The James Bond Bedside Companion (65 page)

Hunt injects his own contributions to the film's comic relief. While Bond is led through a warehouse (at gunpoint) to meet Marc-Ange Draco (Tracy's father), we see a midget janitor sweeping the floor. Bond film fans recognize that he's whistling the theme from
Goldfinger
.

Hunt directed half of the action scenes in the picture, while second unit director/editor John Glen took control of the other half. The fight sequences are among the toughest in the series. The tumble with the large black man in Tracy's hotel room near the beginning of the picture is especially explosive.

The only scene that mars the film takes place during Bond and Tracy's courtship. After showing up at Draco's birthday party (at Draco's insistence) simply to see Tracy again, Bond begins to fall for her. Once this feeling has become mutual, there is one of those corny, romantic montage sequences where we see the man and woman walking along the beach (or in a field, or riding horses)—underscored by a passionate love song. The number happens to be a very lovely tune by Barry called "We Have All the Time in the World," with lyrics by Hal David. The problem is that the late Louis Armstrong's rendition of the song seems more out of place than the sequence itself. The effect of seeing James Bond and a woman in a Harlequin Romance setting with the raspy, deep voice of Armstrong crooning along is, well, laughable.

Another bit that doesn't work too well is the scene in which Bond witnesses the "treatment" of Ruby in her room at Piz Gloria. Ruby is one of the ten "allergy" patients at the supposed clinic, but in reality her treatment is nothing but a brainwashing by Blofeld. Bond and Ruby have just finished making love, when suddenly Blofeld's reverberating voice crackles from a hidden speaker as the lights flicker and change colors. Bond watches with confusion as Ruby falls asleep while listening to Blofeld say, "You love chickens . . . you like their feathers . . ." etc. It's one of the series' best (unintentionally) silly sequences.

The film is played straight overall, and exhibits a great deal of sophistication. The casino scene, and all the sequences with Tracy, evince a certain elegance which is missing from the later Eon offerings. Hunt has succeeded, perhaps more than any other Bond director, in closely capturing Fleming's world.

ACTORS AND CHARACTERS

G
eorge Lazenby is introduced to us as Bond in a manner similar to that used for Connery. The first few shots of Bond are only of his shoulders, the back of his head, his hands, etc. He is driving his Aston Martin down a highway in Portugal and is passed recklessly by Tracy. "The James Bond Theme" is heard with an unusual arrangement as Bond shifts gears and speeds after her. He follows her to the beach, spies on her with the telescopic sight from his attach
é
case, and realizes she is attempting to drown herself. We see the figure exit the car, remove his jacket, and run down the dune to rescue her. Bond carries her out of the water, lays her down on the sand, and revives her. "I don't think we've been properly introduced," he says. Then there is a shot of this new face, looking fresh and a bit young for Bond. "The name's Bond. James Bond." The voice is pleasant, with a slight Australian accent.

Once one gets over the shock of a different actor saying those words, it is not difficult to accept Lazenby as Bond. In many ways he more closely resembles the Ian Fleming version of Bond than either of the other two actors. He is dark, with a thin face. He is handsome, yet his looks have a hard edge. At times Lazenby does seem a little young for the role, but his physical abilities overcome this problem. He is terrific in the fight scenes, and handles the love scenes with surprising confidence. He's most awkward in lengthy conversation scenes, such as the first meeting with Marc-Ange Draco. Lazenby's handling of the romantic interchanges with Tracy (such as the proposal) is admirable for a beginning actor. Unfortunately, the actor's ultimate downfall was his lack of a powerful, charismatic screen presence akin to an actor such as Sean Connery. The critics were too harsh on Lazenby. His performance is the most honest and sincere of any of the actors who have played Bond.

