Becoming Bond

I am 52 years old so I remember the old bond movies as a kid. I personally never liked Sean Connery's version and frankly my first clear memories is of Roger Moore as James Bond. George's version is one I barely remember but now after watching this hilarious documentary I want to watch Of Her Majesty's Secret Service with an open mind again.

A surprisingly fascinating and engrossing film. It's literally one interview with some lovely re-enactment footage intercut. So simple and yet so affecting. Very entertaining. Highly recommended for all Bond fans.

Watched this late at night expecting fully to fall asleep halfway through. Well that didn't happen. Ended up watching the whole thing! The re-enactments of his story was very well done and had the perfect touch of comedy to it that made it hilarious. It wasn't over the top hilarious, but just enough to keep you interested in the story. His life was also rather interesting to hear about. There were so many things that I never knew about him. This exceeded my expectations and so therefore, I'm giving it a 10. One of the most entertaining Biography's I have seen. This is a must see for any James Bond fan.

I was looking forward to watching this documentary as OHMSS is one of my favourite Bond films and I've read so many conflicting tales about why George quit the series on a high, etc.

George comes across very well and proves he's not afraid to show emotion on screen with a rather personal moment he shares with us regarding an early love of his. I've always considered him to be an excellent screen presence in OHMSS and, even almost 50 years on, he's still a very engaging screen presence. After listening and watching all his anecdotes spread through the reenactment scenes, I found myself wishing he'd continued the series and taken better advice. No spoilers, however.

I wasn't so satisfied with the reenactment and mostly found myself wishing that we could have just had George talking to the camera for the movies duration and left our imagination to picture the scenes. However, a plus point for Jane Seymour's brief part in these scenes. It's wonderful to see her on screen again in this. Memories of Solitaire in Live and Let die all came back when I twigged it was her. Additionally, I thought Clementi - apologies if I've spelt that wrong - was perfect for her part, as she's a stunning girl and came across extremely well in all her scenes. If George's real girlfriend of the time looked like her then it's obvious why he was so smitten.

As for the actor playing younger George, I'm not so convinced. He comes across as a competent enough actor but he looks nothing like the George of 1968 when he was filming OHMSS. That did put me off when they inter-spaced interview clips of the real George from the time and the actor reenacting them. Very distracting.

I do heartily recommend this documentary for anyone wanting to know the story but, no offense to George, I don't think he was telling us everything when you recall all the stories over the years.

Other insights make me question the details when, at the beginning of the film he states that illness in early childhood only left him with half a kidney, yet the trivia section on George states early on that at one point in his life he donated a kidney to a family member. Work that one out.

In conclusion: I enjoyed it a lot but most of that is just listening to George himself rather than the actors reenactment.

You know the story: Australian male model living in England is selected to play James Bond after Connery quits. After making one movie, Australian himself walks away from Bond, leaving the door open for Connery's return.

What you probably don't know is who this George Lazenby was (and is) and why he turned his back on what could have been a career of a lifetime. Watch this movie and George himself will tell you. Accompanying and illustrating his tale are mostly-comedic reenactments that all in all make the story work.

It's the next best thing to sitting down with the man himself.