007 Casefile: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Time for everyone’s favourite one-hit-wonder Bond!

The Mission: Following up a lead to investigate a Swiss law firm. Here he finds that Blofeld has been corresponding with them in order to claim the title of ‘Comte Balthazar de Bleuchamp’. Posing as the genealogical expert Bond infiltrates Blofeld’s operation on Piz Gloria in the Swiss Alps with the intention of shutting down his operation.

This isn’t a completely sanctioned MI:6 operation, with Bond investigating Blofeld while on leave.

Locales: Portugal, Switzerland.

Gadgets: Bond relies on his wits and disguises this time around, with only a safe cracker being used as a gadget. Q does supply M with radioactive lint early in the movie to help him track Bond.

Vehicle: Skis are used for much of Bond’s transport on this outing, with bobsled being used at one point. The Aston Martin does feature at the beginning and the end of the movie, but only for personal use.

Sidekicks: Bond makes the acquaintance Marc-Ange Draco, the head of a European crime family who helps Bond track down Blofeld after Bond strikes up a relationship with his daughter, Contessa. Sir Hilary Bray provides Bond with a cover to get into Blofeld’s operation.

The Girls: Blofeld has a group of girls atop Piz Gloria and Bond wastes little time in making a move of them. He also spends a good portion of the movie courting Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo, who he would later marry.

The Enemy: Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of SPECTRE.

Evil Plot: Taking a less grand route than his last criminal venture, Blofeld has set up an allergies research facility in which he ‘cures’ girls allergies via hypnosis. In actual fact he’s brainwashing them to become his ‘Angels of Death’, operatives who will release bacterial agents into crops and cripple the worlds food supply. He would then hold the world economy hostage as only he would own the cure the bacteria.

Distinguishing Features: His trademark scar seems to have cleared itself up (somehow), but in order to pass himself off as a Bleuchamp he’s claiming to have been born without earlobes.

Secret Lair: A bit less grandiose than a volcano lair, but still pretty damn awesome. The massive resort on top of the alps is a damn sight impressive with all the luxury his previous home lacked.

Henchmen: Irma Bunt runs the face of the operation. A stern operator she keeps the Angels of Death in line. Aside from that he has his usual horde of redshirts.

Facts About the Movie

Politically Incorrect Behaviour: Whilst Bond is actively courting Tracy he works his way through the girls in Blofeld’s clinic, having them cued up on an hourly schedule. Never before has he been such a sleaze.

Notable Firsts: For the first time James Bond is played by someone other than Sean Connery.

Random Trivia: George Lazenby pulled no punches when trying to get the role of Bond. He visited Connery’s barber and suit maker in order to create the impression of being an easy fit, and exaggerated his resume to emphasise skills that Bond would be using in the film, such as skiing.

Both Diana Rigg (Tracy) and Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore) were former cast members from the popular British spy series ‘The Avengers’.

In initial scripts there was to be a scene that would reveal that Bond had undergone plastic surgery (to prevent his enemies from recognizing him) to explain his new appearance and why Blofeld doesn’t know who he is.