action and scale and romanticism and tragedy and emotion."

The review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 81% based on 54 reviews, and a weighted average of 6.78 out of 10. The website's critical consensus states, "George Lazenby's only appearance as 007 is a fine entry in the series, featuring one of the most intriguing Bond girls in Tracy di Vincenzo (Diana Rigg), breathtaking visuals, and some great ski chases." IGN ranked On Her Majesty's Secret Service as the eighth-best Bond film, Entertainment Weekly as the sixth, and Norman Wilner of MSN ranked it fifth. Digital Spy listed the film as the best James Bond film to date. The film also became a fan favourite, seeing "ultimate success in the home video market". In September 2012, it was announced that On Her Majesty's Secret Service had topped a poll of Bond fans run by 007 Magazine to determine the greatest ever Bond film. Goldfinger came second in the poll and From Russia With Love was third.

Company Credits[]

Production Companies[]

Eon Productions (made by) (as Eon Productions Ltd)

Distributors[]

United Artists (1969) (UK) (theatrical)
C.B. Films S.A. (1969) (Spain) (theatrical)
Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1969) (Norway) (theatrical)
Nova Film (1969) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
Tuschinski Film Distribution (1969) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (as Nova)
United Artists (1969) (Australia) (theatrical)
United Artists (1969) (Canada) (theatrical)
United Artists (1969) (Finland) (theatrical)
United Artists (1969) (France) (theatrical) (as Les Artistes Associés)
United Artists (1969) (Italy) (theatrical)
United Artists (1969) (Japan) (theatrical)
United Artists (1969) (USA) (theatrical) (released thru) (as United Artists An MGM Company also)
United Artists (1969) (West Germany) (theatrical)
United Artists (1969) (Sweden) (theatrical)
Skouras Films (1969) (Greece) (theatrical)
20th Century Fox India (1971) (India) (theatrical)
Rank Filmes de Portugal (1970) (Portugal) (theatrical)
Skouras Films (1970) (Greece) (theatrical)
Warner Home Video (1982) (West Germany) (VHS)
CBS/Fox (1983) (USA) (video)
RCA (II) (1983) (USA) (video) (Selectavision videodisc)
Warner Home Video (1983) (Australia) (video)
Warner Home Video (1983) (UK) (VHS)
CBS/Fox (1984) (USA) (VHS)
CBS/Fox (1984) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
Fazer Musiikki Oy/Fazer Video (Finland) (VHS)
Scanvideo (Finland) (VHS)
Warner Home Video (1986) (Australia) (VHS)
Warner Home Video (1986) (UK) (VHS)
Warner Home Vidéo (1987) (France) (VHS) (dubbed version)
MGM/UA Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
Warner Home Vidéo (1990) (France) (video) (LaserDisc)
Audio Visual Enterprises (1991) (Greece) (VHS)
MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (LaserDisc)
MGM/UA Home Video (1992) (USA) (VHS)
Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
Warner Home Video (1995) (Canada) (VHS) (dubbed)
Warner Home Video (1995) (USA) (VHS) (for MGM/UA)
Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Australia) (DVD) (Special Edition)
MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (UK) (DVD) (Special Edition)
MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (DVD)
Egmont Entertainment (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2003) (Brazil) (DVD)
MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Belgium) (DVD) (Special Edition)
MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Special Edition)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
FS Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD) (40-disc James Bond Ultimate DVD Collection Monster Box)
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (2006) (World-wide) (DVD) (Ultimate Edition)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD) (Ultimate Edition)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (UK) (DVD) (Ultimate Edition)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD) (Ultimate Edition)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD) (Ultimate Edition)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (Two-Disc Ultimate Edition)
FS Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD) (42-disc James Bond Ultimate Collection)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (23-disc Bond 50 edition)
FS Film (2012) (Finland) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (23-disc Bond 50 edition)
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
FS Film (2013) (Finland) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2016) (USA) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (2020) (USA) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (reprint for MGM)
MGM Home Entertainment (Australia) (VHS)
MGM Home Entertainment (Canada) (VHS)
MGM Home Entertainment (World-wide) (VHS)

Technical Specs[]

Runtime[]

142 mins

Color[]

Color

Sound Mix[]

4-Track Stereo

Aspect Ratio[]

2.39:1
1.78:1 (16:9 widescreen prints)
1.33:1 (4:3 Pan & scan prints, along with the opening and closing credits in proper CinemaScope aspect ratio with black bars)

