PBS’ ‘Lens’ turns to shoeshines
When was the last time you stopped to get your shoes shined?
As I never tire of repeating, the best documentaries (not to mention essays and newspaper columns) focus on a “small” subject to reflect on larger themes, sometimes reaching the profound by way of the mundane.
Directed with wit and verve by Stacey Tenenbaum, the “Independent Lens” film “The Art of the Shine” (PBS, TV-PG, see box for local air times) examines the small, rarified and all-but-vanished world of the professional shoeshine artist. She follows men and women from New York to Sarajevo to Tokyo who have taken up the profession.
“Shine” deals with misgivings about shoe-shining right off the bat. We meet people who are uncomfortable about having someone “at their feet,” in what they see as a subservient position. And it’s impossible to overlook the racial dimension of such feelings, hearkening back to a time when many “bootblacks” were black men and boys relegated to that role by discrimination.
The first shoeshine entrepreneur we meet is a black man on the streets of Manhattan who loves his job. Rather than feel servile, he actually pities the masses of humanity around him scurrying to sit in cubicles and watch the clock. He worked as an accountant for more than a decade and prefers the freedom of his current occupation. We meet a man from Sarajevo whose shoe-shining father became a legend during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. After a bombing or a firefight, he would set up his stand, encouraging other civilians to take back their streets.
A whole franchise of shoeshiners from San Francisco and New York has worked the profession into the group’s 12-step recovery program. A Tokyo entrepreneur has turned his shop into a shrine where an elaborate shine takes at least an hour.
While watching “Shine,” I was struck by how the notion of shoeshine culture seems perfectly suited to an era of shaving obsessives, mixologists and baristas. Like shoeshine artists, these people have found that focusing on the “small” things can make life special. They all use a ceremonial flourish to turn an everyday act into something exalted.
One contented shoeshine customer takes time to reflect how his mother taught him to wear good clothes, good shoes and use good toilet paper. As you can see, it’s impossible to get your shoes shined without waxing philosophical.
If you miss the broadcast, you can stream “Art of the Shine” at pbs.org/ independentlens, starting Tuesday.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
› In search of lost mojo on “Lucifer” (8 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).
› “Waco: The Longest Siege” (8 p.m., Smithsonian) reflects on the 51-day standoff that ended in flames in April 1993.
› Rachel Bloom gueststars as a theater snob on “iZombie” (9 p.m., CW, TV-14).
› An attack suggests that the creature may be linked to native lore on “The Terror” (9 p.m., AMC, TV-14).
› A stowaway needs saving on “Scorpion” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› A look ahead to 2187 reveals Leah and Reece’s story on “The Crossing” (10 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› Quinn’s stunt puts Serena on the spot on “UnReal” (10 p.m., Lifetime, TV-MA).
› Alex anticipates Vadim’s next move with dread on “McMafia” (10:05 p.m., AMC, TV-14).
› Landmark preservation on “Kevin Can Wait” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
› Knockouts continue on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
› Rip improvises on the season finale of “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” (8 p.m., CW, TV-14).
› Faith and science collide on “Living Biblically” (9:30 p.m., CBS, TV-PG).
Contact Kevin McDonough at kevin. tvguy@gmail.com.