It wouldn’t be Christmas without bringing up my favorite James Bond film. As THE FUTURIST! reminds us, December 18 marked the 40th anniversary of the release of ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE, everybody’s beloved oddjob-man out of the series, featuring the sole appearance of George Lazenby as 007. I’ve gone on record here before about this singular entry in the Bond series, coming at the tail end of the 1960’s, reflecting that year’s darker tinge to the fading psychedelic glow from the Summer Of Love. From my previous OHMSS post:

Major kudos must go to Peter Hunt for sticking close to the novel, yet giving the film all the exotic glamour the series was known for. His handling of the obligatory “M” and Moneypenny scenes is terrific, with Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell getting a chance to flesh out their usual stock parts. I also love the introductory conversation between Bond and the gangster Draco (straight from the book and well-played by Gabrielle Ferzetti), with even Lazenby pulling his weight. Richard Maibum’s script is smart and solid, sticking close to Fleming’s narrative. I also dig the most risque line of the series up to that point: “Just a slight stiffness coming on.” OHMSS is also the most seasonal Bond outing, with a palatable Christmas ambiance that gives the movie a wintery texture missing from the others. Aptly, this is the last time that the films would have that defining 1960’s Panavision style courtesy of cinematographer Michael Reed.

Next to Peter Hunt’s audacious direction, the most original of the series, the key ingredient to OHMSS is John Barry. Unarguably his finest Bond score, Barry outdoes even himself with an epic soundtrack filled with lyrical melodies and rousing action cues, utilizing disparate sonics from Louis Armstrong to Moog synthesizers (even the opening gunbarrel theme is performed on a synth). There’s even a wonderfully cheesy children’s song, “Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Born?” that’s a yuletide favorite of mine and Craig Kennedy…And for the first time, Maurice Binder’s famous main titles would play without a pop vocal as the producers wisely let Barry come up with a magnificent instrumental theme driven by fuzz guitars and brassy horns. Preceded by George Lazenby’s great ice-breaking line, “This never happened to the other fella,” the credit sequence is a perfect example of the brave experimentation that characterized the film. The theme is also perfectly used in the “Escape From Piz Gloria” ski chase that IMHO is still the greatest shot and edited action sequence in the series.

And I stand by that claim. Even Pauline Kael was bowled over by this kinetic ski chase that stands as the action peak of OHMSS, especially since the film keeps Bond trapped and disguised in Piz Gloria for a long section. So the escape acts as a cathartic release for 007 and the audience. Despite some obvious process shots, it’s a thrilling sequence with audacious ski stunts and of course, John Barry’s best James Bond soundtrack.

40 years ago this month, an Australian actor/model by the name of  George Lazenby had stepped into the role of the world’s greatest secret agent – James Bond, after Sean Connery had retired from the part [for the first time] in 1967.

Directed by Peter Hunt (the editor of the earlier Bond films) and written by Richard Maibaum, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service put 007 face-to-face with his arch-nemesis, Ernest Stavro Blofeld, and his plan to use biological warfare to threaten the world. During the mission, Bond meets Tracy di Vicenzo, a countess whose courage and charismatic spirit earns her the title of  Mrs. James Bond.

At its premiere on December 18th, 1969, at the Odeon Theatre, Leicester Square in London, UK, the film proved to be  faithful to Ian Fleming’s original novel. With a budget of $7 million, and a run time of 140 minutes, George Lazenby’s first and last James Bond outing ended up grossing around $87 million worldwide.

You can read my review of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service here.

Who Would Be James Bond?

Forty years after its release, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has one of the most mixed legacies of the James Bond film series.

1. While profitable, it would be the first film in the series not to be considered a hit and a major financial success.

2. It scared away producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman from further faithful adaptations of Ian Fleming stories. It wouldn’t be until 1981 (and after Saltzman departed the series) when For Your Eyes Only utilized large portions of two Fleming short stories that much of Fleming’s plots appeared in a film.

3. A combination of No. 1 and No. 2 caused the series to go in a much lighter direction in the 1970s. There wasn’t even a hint of the unhappy ending of OHMSS, which concluded with Bond’s bride perishishing.

4. Despite all that, OHMSS is viewed by many hard-core Bond fans (or “the base” in the language of politicians) as one of the best, if not the best film in the series.

5. Even if you don’t buy into No. 4, it features one of the best of John Barry’s 11 scores for the series, one that Barry has referred to has his “most Bondian.”

6. It had a terrific performance by Diana Rigg as Bond’s doomed bride. While fans debate about George Lazenby’s turn as 007, his Bond was more vulnerable than the one by Sean Connery. It contributed to a film, under the guidance of director Peter Hunt, that took more chances than its immediate predecessors, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice. There was still spectacle, but there was emotion to go with it. It’s a unique chapter in the film story of 007, one that hasn’t really been matched since.

UPDATE: OHMSS also was subjected to one of the weirdest editing jobs when it hit U.S. television in 1976. ABC radically re-edited the film’s opening and hired an actor (not George Lazenby) to do first-person narration. It has surfaced on YouTube:

The Men Who Would Be Bond

Now, LIFE’s website is running the previously unpublished photographs documenting the tryouts of actors John Richardson, Anthony Rogers, Robert Campbell, and Hans de Fries, as they vie for cinematic history. (There’s also some choice shots of Lazenby that we haven’t seen before.)

So, stop wasting your time reading this, and get yourself over to the LIFE magazine website for the answer to that vexing question: Who Would Be James Bond?

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service — Peter R. Hunt, director; with George Lazenby as James Bond

Okay, I realize that it’s been months since the last Bond write-up and, again, I only have myself to blame. The problem with attempting to rewatch all twenty-two Bond flicks in one year is that it just gets tiring. No offense to the series, but stuff just starts to get repetitive. Bond gets in trouble briefly but quickly gets out of it; credits roll; the bad guys commit some heinous crime; Bond gets his mission; Bond travels to an exotic location; Bond sleeps with a random girl who may or may not be evil…and so on and so forth. So it’s understandable that after a fashion, a guy just wants to put something else in the ye olde blu-ray player. So for the past two months I’ve been occupying myself with things like the works of R.W. Fassbinder, movies with villains named Khan and even subjected myself to, shudder to think, Paul Blart: Mall Cop. Kill me.  So now I’m back in the swing of things and re-starting this column anew and with a brand new Bond to boot! I give you the one-hit-wonder, GEORGE LAZENBY!

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a strange, strange Bond film. Up until the 2006 release of Casino Royale I’d say that this is the most realistically violent, harsh and cold of the Bond films. The film finds the new Bond hot on the trail of his arch nemesis, Blofeld. Well, he isn’t his arch nemesis just yet, but after the events in this film, he most certainly becomes Bond’s number one target.  It comes in the middle of what some fans call the “Blofeld Trilogy” which starts with 1967’s You Only Live Twice and ending with 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever.

