Robert Shields: My Life As A Robot

Seldom does one documentary ignite so many forgotten fires in the pop culture landscape. We are talking about multiple countercultures at play, plus an enormous mainstream influence that evaporated right before the VCR revolution. This story touches on everything that matters to anybody, from Groucho Marx to Blade Runner. OMG! Joanna Cassidy appears in this movie! Her background with mechanical people was more extensive than we thought. We also get access to footage of countless Shields and Yarnell skits, both in public and on TV. They are as still as electrifyingly hilarious as they were when I saw them on TV when I was six years old. I remember trying to recreate the biker zipper bit for classmates in the schoolyard. I had not thought of any of this in nearly 45 years.  

The rocket fuel here is the brilliant insights delivered by the subject himself. Shields is both eloquent and endlessly entertaining. I was floored by how profound his distinction of the art of mime was from Marcel Marceau, the master French mime. Shields described his differences with Marceau’s teachings when he studied under him in Paris, where Marceau worshiped Chaplin while Shields loved The Three Stooges.

“…Marceau worshiped Chaplin while Shields loved The Three Stooges.”

Instead of building these elaborate invisible narratives, Shields liked to find the invisible light power switch in the air and throw it as hard as he could. Rarely has delicacy versus immediacy been so defined in the creative sphere. Also astounding was Shields’ artistic direction once he got to Sedona in the mid-80s. That someone so revolutionary in the art of mime would be so talented in other mediums staggers the mind as well as the eyes. But this feels even bigger than just the art.

There are so many fantastic life lessons to be gotten from this movie. There is a wealth of tips for young people considering going into show business. There are also lots of direct reflections on dealing with calamities as well as never underestimating how many ripples you put out there are still rolling. Rarely is art so universal that any human being on this planet will absolutely adore it on sight. That is the art that this film breathes. Robert Shields: My Life As A Robot will be enjoyed immensely by anyone who sees it, no matter who you are, were, or may someday be. This movie is beyond perfect.