Distinguished British actress Diana Rigg, known to
Americans for her role in
The Avengers
on television, portrays Teresa di Vicenzo, the only woman ever to be Mrs. James Bond. Since Bond was being played by an unknown, the producers felt that perhaps this time the heroine should be someone with more experience. Miss Rigg is very good in the role, although she portrays a slightly different Tracy from the one in the novel. She plays the contessa image to the hilt, sometimes coming off a little haughty. And although Tracy in the novel is rich and spoiled, she retains a helplessness for which Bond is the cure. We never believe the film. Tracy needs James Bond. But we do believe she loves him, and this is important. The film Tracy also has a bit of Emma Peel (the character Rigg portrayed in
The Avengers)
in her make-up. She knows judo and handles being kidnapped by the villain reasonably well. Had she been kidnapped in the novel, I doubt that Tracy would have remained calm. Rigg is particularly effective in the scenes at Draco's birthday party. When she discovers that her father has invited Bond to his house on her behalf, we see some emotions rarely displayed by a Bond-girl onscreen. The proposal scene in the barn is effective, too. When Bond finally pops the question, Miss Rigg's face assumes the perfect expression of disbelief. Even Tracy di Vicenzo finds it hard to believe that
the
James Bond has actually proposed to a woman, and it happens to be her.

Ernst Stavro Blofeld is miscast again, but the error is not as grave as in the preceding film. Telly Savalas plays the SPECTRE leader, still attached to that white cat. He's bald, as was Pleasence's Blofeld, but he has lost the ugly scar. Only Blofeld's ear lobes are missing, because the character is passing himself as the Count de Bleuville. Savalas is too energetic and too snide to be Blofeld. He seems more like a New York gangster. There is none of Blofeld's wisdom or methodical probing in Savalas' characterization. He is successful at bringing out the man's villainy—his obligatory "spilling the beans" scene is one of the best Blofeld plans to launch biological warfare on England by hypnotizing ten beautiful girls (supposedly allergy victims) and ordering them to do his bidding. The girls will go out into the land and poison livestock and crops. Blofeld's demands for stopping the virus attack are complete amnesty from all governments with a price on his head, and recognition of his title of Count. This makes sense, considering what hell he's caused in the past: knocking down American test flights, stealing government cipher machines, blackmailing governments with atomic bombs and so forth. Another oddity of Savalas' Blofeld is that he takes part in the ski chase after Bond escapes from Piz Gloria. The real Blofeld would have had more dignity.

The most successful casting in the film is that of Ilse Steppat as Irma Bunt. Though her character appeared in the novel
You Only Live Twice
,
she isn't in the film. Her character is important here, and she is used faithfully. The casting of Miss Steppat reminds one of the casting of Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb. Steppat is a matronly middle-aged actress who fits Fleming's description of Bunt perfectly. Actually, Irma Bunt comes off more menacing than Blofeld in this picture. The audience is given quite a jolt when Bond sneaks into Ruby's room a second time at Piz Gloria, only to find Irma Bunt in bed where Ruby should be.

Italian actor Gabtiele Ferzetti plays Marc-Ange Draco, the head of the Union Corse, and briefly, Bond's father-in-law. This is also a good piece of casting. It is said that Draco's voice was dubbed, though this isn't noticeable (the dubbing in Bond films has always been surprisingly good), and Ferzetti displays a good deal of the charm required for the part. An element which is missing until the final showdown at Piz Gloria is the fact that Draco can be a tough customer. After all, he is the head of the most powerful crime syndicate in France. Ferzetti seems a little too nice at times. But during the big battle, he proves he can hold his own in a dangerous situation. There is one funny moment showcasing Ferzetti: Draco is trying to convince Tracy to get inside the helicopter so they can escape from the alp. Piz Gloria will blow up any second, but Bond is still inside. Draco is finally forced to punch her in the jaw, knocking her unconscious. He shrugs at a companion and says, "Spare the rod, spoil the child," and lifts her into the copter.

Cute Angela Scoular giggles her way through the role of Ruby, one of the ten allergy patients who is lucky enough to have an affair with James Bond. In the book, she is the only one who gets to know Bond in the biblical sense, but in the film, Bond also makes love to a girl named Nancy (played by Catherine Von Schell), and it's implied that he woos a Chinese girl.