Blofeld–played here by Telly Savalas–is up to more hijinks, but in this particular outing it’s kind of funny what his demands are. In short, Blofeld is engineering an army of brain-washed women that will in some way or another create chaos amongst the world’s agriculture systems unless the authorities agree to first, forgive Blofeld for any and all crimes and misdeeds he’s committed throughout the world and second, the Swiss authorities officially declare him the current Count de Bleauchamp. That’s right, part of the reason Blofeld is going through all this trouble in his remote Swiss compound high above the Alps is because he wants some royal title added to his name. A big section of the beginning of this movie has Bond posing as some sort of genealogy expert who has been hired to confirm whether or not Blofeld is actually related to this blood line. Spine-tingling, I know.

The movie does have a lot of great action set pieces though. The two that stand out the most are when Blofeld tries to kill Bond with a man made avalanche–think about that for a second, MAN MADE AVALANCHE–and also the final chase sequence where Bond and Blofeld are trying to kill each other while racing down a bobsled run. This second set piece also appears to show us the end of Blofeld as he slams into a branch and seemingly breaks his neck.

Which brings me to the incredibly off-beat and dark conclusion to the film. In the end, with Blofeld eliminated, Bond decides to leave MI6 for good and pursue a quieter life with his new bride, Tracy, a countess who was the daughter to the man who helped Bond raid Blofeld’s mountain hideaway in explosive fashion just days earlier. Bond and Tracy tie the knot and start off on a drive to I suppose their honeymoon destination. What occurs next is the most shocking end to any of the Bond films, Blofeld and his head assassin, Irma Bunt, pull up out of nowhere (Blofeld wearing a ridiculous neck brace) and spray Bond’s car with bullets. Bond luckily dives out of the way and comes up without a scratch on him, however Tracy has been shot square through the head. Sadly, as the police arrive on the scene and call for an ambulance, Bond tells them not to bother stating, “We have all the time in the world.”

With it’s incredibly dark twist ending, it’s pretty incredible set pieces and the new Bond being a real breath of fresh air to the franchise, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is one in the series that is a must-see. A quick note on George Lazenby, the guy was a male model from Australia who lucked into the role of a lifetime when Connery decided to step down. When you watch the behind-the-scenes documentary on the DVD different people give different reasons as to why Lazenby was only given one shot, but no matter which way you look at it, the truth is Connery wanted back in and Lazenby was canned. Which is unfortunate if you think about it because Lazenby is a pretty damn good Bond. But his firing also gives this film a sense of novelty in a way. Sort of a “check out the Bond movie where Bond is played by an imposter!” or something like that. Just as soon as he had this role, he was out and I often wonder what future Bond films would’ve been like if he was allowed to stick around. Would Roger Moore still have been considered after Lazenby was done? It’s obviously not worth discussing because what happened, happened. The most you can say is that at least we still have this one film where things, if just for a moment, feel a little more real, a little more daring and where just this once, the stakes are raised so high that actual consequences materialize for our hero.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is available on DVD from MGM/UA

The Great Bond Rewatch will return with ‘Diamonds Are Forever’

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was never going to be an easy project: difficult locations, a long schedule and a rookie actor in the place of Sean Connery as James Bond.

The rookie was former model George Lazenby, selected from five finalists vying to play 007.

The documentary Inside On Her Majesty’s Secret Service went into great detail about how Lazenby was dogged by show business reporters who wrote about a rift Lazenby had with co-star Diana Rigg. It also discussed how the new actor was surly when Dana Broccoli, the spouse of producer Albert R. Broccoli, organized a party while on location in Switzerland.

Lazenby would walk away from the role, a move he conceded was a bad one during a 1994 007 fan convention in Los Angeles. For Lazenby, the whole thing wasn’t a happy experience, including tension with director Peter Hunt and paying his own way to promote the film in the U.S.:

Over at National Lampoon.com, there’s a short essay full of praise for Timothy Dalton but not much love for George Lazenby.

Titled Apology to Dalton, the story by Mike Rosolio has this to say about Timothy Dalton’s 007 debut in 1987’s The Living Daylights:

The guy playing Bond… is acting. It’s not like watching a Bond movie, it’s like watching a guy really, actually win awards with this stuff. The character is interesting, human, flawed, affected, real.

Meanwhile, Rosolio’s opinion of George Lazenby is stated thusly:

Old George wasn’t any good. Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas at the top of their game. But Lazenby was atrocious and Bond gets…married. Let’s move forward.

James Bond, agen 007 merupakan karakter fiksi yang diciptakan tahun 1953 oleh penulis Inggris Ian Fleming, yang kemudian muncul dalam dua belas novel dan dua koleksi cerita pendek versi original. Karakter ini kemudian digunakan dalam waralaba media film terlaris dan tersukses di seluruh dunia sampai saat ini. Mau tahu tampang para pemeran film James Bond dari film pertama (Dr. No)  sampai terakhir (Quantum of Solace)? Inilah tampangnya:bootingskoBlog

Aktor:
Sean Connery

Film:
Dr. No (1962), From Russia With Love  (1963), Goldfinger  (1964), Thunderball You Only Live Twice (1967)

Aktor:
George Lazenby

Film:
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

Aktor:
Sean Connery

Film:
Diamonds Are Forever(1971)

Aktor:
Roger Moore

Film:
Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974),
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979),
For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983),
A View to a Kill (1985)

Aktor:
Timothy Dalton

Film:
The Living Daylights (1987), Licence to Kill (1989)

Aktor:
Pierce Brosnan

Film:
GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997),
The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002)

Aktor:
Daniel Craig

Film:
Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008)

In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, James Bond had a co-star of sorts: director Peter Hunt.

Hunt, who had been with the Bond film series from the beginning, had the biggest impact on the 007 franchise by a director since his friend Terence Young directed Dr. No in 1962. He pressed for a return to Ian Fleming after producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had ditched the author’s novel and retained only the title and some characters of You Only Live Twice. His drive inspired Richard Maibaum to write perhaps his best script of the series (helped by Simon Raven, who punched up the dialogue in some key scenes).

Hunt was film editor of the first three Bond films, supervising editor for the fourth, Thunderball, and held that role plus second unit director on You Only Live Twice. OHMSS would be Hunt’s 007 swan song but he made an epic Bond adventure which, for the first time, included an unhappy ending. Back in 2002, after Hunt passed away, HMSS’s Rob Cotton wrote an appreciation of Hunt’s contribution to the series and, especially, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

In the economic sense, Hunt was unsuccessful. OHMSS wasn’t the financial blockbuster (though it earned a profit) of Goldfinger, Thunderball and to a lesser extent, You Only Live Twice. In the artistic sense? Well, Hunt directed what amounts to the most faithful adaptation of an Ian Fleming James Bond novel and a film that some Bond fans say is ranked at or near the top of the series. Also, of all the directors who’ve worked in the series, Hunt was bold enough to work with the least-experienced Bond actor. All in all, whatever you think of the film, Hunt’s impact not only on OHMSS but the series itself is huge.

In a few short weeks it will be the 40th anniversary of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The film is a) one of the best, if not the best, James Bond movies; b) the “first major hiccup” in the Bond series (as TCM weekend host Ben Mankiewicz put it in introducing Diamonds Are Forever when that film was shown on TCM in May; c) the rare Bond film with an unhappy ending.

It’s such an important film to the Bond series, we figured it was worth the same treatment we gave to Goldfinger’s 45th anniversary. The best place to start is with the obvious: it was the first film in the official 007 film series not to star Sean Connery.

The reasons for that have been much written about, including Connery’s tiring of the role *and* feeling unappreciated and underpaid (particularly in comparison to the paychecks Dean Martin was getting for the Matt Helm film series). You can’t have a Bond movie without a Bond, so somebody had to be chosen.

Life magazine gave its readers a view of the five finalists in a collage of photographs taken by Loomis Dean.

The late Peter Hunt, the film’s director, described in the documentary Inside On Her Majesty’s Secret Service there were numerous potential Bonds tested. The Life photos gave a hint of that, including actor John Richardson performing a love scene. Also shown was a shot of actor Anthony Rogers’s screen test. Others under consideration were Hans De Vries, Robert Cambell and an Australian model named George Lazenby.

Life also showed actors auditioning for other roles including Agneta Eckemyr doing a screen test, apparently for the role of Tracy, 007’s doomed bride. In that photo Hunt can be seen in the lower right.

In the end, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman went with George Lazenby, the least experienced of the five 007 finalists. The move would have a major effect on the film.

Starring: George Lazenby, Telly Savalas, Diana Rigg
Director: Peter R. Hunt
Writer(s): Ian Fleming, (novel) Richard Maibaum, Michael Reed (screenplay)
Studio: EON
Runtime: 140 min
Rated: PG
Official HZ Cinema Score: *** 3/4 stars

James Bond 007 is back!

Hello everyone and welcome to the sixth installment in my series of reviews chronicling the entire James Bond film franchise. In this edition for the first time since I started writing these reviews we have not only a different sort of Bond movie to explore, but also a brand new Bond to examine as well. The film is 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service directed by Peter R. Hunt and starring none other than the infamous model turned actor, George Lazenby, in the role of British Secret Service Agent 007. That’s right, we’re reviewing that movie. This movie is one that sharply divides both die hard and casual fans of this series alike in their opinion of it. Commercially it was among the biggest Bond flops of all time at the box office (although it did turn a substantial profit), and even today it is rarely if ever seen on television due to its rather long running time. And even during the Christmas season when you can normally find James Bond films a plenty on many networks in multiple movie marathons spanning the course of several days sometimes, this movie is still neglected to the point that you could almost say it has been black balled by popular cinematic history to such an extent that whenever someone takes over a role from another well established actor that it has become a fashionable passing joke to say so and so is the ‘George Lazenby’ of their particular franchise..

That is kind of a shame I think, because, personally, I feel this movie deserves a solid spot in at the very least, the top five movies in the entire franchise. So what, besides the running time you ask, keeps this classic movie from getting the recognition it truly deserves in my opinion? You could almost sum the entire diagnosis up in one name, “Connery, Sean Connery”, that is. Up until this point the role and the persona of James Bond had been Connery’s alone, and to the movie going public, to put an actor, any other actor, at that time anyway, other than Connery in that role was tantamount to Bond blasphemy. In later years after Connery finally relinquished the role many other actors would settle comfortably into Bond’s shoes with little resistance, but in 1969, for George Lazenby, the first successor of Sir Connery, he had a bloody uphill battle that was near impossible for him, or anyone for that matter, to come out on top of. It probably didn’t help that before this movie he had zero acting experience whatsoever, and his only experience of any kind in front of a camera, was in the form of being a male model. Other than Lazenby, the role of James Bond in this movie was also offered to Timothy Dalton, another future Bond actor who can sort of feel a kinship with Lazenby in that he is one of those Bonds that divides fans and critics alike in their opinions of both him and the movies made while he was under contract for the role. Dalton of course, turned down the part at this point, feeling that at the time, being in his mid twenties that he was too young to be James Bond. And so with that George Lazenby received the call up and the position was his.

So the question goes, how do I think he did with this role? This is a hard question to answer on many fronts. In comparison to Connery of course he was an absolute farce, and even when compared to later actors like Roger Moore, Tim Dalton, or Pierce Brosnan, he falls far short of each of them for the simple reason that at the time he made this movie he was not an actor, because the people who made this movie felt, I think wrongly, that a true actor was not required for the role of James Bond, but rather just a stuntman. In the case of this movie which I would say is probably one of the most emotionally demanding of any Bond film in history, that an actor the caliber of Connery was absolutely essential. But with all that being said, I personally cannot come down too hard on old Lazenby, as when you consider the difficult place he was put into, he did a more than adequate job of at least not embarrassing himself, or the franchise, when it came to portraying James Bond. In his own special way George Lazenby brought that classic Bond wit, charm, and style, not in droves like Sean Connery did mind you, but enough of it and in the important parts and places anyway, and also when it came down to the heavy emotional scenes, including probably the heaviest scene in the film franchise’s history, I thought and still think, even after multiple viewings that Mr. Lazenby was, if nothing else, a ‘sufficient’ actor to portray James Bond in this movie, which is the nicest thing I can think to say about him in retrospect.

It would have been interesting to see what he could have developed into had he had more time to grow into the role in subsequent pictures, but alas, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was to be his one and only entry into the series, making him the only actor so far in the official EON cannon, not to be brought back for at least one more picture. I cannot and will not heap him with praise and admiration for being one of the best James Bonds to dawn a tuxedo, but, I can say with no shame that I do admire him for stepping up to a very challenging role, and giving us one of the most memorable James Bond movies in the history of the series.

There has been a lot of speculation over the years how Connery would have done with the role of James Bond in this movie. Some suppose that the bored Connery who made ‘You Only Live Twice’ would have been a disaster in this movie. I personally do not think so. Had he not been so adamant about wanting to do something different, which I can respect, and taken this role, I think he would, out of respect for the great script, have upped his game and as a result, this movie, not Goldfinger, not even From Russia With Love, would have been remembered for all time afterward as the one true defining James Bond film to the set the standard for all that would follow it. As it stands now, it is still one of the best in the series, but one that gets heaps and heaps of disrespect and neglect piled upon it.

Now down to the basics of the movie itself, which I will try not to spoil too much, as this is a movie that deserves to be experienced for itself, although I will probably, unavoidably end up giving away a few things, so read on at your own peril. Throughout the movie there are a lot of well done and subtle little nods to the former Connery Bond movies, which, in hindsight probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do, since even without them it is hard enough to watch this film without getting a pining feeling for Connery not all that dissimilar to what I imagine it would like to be on a date with a woman who was in many ways like an old ex-girlfriend you carried a heavy torch for, but at the same time, you are forced with the disconcerting reality that no matter how hard you wish her to be someone she is not, or wish Lazenby to morph from a British underwear model into a Scottish badass, it just isn’t meant to be, even when he at one point puts on a Scottish Kilt, which must’ve been done solely to needle Connery. But with that caveat behind us, I did get a chuckle from the intro in which Bond, who had just rescued the main ‘Bond Girl’ of this movie from an attack by two would be killers, and after that she repays him not by falling droopily into his arms for a session of divine romance, but rather, scurries up the hill into her sports car, and speeds away… to which Lazenby quips, straight into the camera ‘This never happened to the other fellow’… Indeed it did not.

