George Lazenby - who
played Ian Fleming's James Bond, 007, in On Her Majesty's Secret
Service (1969) - is to visit Oslo on September 1st, 2016, exclusively
for the event James Bond in Oslo.
Lazenby will fly direct from Los Angeles to attend the Red Carpet Gala of
the newly restored Bond classic On Her Majesty's Secret Service,
showing in digital 4K.
This historic visit marks Lazenby's first trip to Norway, and also the
first time a former 007 has visited Oslo.
“I'm looking forward to visiting Norway for this very special event. I
worked with Norwegian actress Julie Ege on the film, and it will be
interesting to present this restored version of On Her Majesty's Secret
Service to a Norwegian audience,” said George Lazenby in a
statement.
“More people have walked on the moon than played Bond. It says something
about how unique this iconic role is. We are very happy that George
Lazenby has chosen to come to Norway,” says Morten Steingrimsen who, along
with partners Odd Kalsnes and Øyvind Asbjørnsen, has organised the event.
THE BEST BOND On Her Majesty's Secret Service was Lazenby's debut film and
premiered December 18, 1969. Lazenby beat off strong competition from
hundreds of other actors, to land the role of agent 007 after Sean Connery
had left the role. Lazenby impressed the producers with his combination of
style, good looks, and a powerful punch to a stuntman's nose!
The film was met with mixed reviews, but has since then gained cult status
and is regarded by many Bond fans as the best in the series. Indeed, over
the last few years, acclaimed directors such as Steven Soderbergh, Sam
Mendes, Christopher Nolan, and Nicolas Winding Refn have cited it as the
greatest and most influential of all the Bond films. Recently, Winding
Refn admitted that this was his favourite Bond film and described it as
“one of the best directed action movies I've ever seen”.
LIFE AFTER BOND
Contrary to rumours, Lazenby was never fired after On Her Majesty's
Secret Service; in fact, the Bond producers offered him a seven-film
contract. But Lazenby was advised that a change was on the wind and that
the hippie era - with its message of peace and love - would soon replace
the more conservative, violent world Bond inhabited, and that films like
Easy Rider were the future. After much consideration, and to
everyone's surprise, he told the producers that he would be stepping down
from the role of Bond. In light of the phenomenal success of the Bond
films, Lazenby has since expressed his regret at his decision to turn down
the role.
After Bond, Lazenby went on to utilize his impressive martial arts skills
(Lazenby was a student of the legendary Bruce Lee) in The Man from Hong
Kong (1975). Later in his career, Lazenby took several roles that
played on his Bond persona, including his turn in The Return of the Man
from U.N.C.L.E. (1983), where he played a character named JB, driving
a gadget-laden Aston Martin. To this day, Lazenby remains active as an actor.
“With the Red Carpet Gala on September 1st, we wish to honour George
Lazenby and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, one of the best action
films in cinematic history. Lazenby's performance as agent 007 was perhaps
more nuanced than people appreciate, and he portrayed a Bond who is not
only elegant and energetic, but also emotional and vulnerable. Lazenby was
actually nominated for a Golden Globe for New Star Of The Year for his
performance,” says Steingrimsen.
ORIGINAL BOND TAILOR ANTHONY SINCLAIR DINNER JACKET
The organizers promise an exclusive and extraordinary celebration.
“Several special guests
and iconic Bond girls will attend the Gala - we will announce the names
shortly. We have also managed to arrange for classic British tailor
Anthony Sinclair (a suit of whose helped win Lazenby the role) to tailor a
bespoke dinner jacket for George Lazenby. Additionally, we are extremely
fortunate that the acclaimed Norwegian DJ, Marianne Jemtegård, will
provide the music at the event, in true Bond style. The event is truly
international; Bond fans from Brasil, Sweden, the UK, the US, and many
other countries, are traveling to Norway to attend the celebration,”
concludes Steingrimsen.
The spectacular Red Carpet Gala will take place at Vika Kino September 1.
The event organizers Morten Stiengrimsen, Odd Kalsnes, and Øyvind
Asbjørnsen, would like to stress that this is a non-profit event and is
made possible thanks to its partners, including PrivatMegleren, Autoxo,
Dreamline og Schilthorn Cableway.
