Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Turn Every Page - The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb

I loved this documentary. Maybe because it's about writing. Roberto Caro is a non fiction writer. He has written "The Power Broker" and four thick volumes of the life and times of American president, Lyndon Johnson. I confess, I haven't read any of them but after watching this documentary, maybe one day. Robert Gottlieb has been his life long editor. Gottlieb's daughter made this documentary over a five year period. Each of Roberto Caro books took about seven years to write. The documentary goes into the careers of both men. Gottlieb has been editor at Simon & Schuster, Knopf, and The New Yorker. He edited "Catch-22" and was even responsible for the title. Caro, his research is beyond in-depth; he managed to get Lyndon Johnson's brother to sit at their childhood dinner table at the same time of day they would be eating so the light in the room would be the same and then got him to describe their father. It's also about Caro's and Gottlieb's working relationship; there are fights over semicolons, of course. I loved all of it. Caro (87) is working on a fifth volume of Lyndon Johnson and Gottlieb (91) is eagerly waiting to edit it. Catch this wonderful documentary at your local rep theatre or on a streaming service soon.   

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