Project Bond: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

George Lazenby takes the wheel of the famous Aston Martin for this adventure, after Sean Connery decided he’d had enough, presumably while attempting to pronounce the title of the sixth film.

Lazenby’s task is a considerable one; Connery’s Bond had perhaps not taken on the level of iconicity that he has since, but to many people Connery was Bond, this being the first change of lead actor in the series. I thought that Lazenby struck a good balance: not quite imitating Connery, but not distancing himself too much from his predecessor’s interpretation. He affects a decent English accent, although his Australian brogue peeks through at times, while at other times it almost sounds as though he is trying a Connery impression. He is just as charming as Connery was, a little less sleazy, perhaps a bit calmer, and less well-furnished in the eyebrow department. There are very few nods to the casting change in the film, but I was amused to see Lazenby’s Bond wearing a kilt in several scenes, which Connery’s never did.

While Lazenby gets pass marks as Bond, Telly Savalas was far less chilling as Blofeld than was Donald Pleasence before him. There is a very odd scene in which Bond and Blofeld are both pretending to be other people, neither acknowledging that they recognise the other, which was compounded by both being played by different actors from the previous film. This is also the first film in which Bond goes properly undercover (he half-heartedly used an alias in You Only Live Twice when he was supposed to be dead), which is strange considering that it is such a staple of spy stories, and I’m now six films into the series.

Although there is less of it than in previous films, this one still features a hefty dollop of sexism and outdated gender roles. At the end of the film, Moneypenny is forced to watch Bond marry another woman, and through a series of close-ups of her face, we are meant to feel her sadness. Bond has messed her around for years, promising dates that never materialise, and she has been in awe of him throughout, waiting until he finally deems her worth spending time with. At a certain point, she would surely have had enough of that and looked elsewhere.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good film, with a structure that seemed a lot less formulaic than the last few instalments. Lazenby is a good Bond without being excellent, and although his not being Connery is distracting from the plot, this is hardly his fault. While I enjoyed his take on the role, I must admit I’m looking forward to Shir Sean’s Lasht Hurrah (or is it?)…