The girl in question there was none other than Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo, or Tracy for short, who would be the main Bond Girl for this movie, although to stick her with a title like that is almost unfair in a way, as she would go down in history as the one girl for who would be to Bond something more than just a one night stand or a quick aid in a sticky situation. She would even be referenced in later Bond movies by the likes of Roger Moore and with subtle allusions made in the Dalton movies as well. She was the one girl capable even of bringing James Bond to tears, and it was through her that what before had basically been a very fun action caricature, actually became a living breathing character with flesh and blood, and true emotions. Now I know what you’re thinking, “C’mon man, this is James Bond here, we don’t need none of that crying crap!” which is fair enough, but I think when viewed on its merits as a stand alone feature, the infamous ‘crying’ scene in this movie is for my money the most powerful moment in any James Bond movie right up until the end of 2006’s Casino Royale. It, like the aforementioned movie, gave added insight into how the slick, sleek and sophisticated servant of the Queen became the curt, jaded, alcoholic, womanizing, ruffian that we all know and love from both previous and future movies.

Other than the Countess, Bond’s other allies in this film come in the form of the ever reliable Q, M, and of course the ever lovely Miss Moneypenney, and Tracy’s father, and head of his own criminal enterprise Marc-Ange Draco. The primary villain in this film as in the last one and the film following this one is head of S.P.E.C.T.R.E, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played here in what for me may be tied only with Donald Pleasence’s portrayal from the previous film, by Telly Savalas. In between the last film and now Bond has been unsuccessful in finding and apprehending this criminal mastermind, a failure that troubles him so much that at one point he vows that if he cannot find Blofeld, he will retire from Her Majesty’s Secret Service and devote his own personal time to bringing this madman to justice by himself. As you can guess, eventually he does catch up with Blofeld in his mountain resort in the Swiss Alps, which provides a stunningly beautiful location for this film, which in many ways deserves top billing with the actors themselves. Blofeld’s current scheme involves a group of brainwashed girls he calls his ‘Angels of Death’ who live with Blofeld in his mountain hide-away, and whom he is feeding subconscious messages to and equipping with various feminine beauty products that all contain chemical weapons of mass destruction of some kind or another. It’s basically your typical zany evil plot perpetrated here by Blofeld.

After a certain number of movies, you’d begin to think after a while, that he probably in the end, didn’t really expect or even intend to get away with his devious schemes for world domination or destruction, but rather, being an evil genius, he probably just didn’t have anything better to do with his time. The majority of the movie’s running time is spent inside this state of the art facility with Bond seducing one ‘Angel’ after another while slowly but surely getting closer to the truth of what Blofeld is attempting to do to the free world. One thing that is puzzling about this movie though is that Bond’s gadgets, which are normally state of the art, are somehow less advanced than they had been in previous films, as in this movie he uses a bulky unwieldy device to crack into a safe containing important information, whereas in the previous film Connery had used a similar device that he was able to slip into his pocket. So, if just for this one movie, technology it seems, had for once gone in the opposite direction of what it normally does.

Also scarcely seen here are the classic Bond cars with their ejector seats and rocket propelled tailpipes. I can’t say I really missed them that much though as the action itself when it finally kicked in was stimulating enough to take your mind off of all that, with the great fight scenes from beginning to end, and especially the fantastic ski-chase scene during the movie’s climax in which Blofeld and his assistant Irma Bunt along with a horde of S.P.E.C.T.R.E agents chase Bond down a snowy mountain hillside during a starry night… It is probably my favorite chase in any Bond movie, if for nothing else than the great scenery provided. That chase manages to spill into a sleepy little village in the middle of a Christmas celebration, and through all sorts of various twists and turns too numerous to detail.

In the end, my favorite scene in the movie was probably the one in which James and Tracy both find themselves bunkered down in an abandoned barn in the middle of a raging blizzard for a cozy little love scene. It’s in scenes like this that you really get the sense that this was no ordinary Bond girl. I won’t spoil what happens after this, although I’m sure many of you already know. Suffice to say that it’s with this scene in mind that makes this movie’s “dark ending” as effective as it is for me, although I did not care for how they casually jumped from that right into the up-tempo Bond theme music after which was kind of disrespectful… But anyway, to wrap this review up, if you haven’t yet seen this fine Bond movie thus yet, don’t beat yourself up, “you’ve got all the time in the world” but still, I wouldn’t recommend tarrying too long, as this is truly a classic, flawed as it is, that I think you will not regret giving at least one chance to. Thanks for reading, and James Bond, and more importantly, Sean Connery will return next time in my review of ‘Diamonds Are Forever’. See you then.

Jules

To: casting@unitedartists.org

From: abroccoli@gmail.com

Subject: New Bond

After an exhaustive search, we are pleased to announce our choice to play James Bond for our sixth feature film.  With all due respect to Sean Connery, prepare to meet the next 007, a future cultural icon, and the man who will embody the role for many movies to come – Mr. George Lazenby!

”ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE” (1969) Review

At least ten years or more must have passed since I last saw the 1969 Bond movie, “ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (OHMSS)”. EON Production’s sixth entry in the Bond franchise has the distinction of being the only movie that starred Australian male model-turned-actor, George Lazenby. It was the first EON movie that did not star Sean Connery – already fixed in the public’s mind as the only actor who can portray James Bond. And it was the only movie that was directed by former film editor, Peter Hunt.

I first became aware of “OHMSS” back in the mid-1980s. I had seen it on television once, when I was a child. But ABC Television’s botched editing had turned me off from the movie. I eventually became a fan during repeated viewings of the movie during the mid and late 1980s. By the beginning of the 1990s, “OHMSS” had been fixed as my favorite Bond movie. For years, it remained in this position, despite repeating viewings of other Bond movies, the release of the Brosnan films and my own mysterious reluctance to watch “OHMSS”. It seemed as if I was afraid to watch it again, fearful that my earlier adulation of the film might prove to be misguided. And then EON Productions released the new Bond film, “CASINO ROYALE” in the theaters. The latest entry in the Bond franchise had impressed me so much that my doubts about “OHMSS” increased even further. After seeing “CASINO ROYALE” for the third time and later “QUANTUM OF SOLACE”, I finally decided to watch “OHMSS” for the first time in years.

In the end, my fears seemed groundless. My latest viewing of “OHMSS” proved that I had every right to view it as one of my all time favorite Bond movies. After nearly 40 years, the movie still holds up as one of the finest Bond movies in the entire franchise, if not the finest. And it also one of the few Bond films to closely follow its source, namely the 1963 novel penned by Ian Fleming. What makes the latter remarkable is that the previous Bond entry, “YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE” barely resembled its literary source, aside from a few characters and the setting.

