On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969

     This is the sixth film in the series and first Bond role for George Lazenby.  His mission is to hunt down Ernst Stravro Blofeld one more time.  He needs help from Draco and he has become close friends with Draco’s daughter Tracy.  He saved Tracy from drowning at a beach in Portugal.  Marc-Ange Draco is the head of the European crime syndicate Unione Corse.  Bond goes to Switzerland where he poses as Sir Hilary Bray to learn the secret plan of Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE.  Irma Bunt is in charge of Blofeld’s clinical allergy-research institute and there are guards covering security for the facility.  The institute is really brainwashing women patients to distribute bacteriological warfare agents throughout different parts of the world.  Bond endeavors to trick Blofeld into leaving Switzerland so MI6 can arrest him.  Instead, Blofeld threatens to destroy agriculture worldwide by having the women release the bacteria.

     This is a long film considering the pattern already established by
Bond films and it more closely follows the Ian Fleming book.  There are a lot of 1960’s fashions included in Bond’s clothing and the clothing of the women.   Sean Connery is suave, Roger Moore is proper and George Lazenby is slightly stiff in his acting style.  The ending is different.  3 ½* (I liked this movie)

144 min, Action directed by Peter R. Hunt with George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, Telly Savalas, Gabriele Ferzetti, Ilse Steppat, Lois Maxwell, Geroge Baker, Bernard Lee, Bernard Horsfall, Desmond Llewelyn, Yuri Borienko.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10, 82% critic 64% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 4.3* out of 5* with 658 reviews.

Special Note:  The Duke of Kent (Edward Windsor) and the Duchess of Kent attended the Royal World Premiere of this film on December 18, 1969.  This film grossed $64.6 million worldwide and was one of the highest grossing films of 1969.  It was also one of the most popular movies in France.  George Lazenby is from Australia, he started his career as a model and Sean Connery started as an art college life model.