On Her Majesty's Secret Service: Difference between revisions

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The sixth ''[[James Bond (film)|James Bond]]'' film, starring George Lazenby in his only appearance<ref>His contract was for 7 movies, but he left because his manager [[It Will Never Catch On|thought spy movies were getting outdated, believing hippy movies were the way to go. After a couple of hippy movie flops, Lazenby finally decided he had enough and fired him]]</ref>. James Bond rescues a beautiful, but emotionally broken countess from committing suicide and her father, the leader of one of Europe's [[The Syndicate|largest organized crime syndicates]], asks Bond to woo and marry her in order to help her deal with her issues. Bond points out the ridiculous nature of this idea, but agrees anyway because Draco (The father) has access to information beyond the reach of official organizations and can help him get a lead on the head of SPECTRE, Enrst Stavro Blofeld. Blofeld, meanwhile, has developed a biological agent to induce sterility in plants and animals and potentially wipe out entire species, which he will use if he is not granted amnesty for all past crimes and an official acknowledgement of his claim to French nobility. Easily the most down-to-earth Bond film (except maybe ''[[From Russia with Love]]'', ''[[Licence to Kill]]'' or the 2006 version of ''[[Casino Royale]]''), it has a polarizing effect on fans. Some like it for its emotional depth and realism, some hate it for its (admittedly inexperienced) actor and lack of over-the-top theatrics (though others have come to think he did great). One undeniable aspect is that unlike most Bond villains, the Blofeld shown in this film has both a realistic goal and a chillingly realistic plan (albeit, a completely over the top ''execution'' of said plan). The film is one of the few where [[James Bond]] himself [[Character Development|has actual emotional depth as well]]. There is also a twist [[Downer Ending]] that is quite unusual for the series, but sadly, it has fallen victim to [[All There Is to Know About "The Crying Game"|casual spoilers]].

 

* [[Action Girl]]: Diana Rigg as Countess Teresa (Tracy) Di Vincezo. Also a [[Badass Driver]].

* [[Adaptation-Induced Plothole]] / [[Pragmatic Adaptation]]: Bond and Blofeld don't seem to recognize each other, even though they met in [[You Only Live Twice|the previous movie]]. Even though [[The Other Darrin|both being different]] counts, it happens because the book is set before ''You Only Live Twice''.

* [[Biggus Dickus]]: Complete with "It's true!" when Bond seduced Ruby.

* [[Bond One-Liner]]: Bond gets a particularly brutal one when a mook falls into a large snowblower and gets cut to pieces by it:

* [[Brainwashed]]: Blofeld's latest scheme involves turning young women into unwitting bioterrorists.

* [[Broken Bird]]: Tracy is a former drug addict, a recent divorcée ''and'' has tragically lost her ill child.

* [[Death by Sex]]: See [[Cartwright Curse]] above.

* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: In-universe. Bond's cover was blown partly because he couldn't get his genealogy facts straight, as Blofeld himself states.

* [[Downer Ending]]: See above.

* [[Drugs Are Bad]]: Marc-Ange Draco, head of the Unione Corse, the biggest European crime syndicate, commits murders, extortion, theft, sexual slavery, and many, many other crimes. But he's a good guy because he doesn't sell drugs.

* [[Fire-Breathing Weapon]]: A flamethrower is featured in the attack on Piz Gloria fortress.

* [[Foreshadowing]]:

** The [[Ominous Music Box Tune]] use of "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown" below.

* [[Girl of the Week]]: Tracy.

* [[Ironic Echo]]: "We Have All The Time In The World"

* [[Just Between You and Me]]

* [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall]]: "This never happened to [[Sean Connery|the OTHER fellow]]."

** [[Double Entendre]]: He could be referring to Prince Charming, what with the shoes.

* [[Man in a Kilt]]

* [[Moral Dissonance]]: Bond is falling in love with Tracy throughout the film, but this does not stop him from sleeping with multiple women, one after the other, [[What the Hell, Hero?|when he knows they are being experimented upon and brainwashed]].

** He doesn't actually fall for Tracy until after that. And he doesn't ''really'' know they are being brainwashed, though obviously he's suspicious of the (voluntary) hypnotism, which he only finds out about after he starts sleeping with them. [[A Man Is Not a Virgin|And being Bond, it was obviously too late by then.]]

* [[Parallel Porn Titles]]: ''[[Life On Mars]]'' had an illicit porn operation with a tape called "On Her Majesty's Secret Cervix".

* [[Percussive Prevention]]: During the [[Storming the Castle]] scene, Tracy's father knocks her out when she refuses to leave without James.

* [[Porn Stash]]: One of several important documents in a Swiss banker's safe is ''[[Playboy]]''. Bond, the cold-hearted bastard, steals it and reads it out of the office.

* [[Pretty in Mink]]: Several, including a red fox coat Tracy wears.

* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: The basic plot of holding the world hostage with a sterility virus is sound (and, for its time, quite original), but brainwashing a cadre of international beauties so that they will unleash the viruses by radio-induced hypnotic command, is just a ''tad'' over the top, don't you think?

* [[Sacrificial Lion]]: Tracy and Bond's ally Campbell.

* [[Stealth Insult]]: Sir Hillary, er, Bond tells Irma Bunt her name is a naval term for the baggy or swollen part of a sail. "Nothing personal, of course."

* [[Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome]]: Originally planned for {{spoiler|Tracy}}, but changed at the last minute to keep the plot condensed.

* [[The Syndicate]]: The Unione Corse, Europe's largest criminal organization and where Bond can turn when his own government will not give him the support he needs.

* [[Ten-Minute Retirement]]: We dare you, ''dare you'', to guess the circumstances of ''this'' one!

* [[There Are No Therapists]]: Subverted. Draco asks Bond to seduce and marry his daughter in order to help her deal with her suicidal tendencies and crushing emotional trauma, but Bond points out that that is a ridiculous idea and she needs treatment and a psychiatrist, not sex. {{spoiler|[[Double Subverted|Then Bond does it anyway because Draco is offering information on Blofeld]]}}

* [[Title Montage]]: Various clips from the five previous Bond movies can be seen during the intro sequence.

* [[What Kept You?]]: She still needs help to get out of the complex, but when the [[Big Damn Heroes]] arrive at the end {{spoiler|Tracy has killed the man guarding her and just needs a ride home}}

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Films of the 1960s]]

[[Category:Danny Peary Cult Movies List]]

[[Category:Film]]

[[Category:James Bond (film)]]