The Lady Bird Diaries

Dawn Porter, former attorney with ABC, now film maker, and produced "The Lady Bird Diaries." One of the most liberating documentaries I have had the opportunity to screen. The images of Carmichael, King, Eartha Kitt, and Marshall were very deliberate and the documentary is so eloquent in its delivery.

The Obama's were afforded a private screening in Martha's Vineyard.

I was touched by Ms. Porter's commentary where she briefed on her meeting John Lewis at a museum admiring his own exhibits!!!

She met with John Lewis at his home where they watched on Dawn's laptop!!!

Sojourner Truth HUSH=head up stream hurry.

This is without real value in my opinion. I'll explain why.

Fine, let's have a portrait of the Firsts Lady during one of the most important times in US history. In her own voice too, comprised from voice recordings she made from '63 onwards. By all means let's have it.

Up on screen we get Lady Bird as gently and quietly steadying presence, witness and support. There through all the legislative fights, achievements and Vietnam mishandling. The backdrop is familiar, too much so from inumerable films and TV.

The tone is more as if penning a letter of pleasantries rather than an intimate diary. There are no strong opinions on anything, except of course unfailing support for LBJ, ever the courteous Southern woman. No real soul baring. But that is how she chooses to present herself in recordings which at the very worst she knew would be made public one day.

The real Lady Bird was indeed a courteous Washington host, and unfailingly steadfast in her support of LBJ.

So much so, she would famously turn a blind eye to his constant insults, abrasive temper and being yelled and barked orders in their own home in front of stunned guests. To LBJ's numerous infidelities, even in front of her own presence. So devoted to LBJ she would neglect their two young daughters, always putting their needs last to whatever LBJ's day required.

Robert Caro is my source for all this, probably the biggest LBJ researcher who will ever live. All this was well known in Washington circles, and she was viewed as "that poor woman".

Would Lady Bird confide her feelings about LBJ's womanizing on tape? Of course not. Jackie had to put up with much the same before her, minus the Texas hillbilly manners.

But now another picture emerges. Ambiguously human, fragile, maybe even more heroic. Being able to somehow interpolate the two Ladies, now that would have been something to see. This by itself is vacuous, airbrushed, saying nothing.

Lady Bird Diaries was enthusiastically received in it's world premiere at SXSW Film Festival in Austin. It is a beautiful picture that presents Lady Bird's perspective through excerpts of the audio diaries that she kept while she was First Lady. It provides her perspective and her and her family's struggles during the 5 extremely difficult years of his Presidency. Of course, she speaks to all of the powerful events of the era from the assassinations, civil rights, legislative successes to Vietnam. Special attention is paid to her role in environmental and beautification work. She was a remarkable and underestimated individual.

At the end of the screening, Luci Baines Johnson spoke from the audience and was clearly grateful for the amazing showcase that the film had given her late mother's voice. The film is a loving and supportive film meant to highlight Lady Bird's role rather than provide a critical view of a complicated and difficult presidency. It was certainly carefully edited from about 123 hours of original tapes. It was very enjoyable for those of us who love history and politics. It certainly brings to life the Lady Bird's remarkably inciteful and caring voice. It also shows how incredibly difficult those years were for her and her family thrust into the Presidency under the worst possible circumstances.

I was intrigued and impressed by the movie's coverage of a conversion between Lady Bird and LBJ regarding Walter Jenkins -- particularly her strong defense of the aide and push back against LBJ. But after listening to the actual full conversation elsewhere, I was shocked to discover the documentary producers sliced, diced and blatantly manipulated the conversation. It's one thing to edit for length and clarity, but they rearranged comments, put them out of order and altered their meaning. It's inexcusable for a doc to play with historic recordings like that, and made me question what else they twisted in a documentary I otherwise would have loved. If you want to take that kind of liberty with historic tape recordings or transcripts -- even in the name of celebrating your subject or trying to capture her spirit -- hire actors and make it a biographical "inspired-by-actual-events" movie.