November 5, 2024

007 Days of 007: ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (1969)

Jake’s Take: One Image from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Peter Hunt, 1969)

A powerful final image from the rehabilitated masterpiece of the series.

JB6

“We have all the time in the world.”

To some degree, all heroic fiction balances narrative stakes and character development. More than the gadgets, the gunplay, or the globetrotting, the Bond films work best for me when they play either on Bond’s character or have, if not high stakes (e.g. Thunderball), certainly high intrigue (e.g. From Russia with Love). On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the point in the franchise where narrative stakes and character development collide and coalesce in a more satisfying and seamless way than perhaps any other Bond film.

This is, of course, the story where James Bond falls in love and gets married to Contessa Teresa (Tracy) di Vicenzo (played to perfection by the inimitable Diana Rigg). And—spoiler alert for a 46-year-old film—as you can see from the image above, it ends in tragedy. And only tragedy. There is no last-minute chase, no immediate reprisal to be had. There is only a broken hero, weeping over the body of his murdered bride. And then that image of the windshield. For a franchise that had begun what would become a decades-long domination of the world box office, and despite its fidelity to Fleming, this was—and remains—the most daring ending of the series.

This is not just another death. This is the death that would impact the series in a lasting way. Every Bond after Lazenby and before Craig would reckon with it in some way. And the end of the film still moves me immensely to this day, because of how well Bond and Tracy’s romance is developed through the course of the story. For all the talk of their offscreen bickering, Lazenby and Rigg had onscreen chemistry the likes of which would not be seen again until Daniel Craig and Eva Green. I especially love the moment when Tracy surprises Bond at the little ice rink when Bond is on the run from Blofeld. Tracy’s love for Bond, in this moment, very literally saves him. And, in an opinion that may anger some Bond fans, I will say that I just don’t know that Connery could have pulled off that final scene the way Lazenby did.

On a side note, when I first saw the initial teaser poster for SPECTRE, despite the obvious fact that the bullet hole represents the organization’s octopus insignia, I immediately thought of the image above and can’t help wondering if there is a greater connection here (the trailer uses a rendition of John Barry’s superlative main theme from OHMSS, a theme which has mostly been left alone until now). It remains to be seen whether there is any significance, or whether it’s my own wishful thinking combined with savvy design sensibility.

As for high stakes, Blofeld has failed in his plot to begin World War III, so what’s next? Why, an almost apocalyptic plot based on bacteriological warfare, of course. In addition to Telly Savalas’ commanding performance, he has some of the best dialogue in the series vis-à-vis informing Bond of his plans. Bond figures out that Blofeld’s virus will lead to infertility, at which point Blofeld launches into a monologue delivered with harrowing panache:

“Total infertility. In plants and animals. Not just disease in a few herds, Mr. Bond, or the loss of a single crop. But the destruction of a whole strain. Forever. Throughout an entire continent. If my demands are not met, I shall proceed with the systematic extinction of whole species of cereals and livestock all over the world.”

Despite the fact that, due to the greater focus on character, OHMSS may not feel as big a film as You Only Live Twice, make no mistake—the stakes certainly feel as high if not higher. Savalas sells us on that, and in my estimation, there is simply no finer portrayal of Blofeld than his.

For a long time, this film was the misunderstood masterpiece of the series. Time and the esteem of directors like Christopher Nolan and Steven Soderbergh have rehabilitated its reputation. It was ahead of its time in numerous ways, not the least of which was the powerful editing of its action scenes. As far as the performers, it’s difficult to imagine a better actress than Diana Rigg taking on the part of Tracy. It was a demanding role, and she played it with effortless grace and sway. Every other supporting player is outstanding, from Gabriele Ferzetti to Ilse Steppat to the MI6 crew (i.e. Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, and Desmond Llewelyn). The sets are stunning, and the final assault on Piz Gloria is one of the great action set pieces in cinema. It has one of the longest runtimes of the series, but you never notice it thanks to the film’s almost ceaseless momentum.

My biggest issue with OHMSS is not and never really has been George Lazenby. Like the film itself, the years have also been kind to his turn as 007, and I think that he might have developed into a great Bond if he had remained in the series. One could argue that he was a more physical Bond than Connery was, in fact. My problem is that Fleming’s “SPECTRE Trilogy” wasn’t released to the screen in the order it was to bookshelves. Because Bond and Blofeld have already met in the film version of You Only Live Twice, their intial meeting in OHMSS makes sense only as a kind of theatrical performance for their own amusement. This particular storytelling nit has always gotten on my nerves, and I fear I shan’t stop picking at it anytime soon.

But that’s a minor quibble in the midst of otherwise fantastic filmmaking. It’s a shame that we never got to see another Peter Hunt James Bond film, especially with the next few films that followed.

Ranking

2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

5. From Russia with Love

7. Thunderball

9. Goldfinger

10. Dr. No

17. You Only Live Twice

JAMES BOND WILL RETURN IN DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER.