On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Peter R. Hunt

Writers:

Simon Raven (additional dialogue)
Richard Maibaum (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 December 1969 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

James Bond 007 is back!

Plot:

James Bond woos a mob boss's daughter and goes undercover to uncover the true reason for Blofeld's allergy research in the Swiss Alps that involves beautiful women from around the world.

Plot Keywords:

Switzerland | British | Virus | Mountain | Beach

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 13

6:00 AM

USA

Cast

George Lazenby	...	James Bond
Diana Rigg	...	Tracy Di Vicenzo
Telly Savalas	...	Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Gabriele Ferzetti	...	Marc Ange Draco
Ilse Steppat	...	Irma Bunt
Angela Scoular	...	Ruby Bartlett
Lois Maxwell	...	Miss Moneypenny
Catherine Schell	...	Nancy (as Catherina Von Schell)
George Baker	...	Sir Hilary Bray
Bernard Lee	...	'M'
Bernard Horsfall	...	Campbell
Desmond Llewelyn	...	'Q'
Yuri Borionko	...	Grunther (as Yuri Borienko)
Virginia North	...	Olympe
Geoffrey Cheshire	...	Toussaint

Also Known As:

Ian Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)
O.H.M.S.S. (UK) (promotional abbreviation)
Au service secret de sa majesté (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
007 - Ao Serviço de Sua Majestade (Portugal) [pt]
007 A Serviço Secreto de Sua Majestade (Brazil) [pt]
007 al servei secret de sa majestat (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
007 al servicio secreto de su majestad británica (Spain) [es]
Agent 007 i Hendes Majestæts hemmelige tjeneste (Denmark) [da]
Agente 007, al servizio segreto di sua maestà (Italy) [it]
Al servicio secreto de su majestad (Argentina) [es]
Hänen majesteettinsa salaisessa palveluksessa (Finland) [fi]
I hendes majestæts hemmelige tjeneste (Denmark) [da]
I hennes majestäts hemliga tjänst (Sweden) [sv]
James Bond 007 - Im Geheimdienst Ihrer Majestät (West Germany) [de]
James Bond, praktor 007: Stin ypiresia tis A.M. (Greece) [el]
Majestelerinin Hizmetinde (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
U sluzbi njenog velicanstva (Serbia) [sr]
U sluzbi njezinog velicanstva (Croatia) [hr]
W tajnej sluzbie Jej krolewskiej mosci (Poland) [pl]

Runtime:

142 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Iceland:12 | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/18 (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:12 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:M (original rating) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1994) | West Germany:16 | UK:A (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Lisbon, Portugal

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

The de Bleuchamp line which Ernst Stavro Blofeld attempts to prove lineage from, is said to have descended from the town of Augsburg, Germany. The de Bleuchamp family motto was "Arae et Foci" which translates as "Of the Air and Soaring". The distinguishing mark of the de Bleuchamps was that family members did not have ear lobes. Interestingly, Elektra in the related later James Bond movie The World Is Not Enough (1999) had one ear lobe cut off.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the attack on the Piz Gloria, one of the scientists throws a large beaker at a glass double-door before Bond gets to it, splattering a purple liquid across both doors near the handles. The next shot shows a close-up with a large hole burned through the left glass door at head level surrounded by gray char marks as Bond walks through the opened right door. The next shot has Bond through the doors, which are closed, intact and clean.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Q: I've been saying for years, sir, that our special equipment is obsolete. And now, computer analysis reveals an entirely new approach: miniaturization. For instance, radioactive lint. When placed in an opponent's pockets, the anti-personnel and location fix seems fairly obvious.
M: What we want is a location fix on 007.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bond Girls Are Forever (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown?

Liked it

I must admit I initially never gave this entry much of a chance. Whenever it was on TV I tried to watch it, but I just couldn't get into it. Then last year, I saw a widescreen tape version on sale and decided to buy it. When I finished watching it I was sorry I had ignored it for so long. It's very good. I thought Lazenby did a good job as Bond, and Savalas turned in equally good work as Bond's nemesis. And Rigg is as sharp as she is lovely. This is one for the collection.