Overview: Marionette Land is an intimate portrait into the wonderful world of Robert Brock and his magical marionette theatre. Brock lives above the theatre with his mother and business partner, Mary Lou.

From classic marionette shows for families (Peter Pan, Wizard of Oz) to grown-up shows where he straps on his heels to become famous Hollywood divas of the past, you never know what will happen next at the Lancaster Marionette Theatre.

But new personal and professional challenges emerge as Robert and Mary Lou struggle to keep the theatre open while preparing to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Winner of Best Documentary at the Omaha Film Festival, Marionette Land is a film about doing what you love no matter what.

DVD Verdict: In what is a quite remarkable cinematic insight into both a man and his chosen artform, for my money, surely Marionette Land has to be one of the best of its genre.

Opening with Brock himself on a homemade fog-induced stage, he is seen performing, his red spectacles adding a touch of artful entertainment to his overall performance.

Brock, who he himself described himself as a “legend in his own mind,” has been the theater’s driving force now for 32 years and as we see throughout this wonderful documentary, is a jack of all trades (he writes, directs, choreographs, performs each thirty-five-minute performance himself, and even, when required, sells the tickets from the small box office window).

For the most part a smorgasboard of kid-friendly performances, all be they ones built for the accompanying adults to enjoy also, Brock also puts on more adult shows, such as his now infamous Grown-Ups Only cabaret revues (that pay heartfelt tribute to the likes of Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli).

I have now watched this documentary twice through and have to say that to my mind, the 63-year-old Brock is the master of his craft, an old stage pro (if you wish) that just simply does not know when to quit and only gets better over the years.

He also, and this should come as no surprise, in truth, creates his own puppets, provides vocals when necessary, does the lighting (both stage and house), and when it comes to those aforementioned Grown-Ups Only nights, he even manages to squeeze his sturdy build into a bustier and fishnets for his art!

Doing all this whilst standing on and performing on (and sometimes with others) a stage only six feet wide, Alexander Monelli’s Marionette Land lovingly brings forth a highly engrossing cinematic view of a man with so much personality, so much heartfelt passion and decades long devotion to the cause, that you will assuredly begin to question your own passions in life!

With additional viewpoints given from people such as Mary Lou, the theater’s co-founder, house manager, and producer, and who also happens to be Brock’s mother and roommate (though he may prefer the term “cohabitator”), Brock also allows us to witness his vocal rehearsals and costume fittings, thus bringing us a fully rounded and simply magical showcasing of his abundant spirit for nostalgia and creativity within this magnificent, and truly beautiful art form. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Deleted Scenes
Commentary
Q&A
Trailer