“OHMSS” picks up with Bond searching for Blofeld, now wanted by various governments for his past forays into international terrorism and extortion. His search leads to meeting the most important woman in his life other than Vesper Lynd – Teresa (Tracy) Draco di Vicenzo. Not only will his meeting with Tracy lead to a serious change in his private life, it will also affect his professional life, thanks to Tracy’s father, Marc-Ange Draco when he provides Bond with information leading to Blofeld. Of course, Draco was only willing to provide this information, if Bond courts his daughter. In the end, Bond not only tracks down Blofeld, but destroy the latter’s latest attempt to extort the United Nations. But as many know, Bond’s latest professional conflict will result in tragedy for his private life.

I only have a few problems with “OHMSS”. One of them was the director Peter Hunt’s decision to have actor George Baker (portraying the real Sir Hilary Bray), dub Lazenby’s voice, while Bond is impersonating Sir Hilary at Piz Gloria. Why they had decided to do this confounds me. It seemed very unnecessary, unless the director was aiming for Sir Hilary to sound like a cliché of a British scholar. Another problem I had were some of the jokes that came out of Bond’s mouth. I consider this problem minor, since “OHMSS” – like many other Bond movies (good or bad) had its share of bad jokes. One particularly good joke was the St. Bernard who came to Bond’s “rescue” after the latter had survived his bobsled fight against Blofeld. And last, but not least, there were a few moments when the editing seemed a bit . . . questionable. A good example would be the scene that featured Bond’s first meeting with Draco. There is a moment when it seemed that Bond had asked Draco for Blofeld’s whereabouts. It seemed as if Lazenby had spoken too soon, cutting off actor Gabriele Ferzetti’s lines too soon. Another viewing seemed to reveal that poor editing might have been at fault and not Lazenby’s acting. And another review seemed to agree with my findings.

Aside from the previously mentioned quibbles, I had no problems with “OHMSS”. In fact there is so much to enjoy about this movie – including the main star, George Lazenby. Many critics and fans either tend to dismiss his performance as wooden or give him minor credit for his valiant attempt at a decent performance. Frankly, I think that he was a lot better than many give him credit for. I must admit that he has a rather odd voice (which I suspect has been influenced by his Australian accent), but so did most of the other Bonds – including Connery’s tendency to indulge in pre-adolescent diction, Moore’s drawl, Dalton’s Welsh accent and Brosnan’s . . . well, I cannot really describe Brosnan’s voice. I just find it odd. But despite Lazenby’s odd voice, his acting comes off very natural and he seems to project Bond’s emotions with an ease that should not have come easy to him. But he does. And instead of portraying Bond as some kind of action/sexual icon, he portrays the character as very human. This is very obvious in the following scenes:

-Bond’s growing impatience with Tracy’s antics
-Bond’s surprise that M had given him leave instead of accepting his resignation
-Bond’s breakthrough with Tracy
-the Piz Gloria dinner sequence
-Bond’s fear of capture during his escape from Piz Gloria
-Bond’s proposal of marriage to Tracy
-Bond’s quarrel with M over Tracy and Blofeld
-Tracy’s death

Personally, I thought that Lazenby really shined in the marriage proposal scene, those scenes that featured Bond’s quarrels with M and the Piz Gloria dinner sequence. Despite having his voice dubbed by George Baker in the latter, Lazenby managed to express Bond’s emotions during that scene effortlessly without having to say a word.

The movie also benefited from the presence of Diana Rigg, who had recently left “THE AVENGERS” to begin a movie career. What can one say about the great Diana? Not only did she effortlessly combine all the complex personality traits of Tracy di Vicenzo – witty, emotional, sad, brave, determined, etc. Is it any wonder that Tracy is viewed by many actresses as the ultimate Bond woman? Even better, both Rigg and Lazenby managed to create great chemistry together as the romantically doomed pair.

Not only did “OHMSS” benefited from both Lazenby and Rigg’s performances, the pair was ably supported by a fine cast that included the warm and charismatic Gabriele Ferzetti as Tracy’s father, the talented Ilse Steppat who portrayed the intimidating Irma Bunt shortly before her death (she never lived to experience the movie’s release), the always dependable Bernard Lee as M – giving one of his better performances, and the charming and fun Angela Scoular as Blofeld’s English patient, Ruby. Of course one cannot forget the legendary Telly Savalas, who became the second actor to portray Ernst Blofeld on-screen. And as far as I’m concerned, he was the best. He was not impeded by Donald Pleasance’s ridiculous scar and questionable accent or Charles Gray’s foppish portrayal. Instead, he radiated intelligence and menace, making him the only Blofeld (in my opinion) worthy of being Bond’s nemesis.

I also have to commend Peter Hunt’s direction. “OHMSS” was his first time at bat as a director. Any other inexperienced director could have turned one of Ian Fleming’s best novels into a hash job. Fortunately, Hunt proved to be a talented director and did justice to the novel – although I did have a problem with the editing of a few of his scenes. Hunt was not only ably supported by a fine cast, but by screenwriter Richard Maibaum, editor and future director John Glen, and John Barry’s marvelous score and Hal David’s haunting lyrics to the song, “We Have All the Time In the World”. Cinematographer Michael Reed superbly recaptured the majesty of the Swiss Alps and the exotic elegance of Portugal with his photography. And one cannot forget skier Willy Bogner Jr. and Alex Barbey for creating the first and probably best ski chase in the Bond franchise.

I could probably go on about how much I love “OHMSS”, but I do not want to sound repetitive. What can I say? After 40 years, I consider to still be one of the best Bond movies in the franchise . . . and definitely one of my favorites. And I am happy to see that “OHMSS” is finally being recognized by many as the fine film it is. If you have not seen this film, I suggest that you rent or buy it as soon as possible. Or else you will be missing something special.

Below are some memorable lines from the movie:

Memorable Lines

Draco: My apologies for the way you were brought here. I wasn’t sure you’d accept a *formal* invitation.
Bond: There’s always something formal about the point of a pistol.

[a bad guy chasing Bond skis into a snow blower, which then spews red snow]
Bond: He had a lot of guts.

Sir Hilary Bray: Our methods are very exacting. We never like to speak until we’re *absolutely* certain that there can be no possibility of error on our side or… forgery on anyone else’s.
Bond: I hope I can live up to your high standards.

Tracy: You’re hurting me.
Bond: I thought that was the idea for tonight.

Bond: [to the camera] This never happened to the other fellow.

Draco: She likes you, I can see it.
Bond: You must give me the name of your oculist.

Tracy: Why do you persist in rescuing me, Mr. Bond?
Bond: It’s becoming quite a habit, isn’t it, Contessa Teresa?
Tracy: Teresa was a Saint; I’m known as Tracy.
Bond: Well, Tracy, next time play it safe and stand on 5.
Tracy: People who want to stay *alive* play it safe.
Bond: Please, stay alive! At least for tonight.

[a girl writes on Bond's leg under the table, to which Bond makes an awkward face]
Irma Bunt: Is anything ze matter, Sir Hilary?
Bond: Just a slight stiffness coming on… in the shoulder.

