Turn Every Page – The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb Movie Review

I have never read a book by Robert A. Caro, but I sure want to now! Lizzie Gottlieb directed this documentary. Lizzie Gottlieb is also Robert Gottlieb’s daughter, Caro’s editor, also a publisher. If her intention was to create new readers for this writer/editor team, she has easily achieved that goal.

Robert Gottlieb is shown walking through a bookstore with his grandson, picking out the books he had a hand in creating. He may as well have said the whole store; it was so many. Growing up, Lizzie would see many writers come to the house for dinner and such, but never Caro. She made this film to try and understand his and her father’s relationship and their work together.

I want to make it clear that you don’t have to be a reader of political books to enjoy this film. The connection between the Roberts and hearing them speak of their accomplishments is what makes it so good. It’s fascinating how they got to those accomplishments, seeing where they are now. The book mentioned most, “The Power Broker,” a 1,246-page book published in 1974 that won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography, gets a nod from President Obama. He says it helped shape how he thinks about politics. This seems to be a popular opinion. The book is seen in the background on the shelves of many guests during the evening news and people interviewed know a lot about it.

Of Gottlieb, who has edited 600 or 700 books, Bill Clinton has that he could see a blob of clay and help you figure out how to turn it into a statue and, with it, chisel your way to victory if need be. With Caro, Gottlieb has edited a series of books about Lyndon Baines Johnson. Caro has one book left in him and they both hope to see it through. This discussion is incredibly compelling and partly why you can’t stop watching once you start. They both realize they’re not the youngest of people and acknowledge that fact when vocalizing the possibilities of one, the other, or both not being around to see it completed. Caro is 86. Gottlieb is 91. Can this masterpiece see its end date before one of them do? That question looms over the film like death over all of us. Recalling how it was edited was astonishing. Insightful. I am curious to know how they managed. Luckily, this digs into and you get to be a part of some of that process.

We learn that Caro loved books as a child because they were his friends. He wasn’t allowed to have other children over and music wasn’t allowed in the house. Staying away from his home and spending time at the library instead was his only solace. It was better than going home to misery. Gottlieb had a father who was cruel to him. Perhaps it was this unhappiness in childhood that connected the two. When Gottlieb was the head of Knopf, he had a diction that said if you get every detail right, you get the best book. You don’t know what captures a reader’s attention and sells a book, but how it’s edited keeps their attention once they make the purchase. You have to advocate for the writer; otherwise, the author is out there alone. Gottlieb doubted everything about himself but never his editorial decisions. Neither did anyone else. He could read an entire manuscript over one night. As he speaks of this, there’s a joy in him the biggest star on stage and film couldn’t fake.

I couldn’t cover all the reasons to see this except, if you like documentaries and books in general, this is easily a must-see. I was enthralled. You will be, too. Their work will dumbfound the best of them and amaze you. Watch to be bewildered and captivated at what can be accomplished when the proper team members are assembled and are made aware of their capabilities. Interestingly, they wouldn’t be interviewed together, but maybe this allowed for a more in-depth look at their process. Neither stepped on the other’s toes and you get the complete picture of how much they respect one another and the work they’ve completed.

I’m looking forward to what Lizzie has for us next.

“The Power Broker” is available through AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, RANDOM HOUSE and IBOOKSTORE