Forgotten Silver (TV 1995)

Forgotten Silver is a mockumentary which details the prodigious life of "lost" filmmaker Colin McKenzie and his incredible advances that were lost to history...until now. This supergenius ... See full summary »

Directors:

Costa Botes, Peter Jackson

Writers:

Costa Botes, Peter Jackson

Stars:

Jeffrey Thomas, Costa Botes, Marguerite Hurst

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jeffrey Thomas	...	Narrator (voice)
Costa Botes	...	Himself - Film Maker
Marguerite Hurst	...	Herself
Peter Jackson	...	Himself
Leonard Maltin	...	Himself - Film Historian
Johnny Morris	...	Himself - Film Archivist (as Jonathon Morris)
Sam Neill	...	Himself - Actor / Director
John O'Shea	...	Himself
Lindsay Shelton	...	Himself
Harvey Weinstein	...	Himself - Miramax Films
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Stevan Eldred-Grigg	...	Himself (scenes deleted)

Storyline

Forgotten Silver is a mockumentary which details the prodigious life of "lost" filmmaker Colin McKenzie and his incredible advances that were lost to history...until now. This supergenius filmmaker, posthumously inducted into the pantheon of cinema greats, made incredible advances in filmmaking technology, supposedly making a talkie in 1908 and using color film in 1911, but madness and poverty and the usual industry tolls drove him into obscurity.

---

Plot Keywords:

new zealand | mockumentary | world war one | spanish civil war | two word title | 

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Details

Country:

New Zealand

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

3 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Colin McKenzie

Filming Locations:

New Zealand

Box Office

Budget:

$650,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Zealand Film Commission, New Zealand On Air, WingNut Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

53 min 70 min (DVD)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was originally screened as a genuine documentary to an unsuspecting New Zealand public, and was only revealed to be a hoax a few days afterwards.

---

Goofs

The film implies that Colin invented the close-up around 1912, but the earliest close-ups date from around 1903, nine years earlier.

---

Crazy Credits

The hoax of this film is carried on into the credits. Cast members Beatrice Ashton (Hannah McKenzie) and Sarah McLeod (Mae Belle) are credited as Research Assistants. Other bit players are credited as research assistants, production advisers, and are otherwise given phony credits.

---

Connections

Referenced in Mayhem Behind Movies (2012)

User Reviews

Fabulous hoax

Peter Jackson and Costa Boeates decided to make this great mockumentary about a man called Colin McKenzie, a man who invented such things as color film, audio film and above all, made the first full length feature movie.

Apparently it was quite a successful hoax in New Zealand, people really did buy it. And I really can't blame them, as most of the fabricated film material really looks like almost hundred years old, almost destroyed film.

And there are some very convincing famous film people, like Sam Neil, telling their knowledge of this McKenzie.

Even the tone of the film isn't actually very funny, even thought there are some things in it that are so absurd, that they make you laugh.

Over all well made mockumentary.