On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) is a British spy film directed by Peter Hunt and the sixth film in the James Bond series. George Lazenby appears as James Bond in his only official performance as 007, taking over the role after Sean Connery’s first run in the series. The story follows Bond as he continues his hunt for Ernst Stavro Blofeld, now played by Telly Savalas, and discovers that Blofeld is operating from a secret mountaintop clinic in the Swiss Alps. Diana Rigg plays Contessa Teresa “Tracy” di Vicenzo, whose relationship with Bond becomes one of the most important emotional elements in the series. The film combines espionage, romance, alpine action and tragedy, and is unusual among the early Bond films for giving 007 a deeper personal story, including his marriage to Tracy and the devastating ending that follows.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was filmed mainly in Switzerland and Portugal, with additional work in London and at Pinewood Studios in England. Switzerland gives the film its most famous location: Piz Gloria on the Schilthorn above Mürren, which stands in for Blofeld’s mountain clinic and SPECTRE headquarters. The revolving restaurant was still under construction when the production found it, and the film helped make the building one of the most famous Bond locations in the world. The surrounding Alpine landscape is used for the ski chases, helicopter attack, cable-car material and bobsleigh finale, with Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Stechelberg and Grindelwald all connected to the Swiss sequences. Portugal provides the film’s romantic and tragic frame. Praia do Guincho near Cascais is used for the opening beach scene where Bond first encounters Tracy, while the Palácio Estoril Hotel appears as the hotel where Bond traces her car. Herdade do Zambujal near Palmela is connected to Draco’s estate, including the bullring and wedding material, and the final road scene was filmed in the Arrábida region near Setúbal. London appears through the College of Arms material, while Pinewood Studios supplied major interior sets and controlled action work. The film’s location identity is therefore split between two strong worlds: the cold, dangerous vertical landscape of the Swiss Alps and the warmer Portuguese coast, roads and estates that frame Bond and Tracy’s relationship.
Guincho Beach
Guincho Beach has appeared in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and This Side of Resurrection (2011). In both, the beach itself plays a prominent role.
Palácio Estoril Hotel
Palácio Estoril Hotel has appeared in Dois Dias no Paraíso (1957), On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) and The Easy Way (2008).
Piz Gloria
Piz Gloria has appeared in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). The summit building is Ernst Stavro Blofeld’s remote research institute and headquarters.