Trivia[]

George Lazenby suggested a scene where Bond skis off a cliff and opens a parachute. This was scrapped, as the filmmakers lacked the resources to pull it off. It was used as the opening for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
For insurance reasons, Lazenby was not allowed to do any of the skiing in the film: he sneaked out to skiing himself throughout his time in Switzerland, and once ended skiing underneath the cable car, which was, coincidentally, taking Broccoli up to Piz Gloria.
Although some scoffed at burly Telly Savalas as a robust Ernst Stavro Blofeld — in sharp contrast with the subdued portrayal of the villain by Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice — Fleming's novels established that Blofeld could substantially alter his appearance and change his demeanor. Therefore, the change in actor for each of Blofeld's appearances in the series, is in keeping with the James Bond literary canon, though the changes in appearance are less drastic than in the novels.
The Bernese Oberland Railway also makes an appearance.
The film contains the worst continuity error in the history of the Bond film series, in that Blofeld fails to recognize the lightly-disguised Bond when they meet again. Although both characters are played by different actors, they had met in the previous film, You Only Live Twice. Since the order of the movie adventures is the reverse of the novels, On Her Majesty's Secret Service marks the enemies' first confrontation in the novel series. This error originated in abandoned plans to open On Her Majesty's Secret Service with Bond undergoing plastic surgery to hide from his enemies (his faked death in Japan, in the previous adventure, having been unsuccessful). The intention was to help the audience accept the new actor in the role, and so allow an unrecognizable Bond to infiltrate Blofeld's hideout. With this removed, Blofeld's failure to recognize Bond is unexplained; Bond not immediately recognizing Blofeld is more understandable, as it is established that Blofeld underwent some form of cosmetic alteration (including removal of his earlobes). The most common explanation given by viewers is that Blofeld knew it was Bond from the start and was just playing along.
The building used for Blofeld's clinic, Piz Gloria, is a restaurant atop the Schilthorn in the Bernese Oberland and the only public access is by cable car (from Mürren or Stechelberg). As the owner had run out of money, it was unfinished when the filmmakers were seeking locations. EON Productions paid to finish it in return for exclusive use of the property during filming.
The Goldfinger title song sung by Shirley Bassey made a small cameo in On Her Majesty's Secret Service when a janitor whistles the tune in Draco Construction's offices. There are other homages to previous Bond adventures including items and themes used during a scene in which Bond, thinking he'd resigned from MI6, was cleaning out his desk, in addition to clips from the preceding Bond films being shown during the opening credits.
Originally, there was a scene wherein James Bond chased and killed a SPECTRE agent spying his meeting with Sir Hillary Bray. The scene was cut, reportedly, because it was considered too violent.
For the portion of the film where Bond impersonates Sir Hillary Bray, Lazenby's voice was dubbed by the actor George Baker, who played the part of Bray.
In this film we learn the Bond family motto that was also used as the title for The World Is Not Enough. In The World Is Not Enough, when Bond tells Elektra King this line, she replies with "Foolish sentiment", to which Bond then replies "Family motto."
Since George Lazenby was a virtual unknown, initial teaser advertising for the film emphasized the Bond character rather than the actor playing him. Several ads, in fact, utilized an image of a "faceless" Bond. The production company later admitted that the "faceless" advertising campaign was a mistake, and blamed it for the movie's (relative) commercial failure. When Pan Books published its film tie-in edition of the novel, it showed Lazenby's face clearly.
Production of OHMSS was delayed twice. It was originally to have followed Goldfinger, and early prints of that film even announced this. Later, it was earmarked to follow Thunderball but ultimately ended up following You Only Live Twice (leading in part to the continuity error described above related to Blofeld not recognizing Bond).
Diana Rigg was more than a year older than her leading man, one of only a handful of occasions in which a Bond girl was older than Bond (the other occasions involved Honor Blackman being several years older than her Goldfinger co-star, Sean Connery, and Monica Bellucci being older than her Spectre co-star Daniel Craig).
Adam West, of Batman fame, was offered the role of James Bond, but he turned it down, believing it should be played by a British actor. Another actor considered to replace Connery was Timothy Dalton, who declined as he felt he was too young for the part.
Although Bond is shown taking his revenge (ultimately unsuccessfully) upon Blofeld in the next Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever, no reference to Tracy's death is actually made in that film, though the Roger Moore films would reference her death in The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only, and a reference to Bond having been married once is made in Licence to Kill.
