Search - On Her Majesty's Secret Service on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Violence, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1969 DVD Release: 05/16/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 22 mins Studio: MGM Members Wishing: 27 Genres: Spy Film, Action, Romantic Adventure, Glamorized Spy Film See Also: On Her Majesty's Secret Service

It wasn't as well received at the box office as the pictures that preceded it or followed it, but Peter Hunt's On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the finest of the James Bond movies and also arguably the last truly great movie in the series. James Bond, portrayed here by George Lazenby (in his only performance in the role) has spent nearly two years trying to track down Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly Savalas), the head of SPECTRE. He has been taken off the case by his chief (Bernard Lee), an action the pushes him to the point of considering resigning from Her Majesty's Secret Service, just as he opens a possible new avenue of attack on his quarry. Whilst in the field, Bond has chanced to cross paths with the Contessa Teresa Di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg), a beautiful but desperately unhappy woman, whom he rescues from one apparent suicide attempt and an embarrassing moment at a casino gaming table -- the Contessa, who prefers to be called Tracy ("Teresa was a saint"), is the daughter of Marc Ange Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), an industrial and construction magnate and also a crime boss, who is impressed with Bond personally as well as professionally, and would like to see him marry his daughter. Bond is, at first, unwilling to involve himself with a woman -- any woman -- on that level, but Draco's underworld contacts give Bond a vital clue to Blofeld's whereabouts that get him back on the case and hot on the man's trail. Journeying incognito to Blofeld's mountaintop retreat in the Swiss Alps, Bond finds the criminal mastermind posing as a would-be nobleman and also as a philanthropist, running a clinic devoted to the treatment and eradication of allergies. It's all a front for a surprisingly sinister (and scientifically valid) plot for international blackmail that would make any previous Bond villain quake in fear. And in the process of staying alive long enough to have a chance of stopping Blofeld, Bond discovers the Tracy is truly like no woman he's ever known before -- one special enough that he finds himself willing to give up his life as a free-living, free-loving bachelor. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

George Lazenby - James Bond
Diana Rigg - Tracy Di Vicenzo
Telly Savalas - Blofeld
Ilse Steppat - Irma Bunt
Gabriele Ferzetti - Draco

=On Her Majesty's Secret Service suffers slightly on DVD from its forgotten status. The 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen digital master is not as well-restored as some of the other films, resulting in occasional spots on the print and a few minor mastering errors. While =Thunderball received a new stereo track, =On Her Majesty's Secret Service is left with lackluster mono. Luckily, what the disc lacks in sound and picture quality, it makes up for in supplemental material. The commentary track is once again edited together from various interviews with the cast and crew, although director Peter Hunt's comments appear to be screen-specific through most of the film. The documentary Inside "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" is also one of the better featurettes in the series, due to both the frank discussion of George Lazenby's brief flirtation with the role and the high level of quality that went into the film's production. A second featurette, "Inside Q's Laboratory," is a loving tribute to Desmond Llewelyn and the gadgets featured throughout the series. A 1969 documentary about the film's incredible ski photography, a still gallery, TV ads, radio spots, and a trailer are also included. A largely forgotten but essential Bond film, =On Her Majesty's Secret Service offers enough to deserve a second chance from both fans and casual viewers on DVD. ~ Oliver Thornton, All Movie Guide