The Fiction-Makers

(1968) The Fiction-Makers ADVENTURE ACTION

Co-produced (uncredited) and starring Roger Moore starring as the infamous Simon Templer nicknamed as "The Saint" the character created by Leslie Charters. A movie made as a result of the popular television series that starred Roger Moore. The set up has Simon Templer being involved with popular author and novelist, Amos Klein (Sylvia Syms) as her safety is in jeopardy. And since many of the readers do not know what the author looked like, Simon Templer thought it be best if he pretended to be author, Amos Klein and she would pretend to be her secretary, Joyce Darling. And Simon does get abducted by a guy who calls himself Warlock (Kenneth J. Warren), another character from her novels, Simon is then forced by him and four of his cohorts- all consist of names from the authors novel to devise a plan to rob the most secured bank. The four of Warlock's cohorts consist of characters from her novels, that includes Bishop (Nicholas Smith), Nero Jones (Roy Hanlon), Simeon Monk (Tom Clegg) and Warlock's right hand man, Frug (Philip Locke). And then there's Galaxy Rose (Justine Lord) who is supposed to provide whatever Simon needed while being confined to his room.

I thought it was slick and may have an understanding why Ian Fleming originally wanted Roger Moore to play James Bond. As Moore is very charismatic and respectful and not out of synch with the The Saint character. And viewers who did not like this movie are obviously no fans of the TV series that was popularized by Moore whatsoever.

2 episodes of the classic series sewn together for a UK cinema release. Simon Templar is mistaken for a writer of clever thrillers by a group of fanatics hell bent on robbing an impregnable strongroom.

Whether a parody or a straight copy, the similarities to Goldfinger are pretty blatant. Accepting this, this remains a fun enough piece of hokum if you like the tv series, helped considerably by the presence of Sylvia Syms.

Adventurer Templar, known for cocking his eye upwards at his animated halo, agrees to do a favour for a publisher friend (Peter Ashmore) to look after best-selling thriller writer Amos Klein - who writes macho Ian Fleming-type books but is actually scatty, cute, short-sighted Sylvia Sims, who is being targeted by criminals who want their expertise to pull off an impossible crime.

A wacky, spoof of the James Bond franchise, this a fun two-part series made into a feature film which benefits from its two stars - Roger Moore and Sylvia Sims. Their interactions is what makes this all so enjoyable. The Saint regular Justine Lord is beautiful as ever. It's a nice way to pass the time, even though the wackiness can be tiring at times.

The stage curtains open ...

Before Roger Moore was James Bond 007, he was Simon Templar, "The Saint". This 1968 film, "The Fiction-Makers", is such a fun movie to watch. It really is escapism that is campy, intelligent, and memorable. Originally shown on TV in two different episodes, they were combined for a cinema release and is now commonly packaged as a full-length movie.

Simon is asked to protect and look after a best-selling adventure novelist, a recluse woman who writes under the pseudonym of Amos Klein. And he arrives not a moment too soon as they are both abducted and taken to a veritable fortress under the control of a man who calls himself Warlock. Warlock is an obsessed fan of Klein's work, and has taken every idea she has written in her novels and brought them to life. Thinking that Templar is Klein, he forces them to assist him in planning and executing a daring heist that only his favorite novelist would be able to pull off.

For having been made in the late 60's, this film actually holds up pretty well. Moore shows off his usual wit and charm, and it is easy to see in this film why he was considered to fill the shoes of 007 after Connery and Lazenby. There is plenty of humor here as well that will generate a laugh or two along the way. And at the end of it all, you will be smiling ear to ear. "The Fiction-Makers" is a guilty pleasure - a lost gem.

I highly recommend this one. It took me a long time to find it again for my own personal collection, but now that I have it, I'll never let it go.

But much better than the one made a year later, "Vendetta for the Saint"(1969). Kenneth J. Warren is funny as Warlock. But the main attraction is Justine Lord as Galaxy Rose.