6.7/10
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On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

Trailer
2:14 | Trailer
James Bond woos a mob boss' daughter and goes undercover to uncover the true reason for Ernst Stavro Blofeld's allergy research in the Swiss Alps involving beautiful women from around the world.

Director:

Peter R. Hunt (as Peter Hunt)

Writers:

Simon Raven (additional dialogue), Richard Maibaum (screenplay)
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Popularity
3,344 ( 578)
Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Lazenby ... James Bond
Diana Rigg ... Tracy
Telly Savalas ... Blofeld
Gabriele Ferzetti ... Draco
Ilse Steppat ... Irma Bunt
Lois Maxwell ... Moneypenny
George Baker ... Sir Hilary Bray
Bernard Lee ... 'M'
Bernard Horsfall ... Campbell
Desmond Llewelyn ... 'Q'
Yuri Borienko Yuri Borienko ... Grunther
Virginia North ... Olympe
Geoffrey Cheshire Geoffrey Cheshire ... Toussaint
Irvin Allen ... Che Che
Terence Mountain Terence Mountain ... Raphael (as Terry Mountain)
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Storyline

George Lazenby steps into the role of James Bond and is sent on his first mission. For help with Marc-Ange Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), he must become very close friends with his daughter, Teresa "Tracy" (Dame Diana Rigg), and heads off to hunt down Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas) one more time. This takes him to Switzerland, where he must pose as Sir Hilary Bray to find out the secret plan of Blofeld. The facility is covered with Blofeld's guards, as well as his henchwoman, Irma Bunt (Ilse Steppat). What does Blofeld have in mind this time? Can Bond keep up this act for much longer? Are any Bond Girls safe? Written by simon

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

The New Bond. 007 and Bride. [Advance artwork] See more »


Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter R. Hunt directed this movie because the producers were impressed with his editing style, and because of a long-standing promise from Producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman that Hunt would eventually direct. Hunt also asked for the position during the production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and he brought along with him many crew members, including Cinematographer Michael Reed. Hunt was focused on making his mark. "I wanted it to be different than any other Bond film would be. It was my film, not anyone else's." See more »

Goofs

When the fourth attacker approaches Bond on the beach, he picks up a grappling hook. The grappling hook is facing towards the right on the ground. The camera cuts away quickly and cuts back, and then when the man picks up the hook, it is facing towards the left. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Q: I've been saying for years, sir, that our special equipment is obsolete. And now, computer analysis reveals an entirely new approach: miniaturization. For instance, radioactive lint. When placed in an opponent's pockets, the anti-personnel and location fix seems fairly obvious.
M: What we want is a location fix on 007.
See more »

Crazy Credits

JAMES BOND 007 WILL RETURN in "DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER" See more »

Alternate Versions

The film was edited by the BBFC to change a single line for theatrical exhibition. After Bond says "I feel a slight stiffness coming on", the line "... in the shoulder" has been badly added, ruining the joke totally. See more »

Connections

Spoofed in The Agent on the Rocks (2015) See more »

Soundtracks

Do you Know How Christmas Trees are Grown ?
Music by John Barry
Lyrics by Hal David
Performed by Nina van Pallandt
See more »

User Reviews

Great Bond film
14 March 2008 | by ametaphysicalsharkSee all my reviews

"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a sadly under-appreciated Bond film which is stylishly-directed and features an outstanding score, like most of these early Bond films. Other than a silly self-referential line in the teaser and some sappy romantic montages, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a thrilling adventure which sees Bond traveling to the Swiss Alps to encounter villains and partake in dangerous action sequences.

It sounds like a Bond film, alright, but this is actually quite different from the formulaic films one would later expect from the series, and the sort of film Bond was gravitating towards with "Thunderball" and "You Only Live Twice". It certainly delivers on the promise of sexual innuendo and lots of provocatively dressed women, but it's a different sort of Bond in that it seems to be more straight-faced and harsh, culminating in what is probably the saddest Bond ending. It's also probably the closest to Fleming's version of Bond outside of "Casino Royale", although "The Living Daylights" was also somewhat similar to the literary Bond. As a Fleming fan it is nice to see the Bond series take after the books.

Lazenby, who has been frequently criticized and is many people's least favorite Bond, actually does a decent job of the role. He's nowhere near as good as Connery, of course, but I thought that other than the scenes where he tried to seriously emote, he carried the film with his charisma and physical presence. I strongly believe he should have continued in the role. Lazenby fits the content of the film, which is certainly far more down to Earth than many other Bond films, and focuses heavily on hand-to-hand combat in the action scenes, which is somewhat refreshing after the overblown (entertaining, but seriously outrageous) action scenes in "You Only Live Twice". This is a genuinely good script, with a solid plot, good dialogue, and good characterization.

It's not just a throwaway action flick, it's an excellent espionage thriller with a strong dramatic core, and as fun as things like "Goldfinger" certainly are, it's nice to see one of these movies treat women as more than mere sex objects, and it's interesting to see a Bond girl paired with a Bond who reacts as a human would and not a cartoon character. Diana Rigg is probably my favorite Bond girl. She gives a strong performance and is helped by an excellent script which gives her a fair amount to do.

By staying closer to the source material, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" dramatically improves on its two predecessors and features some of the best locations in the series, although I admit my familiarity with the majority of the Swiss shooting locations gives me a nostalgic view of things. "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is a strong contender for the title of best Bond film.

9/10


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English | German | French

Release Date:

19 December 1969 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Au service secret de Sa Majesté See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$22,774,493

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,787,885
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eon Productions See more »
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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) (uncredited)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
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