 |
| |
MI6 reviews the new James Bond Ultimate Edition
DVD of the 1969 outing "On Her Majesty's Secret
Service"... |
|
DVD Review - On Her Majesty's Secret Service
3rd September 2007
The James Bond movies have been brought into the 21st century
with special 5.1 surround sound remastering, new film transfers
and extra special features in the "Ultimate Editions"
series. MI6 reviews reviews the films and each of these features
along with all the special new content.
| Official Blurb
Agent 007 (George Lazenby) and the adventurous
Tracy Di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg) join forces to battle the
evil SPECTRE organization in the treacherous Swiss
Alps.
But the group's powerful leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Telly
Savalas) is launching his most calamitous scheme yet:
a
germ warfare plot that could kill millions!
Data Stream
Region: 2
Release Date: 17th July 2006
Running Time: 136 minutes
Screen Format: 2.35:1 Anamorphic PAL
Soundtracks: English DD5.1, English DTS
Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, Greek, Hindi,
Norwegian and Swedish
Audio Specs
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English DTS 5.1 (768Kb/s)
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s) |
|
|
Video
Lowry have restored this film to its best ever state, and is
amongst the highest quality transfers in the James Bond Ultimate
Edition DVD series. The transfer is back to 2.35:1 complete
with 16x9 enhancement. Almost all scenes are incredibly clear,
with only a few exceptions where texture detail is a little
soft. Black levels are good and shadow detail is excellent.
There are no noticeable compression artifacts or grain visible.
During the restoration process, a controversial decision was
made to change the colour of the pre-titles sequence, giving
the scenes blue tones and changing the apparent time of day.
Audio
Featuring a new DTS 5.1 mix, this track is so similar to the
Dolby Digital 5.1 mix that few will find any improvement. Both
tracks are front-heavy and do not use the full extent of the
surround mix. Lip sync is excellent, particularly impressive
as there was extensive voice dubbing in this film. There are
no noticeable pops or clicks.
- DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT
- Casting On Her Majesty's
Secret Service
- Press Day in Portugal
- George Lazenby: In His Own
Words
- Shot on Ice - Original 1969 Ford Promo Film
- Swiss
Movement - Original 1969 Featurette
- 007 MISSION CONTROL
- Interactive Guide Into the World
of On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- THE COMPLETE SPECIAL
FEATURES LIBRARY - MISSION DOSSIER
- Audio Commentary
Featuring Director Peter Hunt and Members of
the Cast and Crew
- Inside On Her Majesty's Secret Service
- Inside Q's
Lab
- Above It All - Original 1969 Featurette
- MINISTRY
OF PROPAGANDA, Original Trailer, TV Spots, Photo
Gallery & Radio
Communications
|
|
|
New Bonus Features
Casting On Her Majesty's Secret Service -
Michael G. Wilson explains why producers chose Diana Rigg
and George
Lazenby for the new Bond picture.
Press Day In Portugal - Eon director of marketing Ann Bennett
narrates behind the scenes footage shot on location on
April 30th, 1969 during a press day where Bond and Tracy's
wedding is rehearsed.
George Lazenby: In His Own Words - Michael
G. Wilson introduces interviews with George Lazenby before,
during, and after
his Bond tenure. Lazenby hopes that his acting inexperience
won't be a problem, hopes that fans will accept him for
the part, and answers if the bad publicity he received
was fabricated and expectations compared to Connery.
Shot on Ice - Original 1969 Ford
Promo Film - Grainy documentary
on the making of the stock car race sequence of On Her
Majesty's Secret Service, commented by the rally car driving
expert hired for the sequence.
|
Swiss Movement - Original 1969 Featurette - An interesting documentary covering most of the main cast
and multiple sequences shot in Switzerland such as the bobsled
chase and Piz Gloria. The feature also introduces multiple
members of the crew.
All other features were previously released
on the Special Edition DVD.
One Last Thing...
It seems the chase across the rooftops in London is lost for
good. Only a few stills remain of the scene which saw Bond climb
up a ladder and leap across rooftops after a good who was spying
on him. The decision to recolour the pre-credits
sequence will not sit well with many fans and should be corrected
on a Blu-Ray release.
MI6 Rating
| Video |
 |
| Audio |
 |
| Special Features |
|
| Overall |
 |
Related Articles
"O.H.M.S.S."
Ultimate Edition DVD
"O.H.M.S.S."
MI6 Movie Coverage
Image courtesy Amazon Associates
