Introduction
There are few more symbiotic and co-dependant relationships in the world of journalism and literature than that of writer and editor. In the new documentary feature Turn Every Page, director Lizzie Gottlieb explores this relationship in depth as she dives into the fifty-year friendship and working relationship between two literary giants, writer Robert Caro (The Power Broker, The Years of Lyndon Johnson) and his editor (and Lizzie’s father), Robert Gottlieb.
Synopsis
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Robert Caro and his editor – a legend in his own right – Robert Gottlieb, have been collaborating together for nearly fifty years. Caro’s literary debut was the 1974 biography The Power Broker. About urban planner and political figure Robert Mosses and edited by Gottlieb, it remains a New York Times bestseller decades after its initial publication. Caro followed this up with four of five planned volumes of The Years of Lyndon Johnson. The first volume, 1982’s The Path to Power, won the 1983 National Book Award.
Caro, now 87, is diligently working to complete the fifth and final volume of his masterwork. Gottlieb, 91, remains Caro’s editor and works with him to try and complete the final volume. They both do this knowing that their time may be limited. Turn Every Page follows this duo on what will be, perhaps, their final journey together. It also explores their give-and-take collaboration with each other, while providing insight into the ways that an editor and writer must work together.
While the film explores their remarkable and sometimes explosive collaboration, it also provides the viewer with the behind-the-scenes tension between the pair when writing The Power Broker and the LBJ books. Caro methodically bangs away at his fifth and final volume of the LBJ series on an old-fashioned electric typewriter. The writer has clearly not been influenced by technology when it comes to his methods. Turn Every Page, through moments of humor and bluntness, explores the half-century-long relationship between these two literary titans.
Analysis
Turn Every Page is an incredibly revealing documentary, which is impressive considering the initial hesitation to participate from both Caro and Gottlieb. Additionally, both parties requested not to be interviewed together, in the same room. It’s a credit to Lizzie Gottlieb’s persistence that she worked tirelessly with both men for several years. Her ultimate goal in getting both stubborn and steadfast men comfortable enough that they would open up to her regarding their process of working with each other. The end result is a peek behind the curtain that’s a joy to watch.
For fans or scholars of journalism, editing, or biographies, Gottlieb’s film serves as candy for the brain. There are fascinating recounts of the two starting their collaboration together back in the early 1970s. They go on at length about how more than 350,000 words needed to be cut from The Power Broker. This was due to the fear that the book would be too thick to properly bind.
Further Discussion
Ethan Hawke reads aloud the introduction paragraphs of The Power Broker, making you realize why this book has been a best-seller for so long. There are numerous celebrity and political talking heads that pop up throughout Turn Every Page, including former President Clinton. However, Gottlieb wisely chooses to keep the focus, and camera, primarily on her father, and Caro.
Of particular interest is Mr. Gottlieb recounting how he broke into the editorial world, working his way up the ladder at Simon and Schuster, Knopf Publishing, and The New Yorker. He estimates that he has edited, approximately, an astonishing seven hundred books. Equally fascinating is Gottlieb’s explanation of how he came up with the ’22’ for Joseph Heller’s classic novel, ‘Catch-22.’ While Ms. Gottlieb’s ultimate goal was to document both men finishing up the fifth and final volume of the LBJ series, the final volume remains unfinished at the time of the film’s release.
Conclusion
The director of Turn Every Page, Lizzie Gottlieb, has what can be best described as a deep personal relationship with both of her subjects. As a result, this fantastic documentary about, essentially, writing, editing, note-taking, proper punctuation, and semicolons does not feel nearly as dry and lifeless as it might have been in the hands of another unfamiliar director. Lizzie Gottlieb humanizes her subjects and never lets the viewer forget that this is a story about two men who are trying to finish their final work together. The result is a heartfelt documentary this is equal parts educational and touching.
Turn Every Page had its world premiere on June 12, 2022, at the Tribeca Film Festival. Sony Pictures Classics released the film in Los Angeles and New York City on December 30, 2022. The film is now showing in select cities and is currently not available to stream.
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