I have no doubt that Lazenby would have improved by Diamonds are Forever, and working with a more conventional director in Guy Hamilton, would have impressed audiences. Peter Hunt wanted to make a different kind of Bond film, which put his star in a very different position than if the film had been more similar to the Bonds that came before. It's odd that Lazenby gets so much criticism for being a one-off Bond when Hunt was a one-off director. Certainly, the combination produced a unique Bond film, and one which I enjoy. But it's also true that it put off many of the ordinary audiences.
^ I agree. I do wish he did one more, but then again, if Lazenby did 7 pictures - Roger might not have stepped into the role and for me, I couldn't have that! :007)
Yeah, what happened happened, and hey, at least Laz did a good job with the love story. Very, very convincing.
I mean yeah, one can get the impression that his having slept with 2 other women in the film meant that his Bond had forgotten about Tracy, but he was trying to coax information out of them.
It's funny how Rigg was clearly a far superior actress to Lazenby, and yet they managed to have chemistry in OHMSS.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Both Lazenby and Hunt should have come back for DAF, which would have got a more serious take .... Though I love the first half of DAF. It starts to goes downhill once Bond reconnects with Case in LV. Case's character just seems to lose its grip after the nice introduction. And Blofeld dressed up as a lady leaves a bad taste X-(
I do like lazenby but does anyone have any real evidence that he could act or had any real screen presence? To me he was a rod taylor type player - square jawed, capable but stiff. If he'd continued I think the franchise would have died. Some people say he was unlucky to get ohmss but I'd say the opposite. Its one of the best books / translation s to screen in the series and pretty much just required him to play straight. Put him in daf (without Connery's timing) or lald (without Moore's easy charm) and you would have "bombed" not bond
He had presence IMO , just not to the extent of Connery....... I still think the scripts wouldve been the same in the 70s , infact Laz wouldve been told to just shut up and be thankful he got the part in the first place (not meddling afa scripts were concerned)
A second Lazenby film could have been very interesting, particularly if it had played to his strengths and flattered his ego by exploring his interest in the hippie subculture. Here's a synopsis of what a second Lazenby film could have been like (which I've already posted in another thread):
Octopussy (1970) starring George Lazenby
M informs Bond that a number of Secret Service employees, including 004, have dropped out of straight society and entered the hippie subculture, before disappearing without trace. Bond, still reeling from Tracy's death, is only too happy to take on the assignment and get away from routine work. Investigating 004's paperwork in his abandoned flat, Bond discovers frequent references to "cosmic Charlie", which he assumes to be a potent form of cocaine or possibly a new designer hallucinogenic.
With few other leads, he travels to Corsica to see Marc-Ange Draco, who has suffered a nervous breakdown and has handed control of the Union Corse to his deputy while he attempts to recover from his loss. Draco informs him that he has also lost agents in the same way and tells him that he believes Cosmic Charlie is a person rather than a drug — a beautiful woman who acts as a siren for the psychedelic lifestyle and encourages high-ranking civil servants and other prominent members of straight society to abandon their former lives. Draco suggests that Cosmic Charlie mainly recruits at high-end resorts in the Caribbean and suggests Bond goes there.
Bond travels to the Caribbean under an alias, growing out his hair and beard, and lives the life of a beach bum, going from resort to resort until he meets Cosmic Charlie. Although her appearance has changed drastically, he suspects that she in fact Maria Freudenstein, a Secret Service agent who disappeared after M began investigating claims that she was a double agent for SPECTRE, who paid for her services via rigged auctions of Fabergé collectibles at Sotheby's.
Cosmic Charlie tells Bond that the new hallucinogenic of choice is Octopussy — a drug derived from the skin secretions of an octopus. Bond is persuaded to try a tiny amount of the drug and has an incredibly vivid trip in which he throttles Blofeld bare-handed amid a maelstrom of psychedelic lights.
Charlie tries to persuade him to join a psychedelic cult operating out of San Francisco and Bond agrees, suspecting that this is how 004 and the other agents were ensnared. After experiencing San Francisco's psychedelic culture and music, Charlie takes him to the cult's headquarters and promises to introduce him to the cult leader — Major Dexter Smythe, a former war hero who faked his own death, turned on, tuned in and dropped out after being implicated in a murder involving Nazi gold.
When he is introduced to Dexter Smythe, Bond realises that he is none other than Blofeld — the real Dexter Smythe having committed suicide years earlier, Blofeld has been impersonating him and he and Freudenstein have been brainwashing former Secret Service agents from around the world with the aim of unleashing them on their former handlers.
