Review of Forgotten Silver (1997) by Joseph W — 20 Feb 2009

[font=Arial][u]Forgotten Silver (1995)[/u].

Directed/Written by: Peter Jackson, Costa Botes.

Starring: Peter Jackson, Costa Botes, Johnny Morris, Thomas Robbins, Peter Corrigan.

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Oh, what a tangled web Peter Jackson weaves. After a series of over-the-top, murderous gorefests, Jackson has created something truly brilliant (not that his previous films weren't...) in [i]Forgotten Silver[/i]. It's an hour-long documentary about a New Zealand filmmaker named Colin McKenzie, discovered to be one of filmmaking's earliest pioneers.

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[font=Arial]Over the course of the film, we see how McKenzie invented color film, his first experiments with sound, moving camera shots, and even filming an airplane take flight a full six months before the Wright Brothers went to Kitty Hawk. Colin even ventured to create a four-hour biblical epic in a time when such things were considered preposterous.

[/font][font=Arial]Thing is, it's all one big, rich tapestry of lies. The documentary is played completely deadpan serious. Much in the same vein of a Christopher Guest film (but considerably better), [i]Forgotten Silver[/i] takes the documentary formula and allows Jackson and Botes to let their imaginations run wild. What they've created here is a hoax that's completely plausible and, in fact, very well thought out.

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[font=Arial]This is the kind of film you just can't help but admire. The film hooks you from the start, and continuously throws "facts" at you until you buy into the whole thing. Even if you're already in on the joke (and it's a safe bet that real film enthusiasts will pick up on it fairly quickly), the film still has it's share of laughs and surprises.

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[font=Arial]But what really sells this thing is the conviction with which the filmmakers present their findings. Peter Jackson and Costa Botes have really come up with something that transcends Jackson's previous efforts. It's the kind of thing that will be remembered decades from now as one of the shining examples of how to do a mockumentary, and do it right. 4 stars.[/font].