Apparently Once Was Enough

On Her Majesty's Secret Service - This one is almost as hated as Never Say Never Again and the parody version of Casino Royale, but I say it's actually one of the better James Bond films. This was George Lazenby's only shot at playing 007 before he was talked out of it before the film was even released by friends who supposed that Bond was a dead subject in the midst of the Woodstock generation. Of course time has told a different tale and I guess George has spent quite a bit of time kicking himself. That said I think Lazenby makes a fantastic Bond, definitely better than Dalton and Moore in my book. He makes all the right smart remarks without going over the top like Roger, and he's a hell of a fighter as well, matching Connery for action savvy. The flick is extraordinarily well-acted, with both Diana Rigg and Telly Savalas making us effortlessly forget they are both better known as Emma Peel and Kojak. The music is killer and also look for clips of Bond themes from earlier films, a running injoke in this one, referencing what has gone before. I could have done without the ski and snow chases, probably boring because they could have been done so much better. Also look for Joanna Lumley in her first screen role, years before "Ab Fab." This is one of the better Bond flicks, folks working on the new ones should check OHMSS for ideas.