PRODUCTION
When Sean Connery made it absolutely clear that he was not going to play James Bond in the next film, Eon Productions decided to hold a massive talent search to cast a new 007. The resulting choice was an unusual one—Australian model George Lazenby. What won him the part, supposedly, were his test fight scenes. Grilled by stuntman George Leech, Lazenby proved his prowess in displaying the tough aspects of Bond. It was finally announced that George Lazenby would be the next James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
The sixth James Bond film is extraordinary for several reasons, and it is usually a fond favorite among Bond fans. But it has been forgotten by the general public. First of all, the obvious element separating it from the rest of the series is the casting of Lazenby. Second, the film departs from the direction established by the series' formula. The film's director, Peter Hunt (in his debut), wanted to make the film as close to the Fleming original as possible. This meant the script had to concentrate more on character and plot than on art direction and gadgetry. You will recall that On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the novel in which James Bond falls in love and marries Tracy di Vicenzo, only to have her murdered at the story's end by Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Hunt wanted to make the film more like the early pictures and he finally succeeded in persuading the producers to see it his way. Commercially, the gambit didn't pay off. Critics blamed George Lazenby. The producers blamed the departure from the established formula and George Lazenby. On Her Majesty's Secret Service did make a good deal of money, but it was two years after its initial release that it finally recouped its costs.