A heavily re-edited TV version was broadcast by ABC in 1976, featuring opening narration (performed by an actor who sounds nothing like Lazenby) and split into two halves. This version of the film opens with Bond's escape from Blofeld's lair, with the bulk of the film being presented as a flashback.
Filming began at Piz Gloria in Switzerland in October 1968 and wrapped up in Portugal in May 1969.
The only James Bond movie which was entirely set and filmed in Europe.
For the opening sequence, railroad ties were buried under the sand to allow Bond's Aston Martin to drive on the beach.
First Bond movie since From Russia with Love (1963) to use an instrumental theme over the opening titles. The decision to forgo the usual song was prompted by the conclusion that any lyric composition that attempted to include the full title of this movie would be awkward, and at best, sound like a humorous Gilbert and Sullivan song, which would be inappropriate for the film franchise. As of 2015, no other movie in the franchise since has done so.
The motto, "Orbis non sufficit", given to Bond when he researches his own coat of arms before impersonating Sir Hilary Bray, is Latin for "The World Is Not Enough", which was used as a Bond movie title in The World is Not Enough (1999).
Final time until For Your Eyes Only (1981) that James Bond would be seen tossing his hat. He does it twice in this movie: the ritualistic one in Miss Moneypenny's office, and again at the wedding ceremony.
George Lazenby is the only actor to get a Golden Globe nomination for playing James Bond.
First time M's house (called Quarterdeck in this movie) is seen in a James Bond movie in the franchise. Casino Royale (2006) was the second. M's house is also seen in the unofficial Casino Royale (1967).
Former ITN newsreader Carol Barnes filmed scenes with the Angels of Death after showing up to the set with her friend Jenny Hanley. She can be briefly seen serving drinks at the first meal Bond attends.
Theatrical movie debut of George Lazenby (James Bond).
The title of the later James Bond movie Spectre (2015) also lent its name to a trio of original Ian Fleming James Bond novels, which have also been anthologized, and published as "The Spectre Trilogy". The books, all featuring archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld, include Thunderball (1961), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963), and You Only Live Twice (1964), which were filmed in the 1960s, in a slightly different order than which they were originally published, this being: Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and this movie.
Gabriele Ferzetti's voice was dubbed by David de Keyser, who appeared in the next Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
Only movie in the EON Productions film franchise with extensive scenes set explicitly during the Christmas and New Year's holiday season.
The first Bond movie in which 007 used skis. It is interesting to note that Sir Sean Connery never did a skiing or snow sequence Bond movie. His James Bond only ever drove through snow-capped mountains in Goldfinger (1964).
Peter R. Hunt directed this movie because the producers were impressed with his editing style, and because of a long-standing promise from producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman that Hunt would eventually direct. Hunt also asked for the position during the production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and he brought along with him many crew members, including cinematographer Michael Reed. Hunt was focused on making his mark. "I wanted it to be different than any other Bond film would be. It was my film, not anyone else's."
George Lazenby is the last Bond actor to perform the gun-barrel sequence with a hat. Although Diamonds Are Forever (1971) re-used the gun-barrel sequence from Thunderball (1965) and You Only Live Twice (1967) due to Sean Connery's return to the role, the sequence would soon be filmed with no hat when Roger Moore took over the role in Live and Let Die (1973).
The first scenes shot were of Draco's Rolls Royce crossing the river into Berne.
This is the first of three consecutive Bond movies in which James Bond is played by a different actor, given that Sir Sean Connery returned to the role in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and was succeeded by Sir Roger Moore in Live and Let Die (1973).
Last theatrical movie of Brian Worth (Manuel).
Spectre (2015) is the second of two major appearances of the Ernst Stavro Blofeld character in the official James Bond film franchise where Blofeld is seen with hair (No Time to Die (2021) being the third), as he had been in Diamonds Are Forever (1971) where he was played by Charles Gray. In You Only Live Twice (1967) and this movie, Blofeld was bald, being portrayed by Donald Pleasence and Telly Savalas, respectively. In minor roles and appearances, Blofeld was bald in the unofficial appearance in For Your Eyes Only (1981), but had hair in Thunderball (1965), From Russia with Love (1963), and the unofficial movie, Never Say Never Again (1983).
Last movie in the EON Productions franchise to date (March 2019) to use an instrumental opening theme song.
First Bond movie since Dr. No (1962) to put the production credit over the gun barrel introduction.
Angela Scoular played Buttercup in the Bond parody Casino Royale (1967).
The only Bond movie where no one dies in the pre-titles sequence.
A teaser trailer for the Pixar film, The Incredibles (2004), used similar music to the theme of this film.
Anouska Hempel's debut.

