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Forgotten Silver

Forgotten Silver

List Price: $19.98
Your Price: $17.98
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Silver" is gold
Review: 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."


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