DVD's

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)

The pre-title sequence shows Miss Moneypenny, M and Q discussing the whereabouts of Bond. Bond is actually in Portugal, driving on a coastal highway when a woman in a Mercury Cougar overtakes him. Bond follows the woman to a beach where she attempts suicide by drowning in the waters. Bond drives down to the shore, saving the woman's life by carrying her back to the beach. As he brings the woman back to consciousness and introduces himself, two thugs try to kill Bond. After a fight with the thugs, from which Bond emerges the victor, the woman jumps into her car and speeds away. Bond notes that "This never happened to the other fellow," presumably Sean Connery.

Bond later encounters the same woman in a casino where she places a bet; a bet which she is unable to meet. On her behalf, Bond rescues the woman by paying her bet. The woman, Contessa Teresa "Tracy" di Vicenzo invites him to her hotel room to thank Bond for his deed. When Bond later visits Tracy's room, a thug emerges behind Bond, Bond knocks him out then goes back to his room where he finds Tracy. Tracy threatens to kill Bond for a thrill, however Bond disarms Tracy and questions her about the thug in her room. Tracy has nothing to say about the incident with the thug.

The next morning Tracy leaves the hotel. Later, as Bond leaves the hotel, several men kidnap him and lead him to Marc-Ange Draco, the head of the European crime syndicate Unione Corse, whom Bond recognizes immediately. Draco reveals that Tracy is his only daughter and tells Bond of her troubled past, offering Bond a personal dowry of one million pounds if he will marry her. Bond refuses, but agrees to continue romancing Tracy under the agreement that Draco reveals the whereabouts of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE.

Bond returns to MI6 but is told by M that he has been relieved from the task of hunting Blofeld, prompting Bond to resign. After M accepts the letter, Bond learns that as Moneypenny was recording his dictation, she changes the wording to request two weeks leave instead. Realizing he can pursue Blofeld on his time off and not quit MI6, Bond thanks Moneypenny and heads for Draco's birthday party in Portugal. There, Tracy discovers Bond's deal with her father and strong-arms him into providing Bond with the information he requested. Draco tells Bond that his next line of pursuit should be a law firm in Bern, Switzerland. After a brief argument, Bond and Tracy begin a whirlwind romance.

Bond and Tracy go to Bern with Draco to investigate the lawyer's connection with Blofeld. Searching the law office, Bond finds Blofeld's correspondence with the London College of Arms: Blofeld is attempting to claim the title 'Comte Balthazar de Bleuchamp'. His College of Arms correspondent is genealogist Sir Hilary Bray. Bond visits M at home and is granted permission to recommence investigation of Blofeld.

Posing as Bray, Bond visits Blofeld, who has established a clinical research institute atop Piz Gloria in the Swiss Alps. In disguise, Bond meets ten young women, the "Angels of Death", that are patients of the institute's clinic. In fact, the women are being brainwashed to distribute bacteriological warfare agents throughout various parts of the world.

Bond's lasciviousness betrays him to Blofeld's henchwoman Irma Bunt, who captures him during a second visit to the room of one of the "patients", then Blofeld identifies Bond. Bond escapes imprisonment, skiing down Piz Gloria, arriving at the village of Mrren and encounters Tracy. A blizzard forces them to a remote barn where Bond declares his love for Tracy and proposes marriage to her. Tracy accepts Bond's marriage proposal. The next morning Blofeld captures Tracy while leaving Bond to die in a man-made avalanche which Bond survives.

Blofeld holds the world to ransom with the threat of destroying its agriculture using his brainwashed women, demanding amnesty for all past crimes and he is recognized as the current Count de Bleauchamp. Bond enlists Draco and his forces to attack Blofeld's headquarters, while also freeing Tracy from Blofeld's captivity. The raid is successful as Bond and Blofeld are the last to escape before the institute is destroyed. The pair engage in a furious bobsled chase down Piz Gloria, eventually Blofeld is snared in tree branches while Bond drives away in the bobsled.

Bond and Tracy marry in Portugal, then drive away in Bond's Aston Martin. Bond pulls over to the roadside to remove flowers from the car. As this happens, Blofeld and Bunt in a Mercedes-Benz 600 drive past the couple's car, spraying bullets. Bond survives the attack, however as he enters the car and speaks to his wife, Bond realizes that Tracy has been killed from Bunt's gunfire. A police officer pulls over near the bullet-riddled car and stares silently at Bond. Bond says to the officer, "There is no hurry. . .We have all the time in the world." while hugging Tracy's lifeless body.

Cast

• George Lazenby as James Bond - An MI6 agent.
• Diana Rigg as Countess Tracy di Vicenzo - A haughty yet vulnerable countess who captures Bond's heart. She is Draco's daughter. (and the only Mrs. James Bond!)
• Telly Savalas (Kojak) as Ernst Stavro Blofeld - Bond's arch nemesis, leader of SPECTRE and in hiding
• Gabriele Ferzetti as Marc-Ange Draco - Head of the Union Corse, a major crime syndicate and Tracy's father
• Ilse Steppat as Irma Bunt - Blofeld's henchwoman
• Bernard Lee as M - Head of the British Secret Service.
• Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny - M's secretary
• George Baker as Sir Hilary Bray - Professor in the London College of Arms, which Bond impersonates in Piz Gloria Desmond Llewelyn as Q
• Angela Scoular as Ruby Bartlett - an English girl at the clinic whom Bond beds
• Catherine Schell as Nancy - another girl at the clinic Bond romances
• Julie Ege as Helen - Scandinavian Girl at the Blofeld clinic
• Joanna Lumley (later of Absolutely Fabulous) .

Directed by Peter R. Hunt Produced by Albert R. Broccoli Novel/Story by Ian Fleming Screenplay Richard Maibaum Cinematography by Michael Reed Music by John Barry Main theme On Her Majesty's Secret Service Composer John Barry Performer John Barry Orchestra Editing by John Glen Distributed by United Artists Released 18 December 1969 (UK / USA) Running time 140 min.