On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

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 | Virus | British | Allergy | British Agent

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

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	...	Shaun 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 James Bond kraliçenin hizmetinde (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
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]
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) | Portugal:M/12 (DVD 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:

St. Moritz, Kanton Graubünden, Switzerland

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

Ilse Steppat's only ever English language role was as Irma Bunt in this movie. She was not able to enjoy her new success. She died of a heart attack less than a week after the release of this film. The character of Irma Bunt was intended for a time to return in the next James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever (1971). But because of her passing, the character did not return.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the fourth attacker approaches Bond on the beach, he picks up a grappling hook. The grappling hook is facing towards the right on the ground. The camera cuts away quickly and cuts back, and then when the man picks up the hook, it is facing towards the left.

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:

Featured in Inside 'The Living Daylights' (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

We have all the time in the world

The James Bond Series: Best of the Bunch.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) in my opinion was the best film of the series. I felt that George Lazenby was unfairly slagged by the critics for his performance. He did the best that he could. His acting fit very well for his character.

The direction moved the film at an even pace. The action set pieces were impressive and Diana Rigg was hot. Telly Savalas was excellent as Blofield, he gave the character a suave touch. But you call tell that underneath his mack daddy act he was all business, and violent business indeed.

Everything about this movie had a cool aura to it. The stunt scenes were amazing (for it's era) and the cinematography was beautifully shot. I had one bone to pick with the film. The in jokes got a bit heavy handed. Other than that it's a fun film. Too bad George Lazenby was demoted to B-Movie hell after this flick (at least he got a three picture deal with Golden Harvest where he made three classic action films).

I have to give this movie a high recommendation. If you love the James Bond series you'll enjoy this one.