The film's Obligatory Sacrificial Lamb is the Swiss agent Shaun Campbell from Station Z. His role is small, but his presence is emphasized in key scenes. Played by Bernard Horsfall, he is the agent who oversees the crane operation that delivers the safecracker/duplicator through Gumbold's office window to Bond. He also painfully follows Bond on his journey to Piz Gloria, making the trip the hard way—mostly on foot Campbell meets his end by being strung up by his feet over a cliff after he is caught spying. (A little more dignified
than past SPECTRE killings. It's also interesting that the film is missing the usual SPECTRE execution of one of its own members, even though there is one of these scenes in the book.)

As mentioned earlier, Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell have rare moments with their characterizations of M and Miss Moneypenny, respectively. The resignation scene captures the M/Bond relationship very well, and the subsequent saving-of-the-day by Moneypenny lends her character a depth never suggested in the novels. There is also the scene at Quarterdeck, M's home. We meet Chief Petty Officer Hammond (much younger than expected) and we find M playing with a butterfly collection (his hobby in the book was watercolors). Desmond Llewelyn makes brief appearances in the film; once at the beginning, explaining his radioactive lint, and again in the wedding sequence. Referring to Tracy, Bond tells Q as he's leaving for his honeymoon that this time he has the gadgets, and that he "knows how to use them."

OTHER ASPECTS

T
he look of the film is picturesque. The location photography of the Swiss Alps provides a colorful and awesome backdrop for the film. Snow is everywhere and the picture's Christmas timeframe gives it a very seasonal atmosphere.

Syd Cain designs his second Bond feature and does a splendid job. Most impressive is his work on Piz Gloria. Piz Gloria is actually a revolving restaurant atop the Schilthorn Mountain ("Magic Mountain"), some 6900 feet above the Lauterbrunnen valley near Murren. The restaurant was nearing completion when Eon Productions discovered its existence and began negotiating to use the site for filming. The final agreement was that Eon Productions would furnish interior designs and execute them, as well as build a heliport outside in exchange for use of the building. The restaurant was even renamed Piz Gloria permanently.

Michael Reed's photography has a sharpness not previously seen in Bond films, which gives the film a chic look. John Jordan, unimpeded by an artificial leg, is back to film the aerial sequences, and his work is as impressive as ever. Jordan was tragically killed later the same year working on
Catch-22
. The stunning ski chases and bobsled scene were filmed by skiing champion Willy Bogner, Jr., who reportedly performed all kinds of daredevil tricks to obtain certain shots. These sequences were directed by second unit man John Glen, who would direct future Bond films. Glen also serves as the film's editor, and he follows Peter Hunt's footsteps in continuing the latter's fast-paced style.

John Stears returns at the special effects helm, and his model of Piz Gloria (which explodes, as usual, at the film's end) looks authentic. George Leech choreographed the action sequences, and succeeds in creating tough fight scenes and exciting chases. Anthony Squire directed the wonderful stock car chase in which Bond and Tracy escape a SPECTRE Rolls by joining a rally in progress. This scene is a variation of the "fork left to hell" scene in the novel, in which Bond sends the SPECTRE car over a cliff by reversing a KEEP RIGHT road sign. Marjory Cornelius deserves mention for her wardrobe designs, especially for the ten allergy patients at Piz Gloria. Bond's baronet outfit is amusing and all of Tracy's clothes are alluring and appealing.

OHMSS
contains perhaps the best score of the series. John Barry outdoes himself with an innovative sound for the film. The Bond scores have always had a modern feel to them, but this one is raunchy and jazzy. The theme is instrumental, with an upbeat, driving tempo. The use of a fuzz-box on the guitar is prominent, creating a gritty texture. There are also several beautiful lyrical sections, such as the backgrounds to the prologue, the journey to Blofeld's hideaway, and the helicopter approach to Piz Gloria at the film's climax. "We Have All the Time in the World" is a lovely melody, and is used wistfully at the film's end when Bond realizes Tracy is dead. Like the film itself, the score is unique in the series. John Barry gambled with this one, as did Peter Hunt and the producers.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
may not be the best Bond film, but it just might be the most admirable.