Ask any true Bond fan to name their favourite film in the series and chances are it'll be this one. Everything about this film is outstanding. The locations, the story and the music (in my opinion John Barry never topped this) are all top notch. George Lazenby was always going to take some flak for taking over from Sean Connery but some of the things written simply aren't true, he was a good Bond and it's such a shame he only made this one. If Connery had hung around for this one it wouldn't be the classic it is. Lazenbys Bond was less the super human than the previous outings but that was only because the producers decided to make the character more in keeping with Flemings original concept, not Lazenbys fault, and in them doing so have made this the best film in the series. It's also been written that this film was a box office flop, again not true... because of the films running time of over 2 hours 20 minutes it simply meant most cinemas had to drop one showing a day to what was the norm back in 1969, if it was such a failure 'Diamonds Are Forever' wouldn't have got the green light to be made. As it stands because this is Lazenbys only Bond film it makes it unique - definitely not the disaster some people made it out to be. Diana Rigg is one of the series best actresses and Telly Savalas makes a terrific Blofeld, far better than Donald Pleasence or Charles Gray and the story is easily the best and most coherent of all the films. The one downside in an otherwise flawless film is that the characters of Bond and Blofeld fail to recognise each other despite meeting in the previous film, however the writers probably thought that as both roles were played by two different actors the audience would let it pass and to mention it now is merely nit picking at an amazing film that once it gets going never lets up. The ending is by far the best ending of any film in the series and is genuinely moving, you really care about these characters and if it's a shame Lazenby didn't make another then it's equally criminal Peter Hunt never directed another one. Sean Connery may be the best Bond of the 60's but this is easily the best Bond film of the 60's and nothing since has managed to top it.
Review of On Her Majesty's Secret Service