Blofeld initially fails to recognise the long-haired, bearded Bond, but Bond attacks him instantly. Blofeld flees into the "psychedelic room" — a bizarre space filled with deafening music, pulsing strobe lights and special effects, which Blofeld uses to depersonalise and brainwash the new cult members. Bond begins to throttle Blofeld, but instantly has a flashback to his identical acid trip, allowing Blofeld to escape.
Bond pursues him through the hippie complex, eventually cornering him in the giant aquarium where octopuses are bred for their secretions. A violent fight ensues, during which many of the tanks are smashed, ending when Bond savagely whips Blofeld to death with a stingray tail. We freeze on him, covered in blood and maddened with rage, with his long straggly hair and matted bushy beard.
Finally, we cut to Bond in a barber's chair, having the last vestiges of his long hair and beard removed. Looking very smart in a pinstripe suit, Bond calls Draco and says, "It's time to go back to work." Draco replies "I agree", and we cut to him, now back to his normal self. The film ends with Draco leaving the sanitarium where he has been recovering and returning to his former life.
A second Lazenby film could have been very interesting, particularly if it had played to his strengths and flattered his ego by exploring his interest in the hippie subculture. Here's a synopsis of what a second Lazenby film could have been like (which I've already posted in another thread):
Octopussy (1970) starring George Lazenby
M informs Bond that a number of Secret Service employees, including 004, have dropped out of straight society and entered the hippie subculture, before disappearing without trace. Bond, still reeling from Tracy's death, is only too happy to take on the assignment and get away from routine work. Investigating 004's paperwork in his abandoned flat, Bond discovers frequent references to "cosmic Charlie", which he assumes to be a potent form of cocaine or possibly a new designer hallucinogenic.
With few other leads, he travels to Corsica to see Marc-Ange Draco, who has suffered a nervous breakdown and has handed control of the Union Corse to his deputy while he attempts to recover from his loss. Draco informs him that he has also lost agents in the same way and tells him that he believes Cosmic Charlie is a person rather than a drug — a beautiful woman who acts as a siren for the psychedelic lifestyle and encourages high-ranking civil servants and other prominent members of straight society to abandon their former lives. Draco suggests that Cosmic Charlie mainly recruits at high-end resorts in the Caribbean and suggests Bond goes there.
Bond travels to the Caribbean under an alias, growing out his hair and beard, and lives the life of a beach bum, going from resort to resort until he meets Cosmic Charlie. Although her appearance has changed drastically, he suspects that she in fact Maria Freudenstein, a Secret Service agent who disappeared after M began investigating claims that she was a double agent for SPECTRE, who paid for her services via rigged auctions of Fabergé collectibles at Sotheby's.
Cosmic Charlie tells Bond that the new hallucinogenic of choice is Octopussy — a drug derived from the skin secretions of an octopus. Bond is persuaded to try a tiny amount of the drug and has an incredibly vivid trip in which he throttles Blofeld bare-handed amid a maelstrom of psychedelic lights.
Charlie tries to persuade him to join a psychedelic cult operating out of San Francisco and Bond agrees, suspecting that this is how 004 and the other agents were ensnared. After experiencing San Francisco's psychedelic culture and music, Charlie takes him to the cult's headquarters and promises to introduce him to the cult leader — Major Dexter Smythe, a former war hero who faked his own death, turned on, tuned in and dropped out after being implicated in a murder involving Nazi gold.
When he is introduced to Dexter Smythe, Bond realises that he is none other than Blofeld — the real Dexter Smythe having committed suicide years earlier, Blofeld has been impersonating him and he and Freudenstein have been brainwashing former Secret Service agents from around the world with the aim of unleashing them on their former handlers.
Blofeld initially fails to recognise the long-haired, bearded Bond, but Bond attacks him instantly. Blofeld flees into the "psychedelic room" — a bizarre space filled with deafening music, pulsing strobe lights and special effects, which Blofeld uses to depersonalise and brainwash the new cult members. Bond begins to throttle Blofeld, but instantly has a flashback to his identical acid trip, allowing Blofeld to escape.
Bond pursues him through the hippie complex, eventually cornering him in the giant aquarium where octopuses are bred for their secretions. A violent fight ensues, during which many of the tanks are smashed, ending when Bond savagely whips Blofeld to death with a stingray tail. We freeze on him, covered in blood and maddened with rage, with his long straggly hair and matted bushy beard.
