Forgotten Silver (1995) (TV)

Cast: Sam Neill, Leonard Maltin, Harvey Weinstein, John O'Shea, Hannah McKenzie

Rating: NR

Running Time: 53 min.

Synopsis: Originally presented to an unsuspecting New Zealand public as the real deal, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's masterful mocumentary initially proved so convincing that unsuspecting viewers bought it hook, line, and sinker. A remarkably detailed look at the life of early filmmaker Colin McKenzie (Thomas Robins), the film traces the life of the young innovator as he makes incredible advances in the realm of cinema years before they are generally though to have occurred. From McKenzie's creation of the first "talkie" in 1908 (the first true sound feature is generally considered to be 1927's The Jazz Singer) to his creation of the first color film three short years later (which is generally considered to be 1922's The Toll of the Sea), the discovery of the remarkable advances made by him would forever change the face of film history. With Jackson himself providing commentary on the importance of the recent "discovery" of McKenzie's lost epic Salome -- which was preserved in a garden shed for nearly a century -- the significance of this "lost film" is further cemented by interviews with such notable film figures as Miramax's Harvey Weinstein and film critic Leonard Maltin. As McKenzie's rise and eventual downfall is documented through the use of newspaper articles, still images, and rare behind-the-scenes footage of Salome, the viewer is drawn into a remarkably staged ruse that is so effectively executed that it even includes interviews with McKenzie's "wife," Hannah (Beatrice Ashton).