Posted on 03/27/2011 7:43:31 AM PDT by Perdogg
Terrific. Any detractors of OHMSS need to re-watch it. Despite a few stumbles, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable Bond film with perhaps the most development of Bond’s character since Dr. No. Let’s dive in.
A Different Bond, James Bond
We begin as we always do, with the man himself. The man, however, is now George Lazenby.
There have been many detractors of Mr. Lazenby over the years, but here in 2011, he comes off as completely credible, a perfectly competent actor, and he cuts a masculine and heroic figure. He’s got a different look to him than Mr. Connery – he was a male model, after all – but no less intriguing. His first appearance is on a windy beach road, passed by in a sports car by his soon-to-be-lover Tracy Di Vicenzio (Diana Rigg). The director, Peter R. Hunt, was the editor of all the previous Bond films, and plays coy with the audience for only a few moments before revealing the new Bond. Mr. Lazenby is shown only in silhouette or in extreme close-ups. When he leaps from his car, we get our first look. It isn’t long before he’s in a wave-crashing and sand-blasting fistfight with the thugs assailing Tracy. Although I hate the moment where he says, “This never happened to the other fellow” and throws a quick glance to the camera, Mr. Lazenby’s introduction makes it pretty clear: he’s no pansy.
(Excerpt) Read more at bighollywood.breitbart.com ...
ping Thanks to GSP.fan
Couldn't agree more...
mark
I love action movies but never liked Bond movies, yet this one has fantastic action scenes, and of course John Barry’s great score. Diana Rigg was gorgeous in those years, too.
And, oh yeah, Diana Rigg made the movie!
An excellent Bond.
Lazenby (who was once married to tennis star Pam Shriver) has said his biggest career
mistake was not to take the offer for another Bond movie. It made everyone think he was
not a good Bond and therefore not offered the part. His movie career went nowhere.
For me,it didn't hurt to have Diana Rigg in the film either.
But, he was the "rebound guy" after Sean Connery. I think anyone cast in the role would have been criticized. The series would have benefited in my opinion and not become so cartoonish if they'd stuck with George rather than going to Roger Moore.
John Barry’s soundtrack on this movie is one of the components
that made this Bond the best. The ‘Ski Chase’ theme..? It doesn’t get any better...
It’s fantastic. It didn’t need a title song.
Notice a great deal of the score to The Incredibles sounds like this? Barry was originally supposed to score it but that didn’t happen. I suspect Michael Giacchino was pressured to stick to the temp score, which included this.
I also didn’t think George Lazenby was all that bad.
Gee, maybe I DO like this movie...
Now divorcing, George, 68 and Pam Shriver, 46 (4th cousin of Maria Shriver).
On the other hand, Telly “Who Loves Ya Baby” Savalas wasn’t nearly as credible a Blofeld as Donald Pleasence IMHO.
Wow. In that pic, he could be Ricardo Montalban’s brother.
Actually Lazenby was second choice----they wanted Timothy Dalton but Dalton refused saying he was too young (he later made another Bond).
Yummy Dalton.
Lazenby went to the audition satorially correct---dressed as Bond, even down to the Rolex.
But when he accidentally punched out an actor in the audition---the Bond producers were convinced the male model was aggressive enough to play Bond.
Trivia bull..
Telly was a partier and a big gambler on set ,would be up all night drinking and gambling and then head to set....
Joanna Lumley became the leader of the girls up in the mountains and taught them knitting to kill the boredom...
The end assassination scene was originally to be the start of the next Bond movie but when Connery signed back up it was included in OHMSS...
The killing of 007’s bride was the conclusion of the original novel.
I’d say it’s a tossup, OHMSS and From Russia with Love for best action/least gadgetty Bond thriller. Lazenby could have go on in the role. Diana Rigg was terrific though I remember her most as Mrs. Peale.
But there’s something about OMHSS in the cinematography. In the horserace scene all those beautiful women make the film look very recent. It must be that long straight hair has been a classic look for more than forty years now.
IMO “This never happened to that other fellow” was the funniest Bond line ever.
It's hard to lose with Diana Rigg as the main Bond girl. Lazenby certainly had the physical presence. The gadgets weren't overwhelming. Yes, I agree that Donald Pleasance was a better Blofeld in You Only Live Twice than Telly Savalsas. And yes, the music score is simply awesome.
And the film is even a reasonalbly close adaptation of the novel.
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