Customer Reviews

Forgotten Silver

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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.

Watching this mockumentary, it isn't hard 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 a little gem of a mockumentary. Unlike other films in the genre such as Waiting for Guffman or This is Spinal Tap, a true documentary tone is maintained throughout the film. It's only as one hears that the subject of the film, Colin McKenzie, developed the first tracking shot, the first color film, the first close-up, the first feature-length epic, the film of the *real* first human flight, etc. that one becomes suspicious .... who *is* this guy?! Did he really get arrested for stealing 2000 eggs? After all, it *does* take 12 eggs to emulsify one minute of film .... Interviews with industry experts such as Harvey Weinstein, Leonard Maltin and Sam Neill lend authenticity to this project. You'll have to watch it at least twice to appreciate the hoax, and it is a hoot to watch it with someone who doesn't know the truth.

DVD extras are worthwhile: director's comments over the film; 'Behind the Bull', a featurette with explanatory comments by the directors and technical crew; a number of deleted scenes and stills.

This is a worthy addition to a fun genre, and the DVD extras make this purchase worthwhile.

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."

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!

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...

I originally caught the last half hour of "Forgotten Silver" when it aired on IFC 4 years ago. Eager to see the entire film, I scanned the program guide to find the next showing. Although it had an inconvenient start time (1:00 a.m.), I stayed up and watched the whole thing. I was mesmorized by this tale of family, struggle, love, loss, and redemption. Why had we never heard of Colin McKenzie, clearly a film pioneer in many areas?

The internet offered no help. No reference whatsoever of Colin McKenzie. It was only after looking for the film on amazon.com that the hoax was revealed to me.

This is a near-perfect practical joke for the pretentious film buff. I've loaned out the DVD to several friends and family members without the disc's case and cover jacket, which would provide clues as to the nature of what they were about to see. I only tell them to avoid the bonus features and see if they can figure out what's going on.

This is brilliant filmmaking and you get a glimpse at Peter Jackson honing his skills in special effects, set detail, and cinematography which would come in handy for the Lord of the Rings films.

Buy this film, but more importantly, loan it to unsuspecting film fan friends.

To fully appreciate this film, you must consider two things. First, this is a MOCumentary. It is not a real story, but instead something created through the imagination of a very rich storyteller. Second, this film was released to the general New Zealand public without them knowing that this was a mocumentary and they completely felt that it was a real occurrence. They took the bait ... hook, line, and sinker. It reminded me of the fear that Orson Welles was able to conjure when he did "The War of the Worlds" broadcast in 1938. Welles was able to create a mythological occurrence that was packaged so well that audiences bought it. This is the same with Peter Jackson's creation, Forgotten Silver. Jackson's attention to detail and excitement behind this project is seen with every digitized photo, every sound bite, and every word of the story.

The great idea behind mocumentaries is that you have the opportunity to create a world from the ground up. I think this was an aspect that I thoroughly enjoyed about this picture was every creative angle that Jackson took with his characters. They were flawed, but in a good way. They were real, yet in a sense very cartoonish. They gave you this dream about life that is normally missing in most films, yet these guys were never alive for you to believe in. It was funny how deeply rooted you could become with this film until you had to pull yourself away and say that it was just a work of fiction. For anyone to say that about a film means that the filmmaker is doing a spectacular job. The only director that I can think of that closely able to pull this off today is Christopher Guest, but even in his work you can tell that it is a mocumentary from the beginning. Jackson never gives you the opportunity to find the truth. Everything he hands to you has been researched and tested giving us the chance to believe in our man Colin throughout all of it.

Perhaps what I am trying to say here is that Jackson doesn't just create a story, he creates a world filled with emotion and chaos. It is easy to create a story, books are released everyday, but to put visuals with this story AND build a main character that the average Joe can relate to is much harder. While only pushing 60 minutes, Jackson had quite a bit of work on his hands. This was not an easy project. Jackson not only had to play director, but also put himself into the film that I think only helped build the mirage of truth. You kept forgetting that he created this story, yet was in it himself. It honestly takes away that feeling of cinematic rubbish that Hollywood releases daily and builds a true story.

