General consensus states that this is the worst Bond film. Why? Because it starred George Lazenby. Who wasn't Sean Connery. The film is too long and Bond cries at the end. If you take a look at any one of the one star reviews on IMDb, the reviewers usually have a point, even if they have focused in on the worst elements of the film. However for OHMSS the one star reviews stink of ignorance, an inability to appreciate cinema that dares to stray from a narrow formula, or to understand that there was more to Bond than Connery and his gadgets.
Much venom had been aimed at Lazenby before the film's release - he did not have acting experience, he'd become arrogant from his instant fame, and most importantly, he was not Sean. Lazenby was not outstanding, but for a first timer he made a solid Bond, and it's a real shame that he opted out of the series, as I think he really would have thrived in the role with a little more experience. Instead the fans got what they wanted and Connery returned overweight and fatigued in Diamonds Are Forever.
The reason the OHMSS haters have no credibility is because they fail to appreciate that, Lazenby aside, this is an outstanding film. Diana Rigg as the troubled, but fiery, Tracy; Telly Savalas not playing Blofeld as a bug-eyed lunatic, but a suave cultured Eurovillain, and Gabriele Ferzetti and Ilse Steppat are excellent. John Barry's pioneered the use of electric guitar and synthesiser in the superb soundtrack, and Louis Armstrong's swansong 'We Have All The Time In The World' adds deep resonance to Bond and Tracy's doomed romance.
The action scenes come thick and fast in the second half, and whilst the generic Bond would effortlessly dispatch the villains with one of his new gadgets, Bond actually looks like he's up against a challenge this time. His escape from Piz Gloria and finally to safety showed a Bond that was vulnerable, that had to use all his cunning and adrenaline to escape from Blofeld's mob.
One of the most critiqued scenes is the final shot where Bond and Tracy are fired upon straight after the wedding, Tracy hit and killed by the gunfire. Lazenby had the right amount of sensitivity to break down and cry at that scene, it's hard to imagine macho Connery being able to do the same with any credibility. The greatest disappointment with the follow up, Diamonds Are Forever, was that Bond should have acted with uncontrolled rage against Blofeld; instead, he displays all the anger of a man who's been rickrolled, and Blofeld has all the menace of the cast of Rainbow.
It is a great tragedy that Lazenby walked away from the Bond franchise, and despite box-office success, the audiences were not ready for this new era of Bond. Lazenby's no-nonsense Bond would have fit in perfectly with the meaner, less-optimistic hangover of the 1970s; the audiences however wanted Roger Moore's feel-good brand of light comedy, and the stripped-down, serious Bond only got to make a return in For Your Eyes Only.
This is a fine film, and one of the only ones that I will gladly come back to watching. For all that have been put off by the negative press, ignore it and make sure you watch what is my personal favourite from the Bond franchise.
Much venom had been aimed at Lazenby before the film's release - he did not have acting experience, he'd become arrogant from his instant fame, and most importantly, he was not Sean. Lazenby was not outstanding, but for a first timer he made a solid Bond, and it's a real shame that he opted out of the series, as I think he really would have thrived in the role with a little more experience. Instead the fans got what they wanted and Connery returned overweight and fatigued in Diamonds Are Forever.
The reason the OHMSS haters have no credibility is because they fail to appreciate that, Lazenby aside, this is an outstanding film. Diana Rigg as the troubled, but fiery, Tracy; Telly Savalas not playing Blofeld as a bug-eyed lunatic, but a suave cultured Eurovillain, and Gabriele Ferzetti and Ilse Steppat are excellent. John Barry's pioneered the use of electric guitar and synthesiser in the superb soundtrack, and Louis Armstrong's swansong 'We Have All The Time In The World' adds deep resonance to Bond and Tracy's doomed romance.
The action scenes come thick and fast in the second half, and whilst the generic Bond would effortlessly dispatch the villains with one of his new gadgets, Bond actually looks like he's up against a challenge this time. His escape from Piz Gloria and finally to safety showed a Bond that was vulnerable, that had to use all his cunning and adrenaline to escape from Blofeld's mob.
One of the most critiqued scenes is the final shot where Bond and Tracy are fired upon straight after the wedding, Tracy hit and killed by the gunfire. Lazenby had the right amount of sensitivity to break down and cry at that scene, it's hard to imagine macho Connery being able to do the same with any credibility. The greatest disappointment with the follow up, Diamonds Are Forever, was that Bond should have acted with uncontrolled rage against Blofeld; instead, he displays all the anger of a man who's been rickrolled, and Blofeld has all the menace of the cast of Rainbow.
It is a great tragedy that Lazenby walked away from the Bond franchise, and despite box-office success, the audiences were not ready for this new era of Bond. Lazenby's no-nonsense Bond would have fit in perfectly with the meaner, less-optimistic hangover of the 1970s; the audiences however wanted Roger Moore's feel-good brand of light comedy, and the stripped-down, serious Bond only got to make a return in For Your Eyes Only.
This is a fine film, and one of the only ones that I will gladly come back to watching. For all that have been put off by the negative press, ignore it and make sure you watch what is my personal favourite from the Bond franchise.