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On Her Majesty’s Secret Service: A Re-evaluation
Was George Lazenby the weak link in an otherwise outstanding James Bond film?
Warning: Contains spoilers
As I mentioned in an earlier piece celebrating the 60th anniversary of Dr No, all the James Bond films are currently on cinema rerelease in the UK, one per week. This will last well into the autumn, but we’ve just had a particularly special treat: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Of all the James Bond films, this one more than any demands a big screen. I’m thrilled to finally be able to tick that one off my cinematic bucket list.
When first released in 1969, reviews were mixed, with many claiming Sean Connery’s replacement, Australian model George Lazenby, gave a wooden performance. I’ll return to Lazenby in a moment, suffice to say the film didn’t do as well at the box office compared with its predecessors, and Lazenby chose not to make another. A decision was made to back-peddle, with Connery returning to the role for the next Bond film, Diamonds are Forever, before Roger Moore took over for the next seven films in the series. Subsequently, Lazenby became something of a forgotten Bond, before critical re-evaluation proclaimed his contribution one of the very best in the series; an evaluation with which I heartily concur.