The interventions between Harvey Weinstein, Sam Neill, and Leonard Maltin only help build more of that "truth" to the film. You hear these men from the industry talk about this fictitious man named Colin McKenzie, you begin to believe that perhaps he was alive and Jackson is just trying to tell the truth.

While I have spoken heavily about the amazing fake factoids that Jackson disperses through the film, what I found funny was the type of humor that Jackson placed intermittently throughout the film. The idea of Stan the Man is brilliant and his "Rodney King" moment proved that it is always possible for history to repeat itself. The jail time that Colin faced due to his "smut" film had me rolling in my seat. The exuberant size of the extras needed for this film kept me smiling throughout. There was just something about this humor that made me excited about my educational background.

Finally, I would like to say that the fact that the New Zealand public never realized that it was a mocumentary should already prove the worthiness of this film. I do not see why it didn't receive more press than it did, but this has been the biggest film enjoyment of the week. I remember a line from a film that went something like this, "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist". Think of this line as you witness Jackson's film Forgotten Silver. It will make you curious.

Overall, I thought that this film was beautiful. Midway through this film you will loose track of reality and think that you are watching a true documentary, and that is when you can realize that you have a master director giving you a perfect "gem". This was not a film filled with violence and annoying Gollems, but instead cunning wit and satire. Jackson continually proves that he can handle so much more than just The Lord of the Rings with this film. No CGI is needed to see the imagination and brilliance behind this visionary. For those of you that are huge Lord of the Rings fans, you may not enjoy it as much, but for me this was Jackson in his truest form.

Bravo!

Grade: ***** out of *****

"A delightful mockumentary" they say. A damn good mockumentary too. This was shown in New Zealand as an actual documentary, and had just about the whole of the country fooled until about a year later when Jackson revealed that it was all just make believe. I was very disappointed. This is a great and well made production. I read the reviews of other Peter Jackson films and it sounds as if he is more appreciated in America than here in New Zealand.

Forgotten Silver goes do show that Peter Jackson can do more than just horror.

What is truth in film? Is there any? That's a question you ponder after many repeated viewings of Peter Jackson (Heavenly Creatures) and Costa Botes' (Saving Grace) Forgotten Silver, a delightful `Mock-umentary.' I remember the first time I saw this film, it was 1997 at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I remember the audience laughing, as I have never heard any crowd laugh before. This is a good natured and very funny film.

The film follows the story of Colin McKenzie (Thomas Robbins) a pioneer filmmaker from New Zealand. Colin is a genius; he invented brand new emulsion techniques in 1902. He photographed the first human in flight, and it wasn't the Wright Brothers. He invented color and sound for film decades before anyone else, and in the end he mounted one of the greatest epic motion pictures of all time, SALOME: A Tale of the Bible.

The movie is amazing. Any lesser film would track down stock footage to tell the story but what Botes and Jackson accomplish with grainy 16mm film and original photography is just amazing. The final 20 minutes of the movie is a painstakingly elaborate silent film that feels like real period silent movie. Colin McKenzie might not exist, but this film makes him alive.

The story goes that they showed this film on New Zealand Television and many people bought the joke. There are enough markers to make the utterly impossible. My favorite, the steam powered film camera. But then there are great moments with Sam Neil (Jurassic Park), Leonard Maltin (TV's Hot Ticket), and Harvey Weinstein (An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn), that give this movie and air of credibility. I also enjoyed Beatrice Ashton's wonderful performance as Hannah McKenzie. It's done with all seriousness. There is no tongue-and-cheek in her naturally moving delivery of obviously fake lines.

As I mentioned before there is a silent film that takes up the last 20 minutes of FORGOTTEN SILVER. Sarah McLeod (Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of The Ring) plays May Belle, Colin's wife and leading lady, she is perfect. Her role as Salome is so good that you buy it. The camera love's McLeod's face, she has those soft pudgy features that are incredibly feminine, but also vampishly sexy.

This film looks so easy, but had to be absolutely painstaking. But I'm glad Jackson and Botes took the time to make it. It's a wonderful film. Imaginative, beautiful, and well worth it's hour and fifteen-minute running time.

Don't forget to spend some time with....FORGOTTEN SILVER.