James Bond is known for women, cards, and martinis. He is always on his game, using his knowledge and training to get what he needs in order to succeed. However, there has never been a time to explore the softer side of Bond. On Her Majesty's Secret Service gives us the opportunity to explore the side of Bond that we don't normally see during his other escapades. The first scene with Bond has him saving a woman from drowning herself in the ocean. Little does he know that this same woman would be the only daughter of Draco, the head of a European crime syndicate, a man who helps provide information regarding Blofeld's whereabouts since his disappearance from Japan. Draco wants his daughter, Tracy, to be wed and offers Bond a million pounds if he is the one who becomes her husband. This allows to see a certain side of Bond we have never seen before regarding a serious romance instead of the usual one-night flings he's had on several previous occasions.
This is the only appearance of George Lazenby as Bond. It is unfortunate as you can see why the producers had chosen Lazenby to fill Connery's shoes. Despite his height, Lazenby had the attitude and general allure Connery possessed. Director Peter Hunt, his only film as well, did a wonderful job of revealing Lazenby before the pre-credit sequence. Audience-goers had to have realized that Connery would not be returning for Secret Service, so Hunt was tasked with transitioning between actors without pretending nothing had happened off-screen. After a few close-up shots of Bond lighting a cigarette, then medium shots of his back running to the water to save Tracy, Hunt finally shows us this new face of Bond and his first line is: "Hello. My name is Bond. James Bond." Flawless.
At the time, this was the longest adventure until Casino Royale topped it by two minutes. Necessary because not only was Bond trying to foil Blofeld's plan (again), but there was also needed to be an opportunity to explore the romance between he and Tracy. Bond admits he is the bachelor type and not one to settle down. However, as he becomes more and more infatuated with Tracy, Bond realizes that becoming a married man may not be so bad after all.
After the wedding, Bond and Tracy stop on the side of the road to take all the flowers off the car, but somehow Blofeld (who is in a neck brace after a wonderful action sequence involving bobsleds) and his assistant, Irma Bunt, have followed them and Irma fires several bullets into their car killing Tracy. Bond is stunned and falls into denial over he death. He mutters "we have all the time in the world" over and over again and the final shot of the film is the bullet hole that has penetrated the windshield. On Her Majesty's Secret Service is not only another formulaic Bond outing, but it is also one of the very few times we get to see Bond's emotional side instead of the physical, gun-toting agent we have seen several times before. C+
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