Finally, we cut to Bond in a barber's chair, having the last vestiges of his long hair and beard removed. Looking very smart in a pinstripe suit, Bond calls Draco and says, "It's time to go back to work." Draco replies "I agree", and we cut to him, now back to his normal self. The film ends with Draco leaving the sanitarium where he has been recovering and returning to his former life.
People underrate Lazenby, he was fantastic in OHMSS.
He had to act with Dame Dianna Rigg and the Legendary Savalas and held his own, he deserves credit and respect.
Don't forget the great Ferzetti!
While I prefer 4 other Bonds to him, I do like him and think he deserves respect. Yes, his delivery of the "Bond, James Bond" line isn't too special, but he was very convincing in the role.
I sort of consider him a precursor to Craig.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
As someone who likes OHMSS in spite of Lazenby, not because of it, I'd rather have seen Lazenby make his debut before OHMSS, not after. Get some more confidence, tone down the happy-go-lucky-ness, and work out the transition jitters in a standard Bond movie. Then tackle what is arguably Bond's most emotionally challenging adventure.
As someone who likes OHMSS in spite of Lazenby, not because of it, I'd rather have seen Lazenby make his debut before OHMSS, not after. Get some more confidence, tone down the happy-go-lucky-ness, and work out the transition jitters in a standard Bond movie. Then tackle what is arguably Bond's most emotionally challenging adventure.
Lazenby brought a rawness to the part, he was not an actor, you could believe he was Bond, it's a fantastic film and it's fantastic in part because of George.
As someone who likes OHMSS in spite of Lazenby, not because of it, I'd rather have seen Lazenby make his debut before OHMSS, not after. Get some more confidence, tone down the happy-go-lucky-ness, and work out the transition jitters in a standard Bond movie. Then tackle what is arguably Bond's most emotionally challenging adventure.
Lazenby brought a rawness to the part, he was not an actor, you could believe he was Bond, it's a fantastic film and it's fantastic in part because of George.
I'm with WW here. Lazenby fits the role of an emotional Bond very well in OHMSS. He's also very convincing as a tough guy, thanks in part to his impressive build.
"Hostile takeovers. Shall we?"
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
As someone who likes OHMSS in spite of Lazenby, not because of it, I'd rather have seen Lazenby make his debut before OHMSS, not after. Get some more confidence, tone down the happy-go-lucky-ness, and work out the transition jitters in a standard Bond movie. Then tackle what is arguably Bond's most emotionally challenging adventure.
Lazenby brought a rawness to the part, he was not an actor, you could believe he was Bond, it's a fantastic film and it's fantastic in part because of George.
I'm with WW here. Lazenby fits the role of an emotional Bond very well in OHMSS. He's also very convincing as a tough guy, thanks in part to his impressive build.
I agree as well. To me Lazenby makes OHMSS - I actually couldn't imagine it with anyone else and while I do wish GL did more - I am happy enough with the fact he only did one. Seems to add to the whole mystique and "what could've been" to OHMSS.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,998Quartermasters
For a very, very brief moment, the world was the oyster of a young Australian male model. OHMSS is a magnificent snapshot in time...and a monument to the worst advice an agent ever gave an actor client...in the history of film.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I would have loved to see him in DAF right the way up to TLD. I think he had all the potential, but sadly not all the time in the world (sincere apologies to Sir Roger and his many fans)
Of that of which we cannot speak we must pass over in silence- Ludwig Wittgenstein.
Yes. I loved OHMSS but at the same time could Lazenby could have put up a bad second outing and be heavily critiqued now. But I'd have liked to see him last longer. I think if he does 2-3 more there is no Moore.
As I said, I would have liked to see Lazenby in one more film. However Moore is probably one of the best things that happened to the franchise in the 70s (esp. considering how aged Connery had begun to look relatively)
Comments
"Better make that two."
I mean yeah, one can get the impression that his having slept with 2 other women in the film meant that his Bond had forgotten about Tracy, but he was trying to coax information out of them.
It's funny how Rigg was clearly a far superior actress to Lazenby, and yet they managed to have chemistry in OHMSS.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Nice guy though
He had to act with Dame Dianna Rigg and the Legendary Savalas and held his own, he deserves credit and respect.
Octopussy (1970) starring George Lazenby
M informs Bond that a number of Secret Service employees, including 004, have dropped out of straight society and entered the hippie subculture, before disappearing without trace. Bond, still reeling from Tracy's death, is only too happy to take on the assignment and get away from routine work. Investigating 004's paperwork in his abandoned flat, Bond discovers frequent references to "cosmic Charlie", which he assumes to be a potent form of cocaine or possibly a new designer hallucinogenic.
