Forgotten Silver

It documents the discovery of a film by the cinematic wizard Colin McKenzie, who was born in New Zealand in the 1800s, died in a somewhat deteriorated state, and made amazing breakthroughs in filmmaking in the early 20th century, that were never seen for various reasons... until they were unearthed in a shed. Specifically, the epic "Salome," which had some rather odd financial backers (mobsters and a clown, for example) Now there is a documentary being filmed, with interviews and pieces of footage from the "forgotten silver" of Colin McKenzie, the most brilliant filmmaker who never lived!

Jackson himself is in this in more than a cameo appearance (in all his films, he appears for at least a few seconds), as the filmmaker; Miramax big man Harvey Weinstein, actor Sam Neill, and critic Leonard Maltin also appear as themselves, which makes the film seem even more real. (Especially when Weinstein claims he'll be distributing "Salome") If I hadn't known that this WAS a mockumentary, I might've thought it was for real.

Even though the tongue-in-cheek attitude marks this as a mockumentary, it's very well-done and detailed. The way Jackson fake-aged the footage from the old films, it's totally believable that these have been sitting in a shed for decades. The details show some of the reasons why Jackson did "Lord of the Rings" so well: careful attention to costuming, particularly in the "Salome" film, detailed camerawork, and a lot of affection for the inspiration for the film. Jackson himself is never more likeable than he is here, and it seems like he's having a good time.

This is another, not-as-well-known-as-it-deserves example of Peter Jackson's incredibly skilled direction. He is a brilliant director, and this is an uproariously funny and well-made mockumentary. No wonder the audience thought it was real. Funny, cute, detailed and a must-have for fans of Peter Jackson and of all "forgotten silver."

The film is the creation of Peter Jackson, best known today as director of The Lord of the Rings, and actor Costa Botes. Jackson, playing himself in the movie, claims to have discovered a collection of old films in a neighbor's shed, revealing that New Zealander Colin McKenzie (Botes) invented motion picture cameras, color film, sound technology and other landmarks of cinema in complete obscurity before others who are regularly credited for doing so. His ultimate achievement, a biblical epic called Salome, is the lost treasure of film history.

Jackson enlists the aid of other well-known film personas, including critic Leonard Maltin, to explore the life of Colin McKenzie and reveal just how sensational this discovery is. Most of the humor is subtle and tongue-in-cheek, as it is in Peter Jackson's other films. However, the subject matter is treated with the utmost seriousness and therefore hard to discern from fact. Similar to the effects created by Woody Allen in Zelig, Jackson creates extremely authentic-looking black-and-white nitrate footage in which Colin's achievements are well documented. A sequence in which the filmmaker sets out in search of the ruins of the Salome set feels like an episode of "National Geographic Explorer." In fact, the overall film is so utterly believable that it caused a minor scandal in its native land upon its original airing. The populace of New Zealand demanded to know why one of its native sons had never received the recognition he so clearly deserved.

The DVD's special features serve to enhance the already-convincing documentary aspects, even though they open up the whole bag of tricks like magicians revealing their secrets. In addition to a commentary audio track by Jackson and Botes, the DVD includes interviews detailing the production of the film and the controversy Jackson and Botes created by doing their jobs so well. What truly enhance the overall viewing experience are the inclusion of footage outtakes and a demonstration of the special-effects test shots. The outtakes invigorate the film's impressive mystique, and the test shots are illuminating inside looks at the tools of the film trade and the progress that has been made.