Blofeld: Merry Christmas, 007.
Bond: [as Hillary Bray] I’m Sir Hillary Bray.
Blofeld: No no no, Mr. Bond. Respectable baronets from the College of Heralds do *not* seduce female patients in clinics. On the other hand, they do get their professional details… *right*. The De Bleauchamps tombs are *not* in the Augsburg Cathedral as you said, but in the Ste. Anna Kirsch. Sir Hillary Bray would have known.
Blofeld: [beat] A small slip. Takes more than a few props to turn 007 into a Herald. [breaks Bond's glasses]
Bond: [normal voice] It’ll take more than cutting off your earlobes, Blofeld, to turn you into a Count.

[M refuses to authorize an attack on Blofeld]
Bond: And the girl who helped me escape? We just leave her there?
M: This department is not concerned with your personal problems.
Bond: This department owes her a *debt*. She saved my life.
M: Operation Bedlam is DEAD! Do you understand, 007?
Bond: Yes, Sir. I understand.

[Bond has realized what Blofeld is really up to]
Bond: Allergy vaccines? Bacteria. Bacteriological Warfare.
Blofeld: With a difference. Our big breakthrough since last summer has been the confection of a certain… Virus Omega.
Bond: Infertility.
Blofeld: TOTAL Infertility! In plants and animals. Not just disease in a few herds, Mr. Bond. Or the loss of a single crop. But the desturction of a whole strain. Forever! Throughout an entire continent.

[Blofeld wants to share his life with Tracy]
Blofeld: Now, if you’re very, very nice to me. I could make you my Countess.
Tracy: But I’m already a Countess.
Blofeld: Whereas if you displease me, I can promise you a very *different* estate.

Bond: [Tracy has just been shot and killed] It’s all right. It’s quite all right, really. She’s having a rest. We’ll be going on soon. There’s no hurry, you see. We have all the time in the world.

10/10 stars

Sir Roger Moore

 

 

 

Sir Roger George Moore KBE (born 14 October 1927) is a English actor and film producer. He is perhaps best known for portraying two British action heroes, Simon Templar in the television series The Saint from 1962 to 1969, and James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985.

Trivia:

During the early stages of his career Roger collected towels from the hotels he stayed in. However, he stopped when a British newspaper printed a story entitled ‘Roger Moore is a towel thief’. He revealed on “So Graham Norton” (1998) that he still has the collection in his Swiss home.

He succeeded Audrey Hepburn as goodwill ambassador for UNICEF.

Father of Geoffrey Moore, Christian Moore and Deborah Moore.

He was awarded the CBE (Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire) in 1999 and Knight Bachelor of the Order of the British Empire in the 2003 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his services to the children’s charity, Unicef.

Was scheduled to make his musical theatre debut as “Sir George” in “Aspects of Love” in 1990. He left the production days before his escape clause expired due to his own concerns over his singing ability. He was replaced by Kevin Colson.

In May 2000 he received an International Humanitarian Award from the London Variety Club for his charity work.

His father was a Policeman.

Whilst doing National Service, Moore served with Military Intelligence.

In just few days after he had arrived in USA in 1952, he was in a television play World by the Tail (1953) (TV).

Good friend of Lois Maxwell, who played Miss Moneypenny in Bond movies. They first met in mid 1940s at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where they were in the same class in 1944.

Roger and his then companion, ‘Christina ‘Kiki’ Tholstrup’ , escaped injury when another vehicle collided with the actor’s car. Airbags were attributed to preventing injury. They married the following year. [13 January 2001]

In 1990, he participated as a guest host in “33 Zecchino d’Oro”.

Received an honourary doctorate from Ryerson Polytechnic University in 1999.

His contract for the 007 films provided him with an unlimited supply of Montecristo cigars during filming. The bill for this typically ran to thousands of pounds.

2002 – lives in Switzerland and Monte Carlo with his wife ‘Christina ‘Kiki’ Tholstrup’ .

In 1954, he was offered contracts with the Royal Shakespeare Company or MGM. Noel Coward advised him to go for the money.

Despite playing James Bond in seven Bond films, he never ordered a vodka martini shaken not stirred.

Oldest person to debut as James Bond. He was 45 when Live and Let Die (1973) was filmed.

Was Air France’s 8,000,000th passenger. [21 May 1964]

Collapsed during a matinee performance of the Broadway comedy “The Play What I Wrote”, but finished the show after a 10-minute break. Roger was playing the part of the mystery guest star, which the cameo role is filled by celebrities, when he fainted toward the end of the second act. He was taken to the hospital after the show. The following day he was fitted with a pacemaker – something he had been previously told he would eventually have to get. [7 May 2003]

Was best man at friends Bryan Forbes and Nanette Newman’s wedding

Ironically for his first Razzie nomination (Worst Supporting Actor in Spice World (1997)) he went head to head with another former Bond, Sean Connery in The Avengers (1998), also receiving his first Razzie nomination. Neither man won, however.

Was older than any other actor to play James Bond when he portrayed him aged 57 in A View to a Kill (1985). Sean Connery was 52 when he last played Bond in Never Say Never Again (1983).

A close friend of the Danish Royal Family, especially the Prinsesse Alexandra, attended the Christening of Princess Alexandra and Prins Joachim’s youngest son, Felix. Attended the wedding of the Danish Kronprins Frederik and Kronprinsesse Mary on May 14th 2004.

Roger Moore and Sean Connery

He was born in the same Labour Ward in London as the actor Brian Weske, five years previously.

Attended the wedding of Joan Collins and Percy Gibson .

Underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 1993.

Speaks Italian perfectly, former wife Luisa Mattioli is an Italian citizen.

Was cast in two roles that were originally offered to Patrick McGoohan: Simon Templar in “The Saint” (1962) and James Bond in Live and Let Die (1973).

Often spends summers in Hornbæk, Denmark, where his wife ‘Christina ‘Kiki’ Tholstrup’ has a summer house.

Detests doing scenes that involve him shooting firearms – which caused him to ruin countless 007 takes.

Quit smoking cigarettes in 1971 following a stern lecture from Tony Curtis on the set of “The Persuaders!” (1971).

Both he and his daughter, Deborah Moore, have acted in the James Bond franchise. She played the air hostess in Die Another Day (2002).

Officially announced his retirement from playing James Bond on 3 December 1985, as it was agreed by all involved in the franchise that Moore had got too old for the role by that point. Moore himself was quoted as saying that he felt embarrassed to be seen performing love scenes with beautiful actresses who were young enough to be his daughters.

Took part in a special celebrity edition of Blind Date on The Prince’s Trust 30th Birthday: Live (2006) (TV). He and actor Richard E. Grant lost to “The X Factor” (2004)’s Chico Slimani, who got to date Dame Edna Everage (aka Barry Humphries).

Publicly supported the Conservative Party in the 2001 General Election.

Chose a Swedish conference on child abuse to announce to the world that he too was a victim. He said he was molested as a child, but not seriously. He waited until he was 16 to tell his mother because he said he was “ashamed.”

Rides in or drives a motor-powered boat in every James Bond movie he has appeared in.

Played James Bond in seven movies of the official EON series, the most of any actor to date (Sean Connery also played Bond in seven films, but one of them, Never Say Never Again (1983), was unofficial).