Connections[]

Referenced in[]

For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Beach fight; the winter sports activities sequences are similar; the epitaph in the opening scene of Bond's wife's tombstone is "we have all the time in the world" which were James Bond's last words to his late wife in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service' (1969); in both movies, Bond is with a Countess, on a beach, threatened by mooks, and kicks a gun out of a thug's hand, and wears a tuxedo without a jacket; Bond at a casino with a Countess where the women are losing at Baccarat; the opening teaser sequence unofficially features Blofeld just after Bond has visited his late wife's grave; Melina is half-English, half-Greek whilst Tracy was half-English, half-Italian; Bond is allied with a crime syndicate figure who doesn't sell drugs; Bond escapes in both movies by riding in the car of the female lead who does the majority of the driving; both movies have a wedding scene; Bond rides in a helicopter piloted by someone else ; both movies have Bond speaking with a priest ; both movies are partly set in Alps ; both show a Bond Girl on ice and have Bond on skis getting shot at, and have a bobsled track chase sequence; mountain climbers are shown in both movies; both movies have a Germanic female character who is in charge of girl(s); in both movies Bond and the crime syndicate allie assault a mountaintop bunker.
Short Circuit (1986) - Howard Marner mentions how his robot-prepared martini is "just the way I like it --- shaken but not stirred".
Licence to Kill (1989) - In 'Licence to Kill', Felix Leiter mentions James Bond being married once. This is a reference to Bond's brief marriage to Teresa di Vicenzo (Tracy) in 'On Her Majesty's Secret Service'.
Jack Frost (1998)
The World is Not Enough (1999) - The Bond family motto "Orbis non sufficit", translation "The world is not enough" is from this movie.
Friends: The One with Rachel's Big Kiss (2001) (TV Episode) - Chandler references the title of the film.
Zoolander (2001) - The male models are "trained" the same way the "Angels Of Death" are brainwashed.
XXX (2002)
Die Another Day (2002) - "OHMSS" written on a CD on Moneypenny's desk as she types a report at the end of the film. Bond escapes from another huge avalanche. During the ice field car chase, the score references the opening to this movie's theme. Just as Zao escapes from the Cuban clinic, a few notes of the theme music from On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) can be heard.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003)
Skyfall (2012) - Bond is wearing special Tom Ford cuff-links which feature his family crest and motto.
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013) - Joanna Lumley (supporting Bond girl from OHMSS) appears just after Goldfinger is sung, making a double 007 reference.
Spectre (2015) - Mountain-top alpine snow set clinic; Downhill mountain alpine snow sequence; James Bond seen in the snow with a gun; Nehru collarless jacket of main villain; Music composed in Austria snow sequences; Glass shattered by bullet forming a crack & bullethole; A dilapidated barn situated in the snow; SPECTRE criminal organization and arch villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld; Opening credits shows clips from previous Bond films; Cable car in snowbound setting; Bond driving off with the girl, who is the daughter of a criminal
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) - Villain's scheme is to spread a deadly virus; Harry Hart is a collector and expert in butterflies as M was; Eggsy gets married as James Bond did; Cable car sequence in snowy mountains; A facility is situated on the top of a snowy mountain peak and bears a resemblance to Blofeld's clinic mountaintop lair.
No Time to Die (2021) - Opening titles feature an hour-glass and Britannia symbolism including a trident. Bond tells Madeleine "We have all the time in the world" like Bond told Tracy. Music theme excerpts from OHMSS are played throughout. The villain's scheme involves biological warfare. SPOILER: The ending has James Bond die as Tracy did and this includes Louis Armstrong's All the time in the World theme song heard as a segue into the closing credits.

Features[]

Dr. No (1962) - Footage in opening titles sequence
From Russia with Love (1963) - Footage in opening titles sequence
Goldfinger (1964) - Footage in opening titles sequence
Thunderball (1965) - Footage in opening titles sequence
You Only Live Twice (1967) - Footage in opening titles sequence