Many people are surprised and confused when they discover that my favourite James Bond movie is 'the crap one.'
On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
1969's Bond offering was the first without Sean Connery, so the producers decided to go back to the 'source material' and select a Bond more in keeping with the character created by Ian Fleming.
Yes, yes. This is the same Dog and Pony show they wheel out every time a new Bond gets picked - but back in '69 they meant it.
Australian model George Lazenby got the part by getting his hair cut at Sean Connery's barber, borrowing an Aston Martin and breaking a stuntman's jaw during a screen test.
Paired up with a brilliant script, one of John Barry's finest scores (rivalled only by his work on Out of Africa) and the most gorgeous Bond girl EVER (the incredibly beautiful Diana Rigg) it seemed like 'the new Bond' couldn't fail.
It even did well in the box office - but Lazenby got too big for his britches and what promised to be the start of his movie career ended up being it's death knell. For the next movie, Sean Connery was coaxed out of retirement.
So most people consider On Her Majesty's Secret Service to be a flop - but it's a brilliant movie. Far and away the purest to Fleming's vision and beautifully filmed, choreographed and acted. There's something wonderful about this movie that captured my imagination from the moment I saw it. If I had the ability to 'step into' any of the Bond movies, this would be the one I'd pick.
Talented web producer Thomas Waldek recently 'remixed' a trailer for this often underestimated Bond movie and I think it sums up the action, danger and romance that people often overlook.
Great work, Thomas. You've made my favorite Bond movie come alive again!