He never drove the most famous of all James Bond cars in a Bond film i.e. a 1964 silver birch Aston Martin DB5 or any other Aston Martin model. The DB5 was made famous by the Sean Connery James Bond movies Goldfinger (1964) and then Thunderball (1965) with later models appearing in some subsequent Bond pictures. However, Moore, who played James Bond seven times, has only ever been seen on screen with this make once and that was in The Cannonball Run (1981) where he self-parodies his James Bond persona. In this movie, the DB5’s license plate number was 6633PP.

Following the suggestion that fugitive train robber Ronald Biggs make a cameo appearance in the Brazil episode of Moonraker (1979), he replied in rather colorful terms that he didn’t want the escaped prisoner anywhere near the film, as his own father had been a London Policeman.

All the scenes in which showed Moore running in his seven Bond movies were performed by doubles, since the actor felt he looked awkward running.

When presenting the Best Actor Oscar awards at the The 45th Annual Academy Awards (1973) (TV), Moore ended up taking home the Oscar accidentally. The winner of the award, Marlon Brando, refused the award, and Sacheen Littlefeather, who Brando sent to make a speech to refuse the Oscar, also publicly refused to take the statuette from Moore.

Nearly died from double pneumonia when he was five.

Underwent three operations to remove kidney stones in his thirties.

Has named The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) as his favorite Bond movie of the seven he starred in, and A View to a Kill (1985) as his least favorite.

Attended the funeral of Sir John Mills in Denham, Buckinghamshire. (27 April 2005).

He was a close friend and neighbour of the late Sir Peter Ustinov.

Quit smoking cigars after undergoing major surgery for prostate cancer when he was 65.

Ironically, for an actor who has played a weapons-wielding James Bond in no fewer than 7 movies, Moore suffers from hoplophobia (fear of firearms).

Intended For Your Eyes Only (1981) to be his final Bond movie, since he was nearly 54.

He is a close friend and fan of Sir Elton John.

Although Moore claimed to have quit smoking cigarettes while filming “The Persuaders!” (1971), a filmed interview from on the set of For Your Eyes Only (1981) shows him smoking a cigarette.

Future “EastEnders” (1985) star Mike Reid worked as his underwater stunt double in “The Saint” (1962), but was fired after making fun of Moore’s thinning hair.

He was a close friend of Dudley Moore.

Hates being wet when acting. In Moonraker (1979), he had to do a whole scene wet, in the “Mayan pyramid”.

Although critics often accused him of not looking tough enough to play superspy James Bond, he once beat up legendary American hellraiser Lee Marvin while they were filming Shout at the Devil (1976). Marvin recalled, “The guy is built like granite. Nobody will ever underestimate him again.”.

Used to own a house in Eaton Square in London, but was only allowed to spend a maximum of ninety days a year there for tax reasons.

While filming the interrogation scene opposite Richard Burton and Richard Harris in The Wild Geese (1978), Moore made the unheard of request to have a cut in his lines. After another take he suggested all his lines should be cut. When the director Andrew V. McLaglen asked him why, he replied, “Do you seriously think I want to act against these guys? I’ll just sit here and puff on my cigar.”.

The Living Daylights (1987) was originally written for him, but was changed to suit Timothy Dalton after Moore announced his retirement from the role.

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 11, 2007.

In March 1996, when his former wife Dorothy Squires underwent surgery for bladder cancer at the BUPA Hospital in Cardiff, he picked up the £6,000 bill. He did not attend her funeral two years later, but instead sent a bouquet of purple tulips, lilies of the valley and orange flowers with a card saying: “I’ve said it with flowers. Roger.”.

Prior to the release of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moore filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife Dorothy Squires to prevent her from publishing a book about their life together. She would eventually be declared bankrupt in 1986.

In 1964, eight years before he took over the movie role, Moore played James Bond in a hilarious sketch on the BBC comedy show, “Mainly Millicent.” In the sketch, Bond is on holiday at a resort, when he encounters a female Russian spy (played by Millicent Martin, the star of the show), who is also on holiday. Bond and the female spy spend the sketch trying to do each other in. The sketch is included in the “Live and Let Die” Ultimate Edition DVD.

While a struggling young actor in the early 1950s, he briefly worked as a truck driver. Many years later, he impressed the crew on the set of A View to a Kill (1985) with his truck driving skills.

He had intended to act in A Bridge Too Far (1977), but was forced to pull out after production on The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was delayed by a year.

He has always been very honest about the fact that he did not perform any of his own stunts as Bond, unlike Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton, and Daniel Craig.

His least favourite of his films is The Quest (1996).

He considered himself to be miscast in Escape to Athena (1979) and North Sea Hijack (1979).

He was a close friend and admirer of the right-wing writer William F. Buckley.

If Never Say Never Again (1983) can be included as an official 007 installment, then Moore ties with Sean Connery for the most portrayals of James Bond – a total of 7 each. Otherwise Moore holds the record.

Confessed in a TV interview that when he first traveled to the US in the 1950s, he landed a supporting role in the Broadway production of “A Pin to See the Peepshow,” a show that both began and ended on the same day (17 September 1953).

Has said he would like to play a villain in a Bond movie starring Daniel Craig, but accepts that can never happen.

Served in the Royal Army with Christopher Lee before appearing with him, years later, in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).

His popularity as Bond led to him starring in several movies during the 1970s and early 1980s. However, although some were financially successful, most received poor reviews.

Confirmed in an interview with The Sunday Telegraph magazine in April 2009 that he is completely retired from acting.

Amazon Specials

1967 – You Only Live Twice (Com 007 só se Vive Duas Vezes)

Agente 007: Sean Connery
Bond girl: Akiko Wakabayashi
Diretor: Lewis Gilbert
Obs: A filmagem da batalha aérea com os gericópteros foi difícil, foram necessárias 84 decolagens, 48 horas de vôo para apenas sete minutos e meio de filme. Durante a gravação no Japão, devido as alterações das correntes de ar provocadas pelos helicópteros, um deles subiu demais e sua hélice atingiu um dos pés do cameraman. Felizmente os cirugiões que estavam alí por perto conseguiram recolocar o pé. Assim, a batalha aérea foi interrompida e concluída na Espanha.

1969 – On Her Majesty’s Secret Sevice (007 – A Serviço Secreto de Sua Majestade)

Agente 007: George Lazenby
Bond girl: Diana Rigg
Diretor: Peter R. Hunt
Obs: Para todos que acham que Bond é um agente que nada sabe de amor fiquem sabendo que nesse filme ele até se casa, se bem que ela, ao final do filme, é morta. A canção, We Have All The Time In The World, tocada nas cenas de romance entre 007 e Tracy, sua esposa, foi a última gravada por Louis Armstrong.

1971 – Diamonds Are Forever (007 – Os Diamantes São Eternos)

Agente 007: Sean Connery
Bond girl: Jill St. John
Diretor: Guy Hamilton
Obs: A música Diamonds Are Forever teve objeção do diretor, mas devido a insistência do co-produtor Cubby Broccoli foi mantida para o filme. Adivinhem porque o diretorzinho não gostou da canção? Porque a letra tinha uma insinuação sexual, que bom que as épocas mudaram.

