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Forgotten Silver

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Watching this mockumentary, it isn't hard for me to see why the New Zealand public thought it was for real when it was first aired. Peter Jackson, the endearingly hobbitlike director of fantasy epic "Lord of the Rings," tried his hand at something a bit different aside from his splatter-gore horror films, and the eerie "Heavenly Creatures." Okay, more than a "bit" different.

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."

Forgotten Silver is one of those films you've probably never heard of but once you see it, you'll wonder why. This mockumentary produced in the late 1990s for broadcast on New Zealand television is funny, clever and thought-provoking -- one of the true cinematic pleasures of the past 10 years, blending wit, technology and the products of a relatively little-known culture.

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.

Here is an interesting DVD. If you were a Peter Jackson freak back before LOTR, you might be lucky enough to have a copy of this wonderful film on DVD. Peter Jackson is obviously a great storyteller, and he has conjured up a beauty with this "forgotten" gem! A great, original take on documentaries.....and starring Peter Jackson himself! The discovery of the incredible filmaker from New Zealand, Colin MacKenzie, who worked making films in obscurity for years..... creating many firsts for early cinema....lost for years until his films were re-discovered by Mr. Jackson in a backyard garden shed......this has to be seen to be believed!
So well done, even with its tongue in its cheek, that you really can't tell if they are pulling our legs or are dead serious....such a fun film to "discover"
If you can find a copy, you must see it. It helps to see why I think Peter Jackson is one of THE BEST storytellers in film to come along in a long time....he just keeps getting better and better. We are so lucky to have films like this to watch, and to be able to look forward to more from this talented filmaker and storyteller.

Continuing my quest to screen all of the films of director Peter Jackson, in order to see how a guy who started out making bloody zombie flicks in New Zealand eventually got to be a three-time Academy Award nominee for best director who is the favorite to finally bring Oscar home for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," I have come to "Forgotten Silver," the 1997 mockumentary made by Jackson and Costa Bostas. The obvious comparison is to the work of Christopher Guest and his cohorts, who brought us "This is Spinal Tap," "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind. But given the dry wit that runs throughout "Forgotten Silver" the film that springs to my mind is Woody Allen's "Zelig."

How dry is the wit? Well, when "Forgotten Silver" aired on New Zealand television it convinced quite a few Kiwi that they had a new national hero in Colin McKenzie, the lost film director who is the topic of this effort. This happened even though McKenzie is played by Thomas Robins, a New Zealand actor who was the original Host of the New Zealand, Saturday morning Breakfast show, "Squirt" (his only other film role has been as Deagol in "The Return of the King").

There is fun to be had in showing "Forgotten Silver" to unsuspecting friends, family and people dragged in off of the street, to see at what point they catch on that there is something amiss here. The idea is that Collin McKenzie was a cinematic innovator who came up with the first mechanized camera, the first full-length feature film with sound, and the first color film. Unfortunately while doing these things he forgot to invent subtitles and accidentally invented the porn film. Hopefully these people will be amused by what happened and not end up being outraged like the New Zealand viewers who bit hard on the proceedings and complained bitterly to the network and the press afterwards (excerpts are provided on the DVD's feature). But then I recall having to inform my oldest daughter that "The Blair Witch Project" was not "real," so I know you how dicey these things can be.

The hoax works for several reasons. First, nobody ever winks at the camera, including talking heads Sam Neill, Leonard Maltin, Harvey Weinstein. Their remarks are skewed only slightly and if you are not in on the gag you might not get it (How many of you got the joke of the Russian woman named Alexandra Nevsky?). Second, the documentary weaves in real history and historical footage from the start of the 20th century. Talking about the Battle of Gallipoli is always going to resonate down under. Third, all of the footage for "Salome," Colin McKenzie's lost silent classic, is done "straight" (an idea that has to be taken with a grain of salt when you are talking about acting in silent movies). Finally, Jackson and Bostas do the entire production from start to finish in true documentary fashion. If it looks like a documentary and it sounds like a documentary then chances are you have the audience hook, line and forgotten silver.

Peter Jackson, he of Lord of the Rings fame, filmed this sharp as a razor, short (50 minutes) mockumentary about Colin MacKenzie, New Zealand's first great film maker, in 1994. The script was co-written by Jackson with Costa Botes, another New Zealander, and the two have a ball chronicling all kinds of fictional events that are so skillfully interwoven with real ones (e.g., New Zealand's participation in WW I) that it really does seem to be the case that MacKenzie did exist and did make his epic film Salome in the New Zealand jungle.

The frequent interviews with and sound bytes by Leonard Maltin, Sam Neill, MacKenzie's "wife", film archivists, and others contributes to the feel of authenticity which, of course, only adds more to how much fun this all is. Especially interesting is the featurette "Behind the Bull" in which Jackson and a host of others talk about how the film was made--in particular, the lengths to which the filmmakers went to make "archived" footage look as old as it does.

This, along with Heavenly Creatures, stands as Jackson's best work and should be seen by those who really love a good pulling of the leg. Recommended.

Peter Jackson tells the farcical tale of finding some old reels in a neighbor's tool shed and discovering, for the first time, the career of, film pioneer, Colin McKenzie. McKenzie is the first filmmaker to film in color, with sound, or a feature length film. He filmed the first ever flight months before those glory hogs, the Write brothers. He even built a film set the size of an entire city in the wilderness of New Zealand. How did he fund all this? Oh the usually sources, Christian fundamentalists, Soviet Russia, "Stan The Man" (a comedian who's act consists of destroying property and minor assaults).
This is a great movie. I love Peter Jackson and Sam Neill. I just wish the "truth" hadn't been spoiled for me before I watched it.

How I wish this film had been edited to be over 60 minutes. Atabout 54 minutes, it misses being able to be promoted and reviewed asa feature film. That is truly a shame. This 1995 film (U.S. video release - 1997) is a masterfull example of "tougue-in-cheek" humour, typlified by New Zealanders. This is not physical comedy-it is subtle, and requires your attention. Watch it with some friends who are not forewarned about its humour. See if any of them catch on before the end and why. This is not a childrens movie, but it is not for reasons of violence or sexual content. It due to references to events that would not be appreciated by many children. If you were to see only one new film this year, make it this one. END

Peter Jackson displays with finesse the art of the mockumentary. He took what was done before with Spinal Tap (an over the top and completely OBVIOUS film from the get go) and went forward by actually daring us to believe him. Many did. Forget The Last Broadcast and the now infamous Blair Witch Project, Peter Jackson's opus to a fictitious film maker shows us true genius behind the camera. Always stellar and inventive polishing up what others have done before him and adding his own personal twist in movies like Bad Taste, Braindead, Heavenly Creatures and Forgotten Silver...I can't wait until Peter Jackson's epic and soon to be masterpiece rendition of the Lord of the Rings trilogy unfolds before my eyes...

This film is a classic. You must see it if you love film history. A cross between "Zelig" and "Spinal Tap", it's provocative, inspiring and technically amazing. We have screened "Forgotten Silver" many times for friends and it never fails to confuse, bemuse and amuse. It is an essential film for fooling the pretentious and puzzling the naive. Don't tell your audience anything about it, except that it's short and worth seeing and then sit back and watch them out of the corner of your eye to see when they "get it". Have fun!

I've been in the Motion Picture business for twenty years and it fooled me. So much so that for 12 hours I was searching my film reference books, newspapers, sock drawer and finally the internet before I got clued in. Great fun. Very well done. "War of the Worlds meets Spinal Tap."