''Forgotten Silver'' is a 1995 New Zealand

mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...

film that purports to tell the story of a pioneering New Zealand filmmaker. It was written and directed by

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand filmmaker. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy (2012–2014), both of which ar ...

and Costa Botes, both of whom appear in the film in their roles as makers of the documentary.

Synopsis

''Forgotten Silver'' purports to tell the story of "forgotten" New Zealand filmmaker Colin McKenzie, and the rediscovery of his lost films, which presenter Peter Jackson claims to have found in an old shed. McKenzie is presented as the first and greatest innovator of modern cinema, single-handedly inventing the tracking shot (by accident), the close-up (unintentionally), and both sound and colour film years before their historically documented creation. The film also shows fragments of an epic Biblical film, ''Salome'', supposedly made by McKenzie in a giant set in the forests of New Zealand, and a "computer enhancement" of a McKenzie film proving that New Zealander

Richard Pearse Richard William Pearse (3 December 1877 – 29 July 1953) was a New Zealand farmer and inventor who performed pioneering aviation experiments. Witnesses interviewed many years afterwards describe observing Pearse flying and landing a powered h ...

was the first man to invent a powered aircraft, several months before the

Wright Brothers The Wright brothers, Orville Wright (August 19, 1871 – January 30, 1948) and Wilbur Wright (April 16, 1867 – May 30, 1912), were American aviation List of aviation pioneers, pioneers generally credited with inventing, building, and flyin ...

. The film also shows a (staged) premiere screening of a recovered McKenzie film presented by film promoter Lindsay Shelton. It features deadpan commentary from actor/director

Sam Neill Sir Nigel John Dermot "Sam" Neill (born 14 September 1947) is a New Zealand actor. His career has included leading roles in both dramas and blockbusters. Considered an "international leading man", he is regarded as one of the most versatile acto ...

and director and film archivist

John O'Shea John Francis O'Shea (; born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who is currently assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland men's national team. He was known for his versatility in playing several defensi ...

, as well as critical praise from international industry notables including film historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

, and

Harvey Weinstein Harvey Weinstein (, ; born March 19, 1952) is an American film producer and convicted sex offender. In 1979, Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent ...

Miramax Films Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

. In reality, McKenzie is a fictional character, and the films featured in ''Forgotten Silver'' were all created by Peter Jackson, carefully mimicking the style of early cinema. The interviewees are all acting. Thomas Robins, the actor who portrays Colin McKenzie, is today more easily recognized by audiences as Sméagol's ill-fated cousin Déagol in Jackson's '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King''.

Cast

As themselves: * Jeffrey Thomas (narrator) *

* Johnny Morris * Costa Botes *

* Marguerite Hurst * Lindsay Shelton Actors: * Beatrice Ashton - Hannah McKenzie * Thomas Robins - Colin McKenzie * Richard Shirtcliffe - Brooke McKenzie * Peter Corrigan - Stan "the Man" Wilson * Sarah McLeod - May Belle

Production

Costa Botes directed the "documentary" portions while Peter Jackson created the "archive footage" supposedly filmed by McKenzie. Jackson also shot fake interviews in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, including the one with Weinstein.

Reception

The film was first aired on

Television New Zealand Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, TVNZ+, streaming service, and 1N ...

's channel TV ONE at a time usually dedicated to plays and

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

, but was billed and introduced as a serious documentary. Many viewers were fooled until the directors shortly afterwards revealed that it was a hoax. This created controversy. Derived from The film was later screened at

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theater, cinemas or screening venues, usually annually and in a single city or region. Some film festivals show films outdoors or online. Films may be of recent ...

References

Bibliography

* Conrich, Ian/Smith, Roy (2006): ''Fool's Gold: New Zealand's Forgotten Silver, Myth and National Identity.'' In: Rhodes, Gary Don/Springer, John Parris (eds.) (2006): ''Docufictions. Essays on the intersection of documentary and fictional filmmaking.'' Jefferson, NC: McFarland, pp. 230–236. * Roscoe, Jane/Hight, Craig (1997): ''Mocking silver: Reinventing the documentary project (or, Grierson lies bleeding).'' In: Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 11:1, pp. 67–82
full text
Article provides background information and an analysis of audience responses to the film) * Roscoe, Jane/Hight, Craig (2006): ''Forgotten Silver: A New Zealand Television Hoax and Its Audience.'' In: Juhasz, Alexandra/Lerner, Jesse (eds.) (2006): ''F is for Phony. Fake Documentary and Truth’s Undoing.'' Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pp. 171–186.

External links

* * {{Peter Jackson 1990s mockumentary films 1995 films Films directed by Peter Jackson New Zealand comedy films WingNut Films films Hoaxes in New Zealand 1995 hoaxes Films with screenplays by Peter Jackson 1995 comedy films 1990s English-language films