1973 – Live and Let Die (Com 007 Viva e Deixe Morrer)

Agente 007: Roger Moore
Bond girl: Jane Seymour
Diretor: Guy Hamilton
Obs: Live And Let Die, de Paul McCartney, foi o primeiro e verdadeiro rock and roll usado para abrir um filme de Bond, foi um grande sucesso e permanece como uma das bond-music mais famosas. Gosto muito desse filme devido ao clima de voodoo, tarô e coisas do tipo!

My story, “Bondsmen”, is up at Metazen.  The story–meant to be a comedy– is a bit surreal, having the latest James Bond (an actor beyond Daniel Craig) really stifled by all the things he has to do as James Bond—he just wants to be himself, dang-it, but he finds himself trapped in the character roles that have been played in the past by other actors….  This is a story of a man who wants to be an individual, not controlled by things he can and cannot do.  James Bond ends up quarreling with all the other actors who’ve ever played Bond–or rather, all the other versions of Bond.  It is meant to be parody, but also a way to think about living life suppressed, even when you’re a dangerous secret agent.  Does James Bond really get a choice to be anything else?

Metazen, “ is an online fiction zine that publishes short fiction and poetry by various authors. Metazen is a fly trap for metafiction, existentialism and  absurdism. It harbors all kinds of filth such as neurotic characters, obscure philosophies, love for inanimate objects and quests toward enlightenment. Metazen occasionally follows the real life, meta-fictional exploits of Frank.  Metazen is edited by Frank Hinton, Jessica Alchesse and Dylan Cohen.”

Enjoy the story!

Written & Directed By: Mark Hartley
Cinematography By: Karl Von Moller & Germain McMicking

FEATURING: Quentin Tarantino, Russell Mulcahy, Barry Humphries, Jamie Blanks, Russell Boyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rod Hardy, Richard Franklin, Wendy Hughes, Stacy Keach, Ted Kotcheff, George Lazenby, George Miller, Philippe Mora, Greg Mclean, Steve Railsback, Fred Schepisi, Rod Taylor, James Wan, Jack thompson, Brian Trenchard-Smith, Leigh Whannell, Simon Wincer, Susannah York

A fun rollicking, No holds barred documentary about the Australian film industry from the beginning in the sixties to it’s peak during the 70’s and 80’s which produced more exploitation type movies then anything but also put several of it’s filmmakers and stars o the map. It also showed a emerging style of filmmaking that rightly deserves to be noted and noticed. Which is still kicking around today though unfortunately not as much.

This is a fun documentary with tons of clips from those movies. Which allows a viewer like myself to discover a lot of these films only half of which are still available to see in the united states. It let’s you in on some behind the scenes details on these films and what it’s influence was at home and abroad. While celebrating the directors who deserve credit for there strides in helping put Aussie films on the map.

You hae details from most of the people involved in these films from the actors, Producers Directors, Crew Members, Directors and the critics even Quentin Tarantino gets involved.

Without this ozploitation series of movies there would be no films as diverse As MAD MAX, WALKABOUT, PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, MY BRILLIANT CAREER, STARSTRUCK, BMX BANDITS.

This film is a genre lovers wet dream my only complaint is that I wish it was longer.

I really enjoyed myself watching this if you are a true film fan. I think you will to. Its not just boring talking heads interviews, Because as fun and crazy as the films are. The filmmakers are just as crazy if not crazier as they tell stories of using real ammo firing at the actors in action scenes. Not using any proper safety precautions. A lot of things they couldn’t have gotten away with today. 

GRADE: A+       

WHAT A FALL TREAT THIS WILL BE

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Brenda Wise

Die kanadische Schauspielerin Lois Maxwell spielte in 14 James-Bond-Filmen von 1962 bis 1985 die Miss Moneypenny. Sie begleitete Sean Connery, George Lazenby und Roger Moore durch ihre jeweilige Bond-Epoche. Die gesamte Biographie von Lois Maxwell gibt es auf Wortgeflecht.de.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the sixth James Bond movie which is about to have its 40th anniversary, is going to get a big-screen showing this fall.

The Lafayette Theater in Suffern, New York, will show the film on Nov. 28, as part of its Big Screen Classics series. Films in that series are shown at 11:30 on Saturday mornings and have a $7 ticket price. For 007 fans in the Northeastern U.S., it’s a chance to see George Lazenby’s sole James Bond film — and one of the best in the series — on the big screen again.

Er kaufte einst vom James-Bond-Schöpfer Ian Fleming die Filmrechte an den James-Bond-Bücher. Er brachte zusammen mit Albert R. Broccoli den berühmtesten Geheimagenten der Welt vom Papier auf die Kino-Leinwand. Er entdeckte mit seinem Partner Albert R. Broccoli die damals unbekannten Schauspieler Sean Connery sowie George Lazenby und machte sie als James-Bond-Darsteller zu Weltstars. Die Rede ist von Harry Saltzman (* 27. Oktober 1915 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Kanada; † 28. September 1994 in Paris, Frankreich), dessen Todestag sich am 28. September 2009 zum 15. Mal jährt.

Der Filmproduzent Harry Saltzman gründete Anfang der 1960er mit Albert R. Broccoli die Filmfirma Eon Productions Ltd., aus der dann mit den James-Bond-Filmen die erfolgreichste Kinoserie der Welt hervorging. Mitte der 1970er endete die langjährige Partnerschaft der beiden Bond-Produzenten, Harry Saltzman überlies Albert R. Broccoli das alleinige Zepter über das Bond-Universum. Im Jahre 1994 starb Harry Saltzman an einem Herzinfarkt. Mehr zu Harry Saltzman findet Ihr auch in der Biographie über Albert R. Broccoli auf der Blog-Seite Wortgeflecht.de.

Sein Name ist Lazenby… George Lazenby – mit der Lizenz zum altern. Wenn man den aktuelleren Bildern Glauben schenken darf, hat sich der ehemalige Leinwand-Agent aber prima gehalten. Alles Wissenswerte zu George Lazenby könnt Ihr hier auf Wortgeflecht unter Zitat der Woche von George Lazenby nachlesen.

BY BRENDA WISE

FOR MY WONDERFUL FRIEND-GEORGE LAZENBY

On September 5:

1839 The first Opium War  began in China.

1850 Jack Daniel, the man behind Jack Daniels whiskey, was born.

1939: Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage declared New Zealand’s support for Britain from bed where he was recovering from an oepration for colon cancer.

I am satisfied that nowhere will the issue be more clearly understood than in New Zealand – where, for almost a century, behind the sure shield of Britain, we have enjoyed and cherished freedom and self-government. Both with gratitude for the past and confidence in the future, we range ourselves without fear beside Britain. Where she goes, we go. Where she stands, we stand. We are only a small and young nation, but we are one and all a band of brothers and we march forward with union of hearts and wills to a common destiny.

1939 Australian actor George Lazenby, who played James Bond inOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service,  was born.

1940 US actor Racquel Welch was born.

1944 Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg formed Benelux.

19 45 Scottish singer Al Stewart was born.

1946 singer Freddie Mercury was born.

Sourced from Wikipedia & NZ History Online.