In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, did you ever notice that we never hear George Lazenby’s James Bond recite the sacred “shaken, not stirred” martini line?
No, instead, we get these pompous lines from James Bond as genealogist Sir Hilary Bray (Brayisms) with awkward, almost over-acted deliveries from George Lazenby. And although I understand that the disguise was essential to the mission, it doesn’t make listening to Bray’s affected mannerisms any less painful. Lazenby’s portrayal of Sir Hilary Bray simply never felt compelling to me. The act got tired quickly.
Even though the movie remains one of my favorites and one of the character James Bond’s strongest. All told, we lose about 25 minutes of Lazenby as the actual James Bond while Bond himself essentially disappears behind Sir Hilary. It’s a shame, because I’d gladly trade some of that genealogical posturing for Bond casually ordering a drink in a smoky speakeasy.
