WHAT: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969, DCP) 50th Anniversary screening
WHEN: May 15, 2019 1 PM & 7:30 PM
WHERE: Pickwick Theatre, Park Ridge, IL
WHAT ELSE: James Bond author Raymond Benson and Ian Fleming Foundation Board Member Colin Clark will introduce the film; plus an OHMSS display in the lobby.
Organist Jay Warren performs pre-show music at 7 PM.
HOW MUCH: $12/$10 advance or $8 for the 1 PM matinee. Advance tickets for 7:30: Click Here!
“For me there’s no question that cinematically On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is the best Bond film and the only one worth watching repeatedly for reasons other than pure entertainment… Shot to shot, this movie is beautiful in a way none of the other Bond films are.” ~ Director Steven Soderbergh
“Earlier this year, organiser Matthew Hoffman kindly invited me to a 50th Anniversary screening of Majesty on 15th May at Pickwick Theater in Illinois but sadly I’m not able to make it. Anyhow, here’s all the info about it. Love George” (George Lazenby’s Facebook page, April 2019)
This spring, the biggest Bond event is at the Pickwick Theatre. On May 15, 2019, we present a 50th anniversary screening of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) in the new Megatheatre! Joining us will be James Bond author Raymond Benson and Ian Fleming Foundation Board Member Colin Clark. Raymond and Colin will introduce the film at 7:30 PM. In addition to our theatre lobby display, be sure to visit “The James Bond Experience” memorabilia exhibit at the Park Ridge Public Library throughout the month of May.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, starring George Lazenby (in his only outing as 007) and Diana Rigg (Emma Peel of TV’s The Avengers), is acknowledged by Bond fans as one of the greatest films in the series– usually ranked either first, second, or third (behind Goldfinger and From Russia With Love). Former Bond editor Peter Hunt took over the direction for OHMSS and brought a new energy and dynamic to the series. It’s stylish, glamorous– and resonating. The film got back to its literary roots with an emphasis on character and story over gadgets and lavish sets– although OHMSS does feature one of the more magnificent locations in Piz Gloria.
George Lazenby and Diana Rigg
Published in April 1963, Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was first planned as a follow-up to the film version of Goldfinger (1964). However, schedule conflicts with the winter shooting delayed the film. Further complicating the project was the departure of Sean Connery, who stepped away from the role of 007 after You Only Live Twice (1967). The search was on for the next James Bond. Meanwhile, Peter Hunt, a former editor on the series, was given the task of helming what would prove to be the longest Bond film (up until 2006’s Casino Royale). A major influence on Hunt was Terence Young, who had directed Dr. No and From Russia With Love. Hunt wanted to make a film closer to the earlier Bond films with a script faithful to the original novel. At the same time, he wanted to leave his own mark. “I wanted it to be different than any other Bond film would be. It was my film, not anyone else’s.”
George Lazenby was a 28-year old Australian who, at the time, was working as a male model in England. He was discovered in a television commercial. At the casting offices of Eon Productions, he made an impression with the producers. Lazenby was determined to get the part, but it would take more than Sean Connery’s suits and hairstyle to turn him into the next James Bond. He admitted to the director that he was no actor. Fortunately, Peter Hunt was up to the challenge and made Lazenby look good on the screen. He was particularly effective in the action scenes which were enhanced by the film’s fast-paced editing. The final result was a fine performance by Lazenby, who brought a wider range of emotions to the part. An example of this is the scene in which Bond is pursued by Blofeld’s henchmen after the Swiss ski chase. While attempting to hide amidst the carnival crowd, he genuinely appears vulnerable and far from being a larger-than-life hero. Lazenby could be intense as well as flippant– his scenes with Moneypenny are equally wonderful– and the final scene after the wedding proved that Lazenby could act.
Diana Rigg was cast as Tracy, Bond’s love interest. Rigg, who wanted to be in an epic, brought style, sophistication, and strength to a role that would become window-dressing in later films. She was also an established star at this point in her career, so her presence helped balance things out against the neophyte actor Lazenby. As a result of her casting, Rigg became arguably the best “Bond Girl” in the series. Also in the cast were Gabriele Ferzetti as Tracy’s father and Telly Savalas as the new Blofeld, taking over for Donald Pleasence.
After saving Contessa Teresa “Tracy” di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) from drowning in a suicide attempt, Agent 007 (George Lazenby) is taken by force to see her father, Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), who is the head of a crime syndicate. He wants James Bond to marry his daughter. At first refusing, Bond entertains the idea of a romance provided Draco can lead him to Blofeld (Telly Savalas). The head of SPECTRE has taken refuge atop a mountain stronghold in Switzerland, Piz Gloria, which poses as an allergy-research institute. Blofeld falsely claims the title of a count, which gives Bond the opportunity to pose as a visiting genealogist. Bond soon learns of Blofeld’s larger plan to threaten the world with germ warfare– to be carried out by his “angels of death.”
OHMSS features some of the most exhilarating action sequences, a polished script by Richard Maibaum, composer John Barry’s finest musical score, and the most emotional finale in the entire series. The film is not only one of the best in the series, but it’s one of the remarkable films of 1960s cinema. It would prove to be the last of the great Bond films of the decade. Afterward, the series would gradually drop in quality– regaining momentum in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me. Some say OHMSS would have been the best Bond film of all had it starred Sean Connery. This probably should have been Connery’s swan song, but it’s doubtful he would have done some of the physical things that were asked of Lazenby. I don’t subscribe to the idea that this necessarily would have been a better film with the original Bond in it. If we’re projecting the early Connery into the role, yes, but by the end of the decade, Connery’s Bond had been trending down to the rather disinterested 007 we get in Diamonds Are Forever. The missed opportunity wasn’t that Connery didn’t star in OHMSS, it was that Peter Hunt didn’t direct DAF with Lazenby. Connery’s successor probably would have done quite well in the role had he continued into the 1970s.
Like OHMSS, the Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series is getting back to basics. Our emphasis will be exclusively on the presentation of this spectacular film. For our previous Bond events, we had movie props and free giveaways, but this time the draw will be seeing the film in our newly renovated Megatheatre, which features an all-new sound system, laser projection, and one of the largest screens in Illinois. OHMSS is the film we are most looking forward to in Season 6. Few films in the Bond series took better advantage of the widescreen format than this one. Experiencing scenes like the mountain ski chase or the bobsled sequence in the Megatheatre will be one of the great highlights of the entire season. OHMSS is the last of the sequential Bond screenings we plan on doing. At some point, we’ll backtrack and revisit Dr. No and From Russia With Love. But as far as we’re concerned, OHMSS remains one of the highest peaks in the long-running series and the culmination of an era in cinema.
For a detailed history on the production of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, I recommend The Making of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (2009) by Charles Helfenstein and Peter Hunt’s commentary track on the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service dvd.
~MCH
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