On Her Majesty's Secret Service I recall to be pretty good, but haven't seen it for about 20 years
Watch it again.
I watched it from start to finish for the first time in over 30 years recently...
I think I would prefer to watch all the Halle Berry Die Another Day scenes back to back for 24 hrs straight than subject myself to OHMSS again!
George Lazenby is no actor (was a model from Australia) and it shows. He definitely has the rugged looks of James Bond, but that is where it ends. He was like a birthday cake made out of cardboard. Dalton did a better job to me.
The film itself is too long, and too convoluted; so much so I fell asleep after the first hour and had to pick up the rest the following night. I also had to spoon feed myself as to what was going on by looking up the plot on Wiki.
The fisticuffs fights scenes suffer from an undercranked camera to make it appear everyone is throwing punches at normal (fast) speed- it doesn't work; it blatantly looks sped up on purpose. The fights also have a bit of frenetic editing that I thought was a flaw that only occurred in modern films.
Not to mention there is a distinctive 60s vibe to the film that isn't as prevalent to me in the previous installments. The clothing, the sets and especially the misogyny- seeing Bond slap Diana Rigg across the face simply because she wasn't obeying him is a bit shocking to watch these days.
Really the whole film felt like an Austin Powers movie trying to take itself seriously.
The only decent scene occurs after Bond has "nearly" escaped after the ski chase, and has to hide out from the henchmen at the skating rink. He looks defeated pulling his collar up around his cheeks in a last ditch attempt to hide his face and hope he isn't spotted (he actually looks
scared)- only to be rescued by Rigg. Telly Savalas does make an intimidating Blofeld though. The bobsled chase was good... however (like most of the film for me) it just went on too long!
The epilogue with Rigg's death... I remember this scene much differently when seeing it as a child on television in the late 70s (as the Sunday afternoon movie). I remember it being good.
It was painful to watch today. Bond's line "She's just having a rest." instantly made me think of Monty Python's "Dead Parrot" skit which destroyed it all for me. Lazenby doesn't overact... or underact... he's just no actor at all. Not to mention he's supposed to be delivering these lines to a motorcycle cop who has stopped to see what the trouble is about (with a car riddled with bullets from a drive-by); the cop says nothing the entire time.
Lazenby is my least favourite Bond if I haven't made it clear yet. :lol
I enjoy the Moore films, however they are defiitely the lighthearted Bond movies. I've come to grips with the fact that while entertaining, Bond films really got into a rut after Goldfinger. Especially the typical clmactic battle with the good guys storming the secret underground lair. Pacing comes as a shock rewatching these films- they do run a little too slow between the action bits.
Spy Who Loved Me certainly was the best of the Moore Bonds; although I do have a soft spot for Man with the Golden Gun:
1- no giant battle at the end, just Bond and his wits against Scaramaga.
2- Christopher freakin' Lee!
3- Herve Villechaize!
For me the best "Storming the Evil Base" sequence was in "You Only Live Twice"- freaking Ninjas repelling into the base! Love it! Everything else just falls a little short.
But yeah... by then the formula was set and had become tired film after film. The Evil Villain, the secret lair (complete with live animals to devour henchmen), the Super Destructo Device, and the gadgets...
Ah the gadgets! Sometimes they are used to great effect (Goldfinger's DB5)... but mostly they became Bond's "Get out of Jail Free Card."
It can be a good thing when a gadget is used by Bond to help himself out of a jam, by using it in a way NOT as it was originally intended for (in other words Bond is improvising)...
However the gadgets are best when they are not used at all! Picture Bond going for his gadget... and it hopelessly falls down an elevator shaft! Now Bond must rely on his wits and determination alone to succeed! This is how you create drama and tension- not by having a device to free Bond. One of Bond's best "escapes" was talking Goldfinger into sparing his life (and manhood). The glorious DB5 certainly couldn't help him out of that one!
It's funny how these movies used to truly entertain me, however they haven't aged that well.
Of the Craig films I've watched Casino Royale and Skyfall. Casino was okay, but I much prefer Skyfall. And it definitely took me a while to accept Craig as Bond. He's more like The Terminator to me- a bull in a China shop.
Frankly I liked Dalton's take on Bond as well and think Living Daylights is a fine installment in the Bond saga- it definitely beats over half the Moore films, and a couple of the Connery films.
And since we are rating the Bonds...
1- Connery
2- Craig
3- (tie) Brosnan, Dalton and Moore with any one topping the other two depending on my mood
4- David Niven
5- Bob Simmons
6- Woody Allen
-that Lazenby guy.
Kevin