Time often tends to be kinder to some films than others, and one of the biggest beneficiaries over the passage of time has proven to be On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the sixth installment in the legendary James Bond franchise.
After Sean Connery’s iconic tenure had drawn to a close, Eon Productions faced the impossible task of selecting a replacement for the actor who’d defined 007 forevermore. Taking an unexpected route, it was decided that a model with no previous experience in the movie business was the best bet, only for George Lazenby to announce midway through filming that his stint under the tux would be a one-and-done endeavor.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service also marked a turn-up for the books by having Bond find a wife, who ended up being murdered by the time the credits rolled. Conveniently, this was all forgotten and ignored by the time Roger Moore arrived on the scene with a raised eyebrow in tow, ensuring Lazenby’s sole outing as the secret agent would be swept under the canonical rug as fast as possible.
It’s a lot better than it got credit for at the time, and a lot of die-hard fans will defend it to the death as one of the most underrated Bonds ever made. Whether or not you agree with that sentiment, one thing that can’t be denied is that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has been rocketing up the iTunes global rankings this week per FlixPatrol, ensuring that Lazenby’s brief stint enjoying his shaken-not-stirred martinis continues its remarkable return to relevance more than a half century on from its debut.