Lazenby is a strong fighter and looks and plays the part admirably. Telly Savalas is the best Blofeld on film as well. I loved how this was set in the Swiss alps. Too bad Telly and Georg didn't reappear in Diamonds are Forever.
shareAh, well.
shareCliche, sure, but for me it's Connery for Bond and From Russia with Love for my favourites. I think they're cliche for a reason. FRWL has that great Cold War Thriller atmosphere, the train sequence is brilliant, and the whole thing is classic Bond. Connery wins the Bond race for me because of his blend of brutal animal and sophisticated gentleman. He walks the line the finest of all the Bonds. Brosnan and Moore were too refined, Craig and Dalton too brutal, although Dalton was REALLY close, too. Don't get me wrong, there's stuff to love about every Bond, but Connery takes it (for me).
As to OHMSS and Lazenby...
OHMSS is one of the finest Bond films. It's a top 10 for me, probably top 5 (depends on the day - my order tends to shuffle a bit) and I couch that with a ripping script and the daring that OHMSS takes with its plot and ending. It challenges Bond like he's never been challenged before, and that's top marks.
So why isn't it my favourite, if it's so good?
Frankly, it's Lazenby. He isn't as awful as some say, but he's a little flat. He's just not as good an actor as he should have been, and he can't hit the notes perfectly. I think he's "passable", but he's barely memorable in the role, and the movie and the supporting cast outrun him. That's not good for a Bond movie. My lament isn't that George and Telly didn't stick around for DAF, it's that Connery didn't bow out with this film instead of the lackluster follow-up. Of course, had Connery ended it here, it's possible that the way this film wraps up, combined with Connery's leaving, might have mothballed 007 in one swoop.
Savalas was great as Blofeld, but I'll go back to FRWL for my choice. The unseen menace in the shadows is far more unsettling than any revealed Blofeld could be. Maybe that's not fair, but it works.
Is this the one with the Paul McCartney song?
shareNo that was Live and Let Die.... I LOVE that song so much. It's quickly become one of my favorite of all the Bond songs. I still love Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever", but "Live and Let Die" is such a brilliant song for so many different reasons. Adele's "Skyfall" is probably the most technically achieved and articulately composed Bond song, though.
shareIt's always been my favourite. Best script, best leading lady and some of the best action... yep. Not to mention the great Louis Armstrong song.
Lazeunby is good in the fight scenes, a little awkward with some of the dialogue but I always thought that if he'd been given a second go at it he could have made his mark.
Action and rear projection cinematography is dated, but drama parts still work today. Its not the best, but one of the best, sure. I liked Telly Savalas' Blofeld as well.
shareThis film would never have worked with Connery.
shareHow is this better than Never Say Never Again?
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