Review Detail

Watched this for the Christmas season (don't forget that Blofeld's scheme relies on the girls' X-mas presents) after putting it off for some time. I have always said OHMSS is my fav Bond film, so it was hard for me to believe an edit could improve it, but that's exactly what LastSurvivor has done.

I'll leave my thoughts on the film itself for my review here: https://letterboxd.com/nottheacademy/film/on-her-majestys-secret-service/
Instead I'll focus on what LS has changed. While I do miss most everything that was cut, for the purpose of focusing the film more, they are all good, smart cuts. Honestly, LS probably doesn't go far enough. Several of the Bond sequences could be tightened up a little (like the lawyer's office or escaping the gearhouse) and his romancing the Angels could probably be cut even more. If the goal is to keep him focused on his great love, then including more references to him 'not being interested in women' and then cutting the actual Ruby seduction would be better. I also found the very opening with Q and M to serve no real purpose since Bond won't be using any gadgets and the plot has nothing to do with nuclear lint. Better if it could be cut.

But these are minor quibbles. Most every change here is for the better, including the audio substitutions. The one that I would argue against is making Louis Armstrong's track the title credit song. It's a slow, melancholy track, not at all fitting for starting a Bond adventure. It would be much better to run this vocal version over the end credits, especially after LS has played it several times without the vocals as the love theme. Its melancholy will then be fully "given voice" at the culmination of the film. But at the start, something a little more in line with the sultry women voicing Bond's previous themes would be better. If it's absolutely necessary to switch from the best Bond theme of all time, Barry's OHMSS, then how about his unused song for the film with "Nina" on vocals?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxp-zfMWvMw

All in all, however, no change here is a "bad" change, and everything makes the story more focused. Dare I say it? This replaces the original film for me, despite my wish for an even better v2.0 (with a stereo track?)... well done, LS, and thanks!