With few other leads, he travels to Corsica to see Marc-Ange Draco, who has suffered a nervous breakdown and has handed control of the Union Corse to his deputy while he attempts to recover from his loss. Draco informs him that he has also lost agents in the same way and tells him that he believes Cosmic Charlie is a person rather than a drug — a beautiful woman who acts as a siren for the psychedelic lifestyle and encourages high-ranking civil servants and other prominent members of straight society to abandon their former lives. Draco suggests that Cosmic Charlie mainly recruits at high-end resorts in the Caribbean and suggests Bond goes there.
Bond travels to the Caribbean under an alias, growing out his hair and beard, and lives the life of a beach bum, going from resort to resort until he meets Cosmic Charlie. Although her appearance has changed drastically, he suspects that she in fact Maria Freudenstein, a Secret Service agent who disappeared after M began investigating claims that she was a double agent for SPECTRE, who paid for her services via rigged auctions of Fabergé collectibles at Sotheby's.
Cosmic Charlie tells Bond that the new hallucinogenic of choice is Octopussy — a drug derived from the skin secretions of an octopus. Bond is persuaded to try a tiny amount of the drug and has an incredibly vivid trip in which he throttles Blofeld bare-handed amid a maelstrom of psychedelic lights.
Charlie tries to persuade him to join a psychedelic cult operating out of San Francisco and Bond agrees, suspecting that this is how 004 and the other agents were ensnared. After experiencing San Francisco's psychedelic culture and music, Charlie takes him to the cult's headquarters and promises to introduce him to the cult leader — Major Dexter Smythe, a former war hero who faked his own death, turned on, tuned in and dropped out after being implicated in a murder involving Nazi gold.
When he is introduced to Dexter Smythe, Bond realises that he is none other than Blofeld — the real Dexter Smythe having committed suicide years earlier, Blofeld has been impersonating him and he and Freudenstein have been brainwashing former Secret Service agents from around the world with the aim of unleashing them on their former handlers.
Blofeld initially fails to recognise the long-haired, bearded Bond, but Bond attacks him instantly. Blofeld flees into the "psychedelic room" — a bizarre space filled with deafening music, pulsing strobe lights and special effects, which Blofeld uses to depersonalise and brainwash the new cult members. Bond begins to throttle Blofeld, but instantly has a flashback to his identical acid trip, allowing Blofeld to escape.
Bond pursues him through the hippie complex, eventually cornering him in the giant aquarium where octopuses are bred for their secretions. A violent fight ensues, during which many of the tanks are smashed, ending when Bond savagely whips Blofeld to death with a stingray tail. We freeze on him, covered in blood and maddened with rage, with his long straggly hair and matted bushy beard.
Finally, we cut to Bond in a barber's chair, having the last vestiges of his long hair and beard removed. Looking very smart in a pinstripe suit, Bond calls Draco and says, "It's time to go back to work." Draco replies "I agree", and we cut to him, now back to his normal self. The film ends with Draco leaving the sanitarium where he has been recovering and returning to his former life.
Don't forget the great Ferzetti!
While I prefer 4 other Bonds to him, I do like him and think he deserves respect. Yes, his delivery of the "Bond, James Bond" line isn't too special, but he was very convincing in the role.
I sort of consider him a precursor to Craig.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
Lazenby brought a rawness to the part, he was not an actor, you could believe he was Bond, it's a fantastic film and it's fantastic in part because of George.
I'm with WW here. Lazenby fits the role of an emotional Bond very well in OHMSS. He's also very convincing as a tough guy, thanks in part to his impressive build.
New 2020 ranking (for now DAF and FYEO keep their previous placements)
1. TLD 2. TND 3. GF 4. TSWLM 5. TWINE 6. OHMSS 7. LtK 8. TMWTGG 9. L&LD 10. YOLT 11. DAD 12. QoS 13. DN 14. GE 15. SF 16. OP 17. MR 18. AVTAK 19. TB 20. FRWL 21. CR 22. FYEO 23. DAF (SP to be included later)
Bond actors to be re-ranked later
I agree as well. To me Lazenby makes OHMSS - I actually couldn't imagine it with anyone else and while I do wish GL did more - I am happy enough with the fact he only did one. Seems to add to the whole mystique and "what could've been" to OHMSS.
"Better make that two."
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Loved to see George do more, but I wouldn't want to lose Sir Roger.
As they say - whatever happens, happens for the best :007)