The Lady Bird Diaries is a documentary film which premiered at a film festival held in Austin (Texas), known as South by South West (SXSW), in 2023.
This is a biopic of Lady Bird Johnson who was the First Lady of America from November 1963 until January 1969, while her husband Lyndon Baines Johnson was the president of the USA.
The primary source of this film is more than 123 hours of audio recordings which Lady Bird Johnson made while she was the First Lady.
She recorded what she heard and what she saw on an almost daily basis during her time as the First Lady
Other sources for the film include private home videos as well as hand-written letters by the First Lady.
Archive footage is used extensively to illustrate events which are covered by the diaries of the First Lady.
Here is some basic information about this film:
** Director: Dawn Porter
** Producers: Dawn Porter and Kim Reynolds
** Production company: ABC News
** Run time: 100 Minutes
Lady Bird Johnson, who was born in 1912, met and married Lyndon Johnson in 1934.
Together they had two daughters who are both mentioned in the diaries from time to time. Lady Bird and Lyndon were married until his death in 1973.
This film is not a concise historical account of American history 1963-1969 written by a professional historian.
It is a personal account of what Lady Bird Johnson heard and saw, while she was the First Lady of America,
A professional historian must consult all available sources and cover all major events which happen within the given time frame.
An account written by a professional historian should be accurate, balanced and comprehensive.
Lady Bird Johnson’s account does not and cannot follow these rules.
Is it comprehensive?
No.
She only reports what she heard and saw.
Is it balanced?
No.
Her account is personal.
All events are seen and described from her point of view.
Is it accurate?
As far as I can tell, the answer to this question is yes.
The diaries seem to offer an honest account of selected events which happened between November 1963 and January 1969.
What kind of events are recorded in the audio diaries? Major events as well as private events which mostly or merely concern her family.
Here are some examples:
** 1963 – the assassination of president John F. Kennedy – President Johnson enters the White House
** 1964 – the Civil Rights Bill is signed
** 1965 – the Voting Rights Bill is signed – Lady Bird Johnson begins her beautification campaign
** 1967 – Thurgood Marshall is nominated to the US Supreme Court – he is the first African American member of this court
** 1968 – the killing of Martin Luther King, Jr. in April and the killing of Robert Kennedy in June
** 1969 – President Johnson leaves the White House
As the First Lady of America, Lady Bird Johnson was an insider as well as an outsider.
She was an insider, because she lived in the White House and because she was the wife of the American president. We know that President Johnson often discussed matters of state with her.
She was an outsider, because the First Lady does not have any official position. The First Lady does not have any official power.
But the job has some perks and some possibilities. What happens in the job depends very much on what kind of person the First Lady is.
Lady Bird Johnson did not try to use her position for personal profit. She wanted to do something that could benefit the American people.
In 1965, she began a campaign of beautification. She wanted to make the capital look more beautiful and she wanted to get rid of the large billboards placed along the highways.
Apparently, she was a quite astute observer of American politics.
In 1964, shortly after moving into the White House, she wrote a long and detailed memo to herself about the options which her husband had for the future.
Regarding the presidential election of 1964, she stated that he could run for office and she believed that he should do so.
She was convinced he was going to win, if he decided to run for office.
Regarding the presidential election of 1968, she stated that he could and should make an announcement in the beginning of the year to explain that he was not going to run for a second term.
In January 1969, when his term would come to an end, he should retire and devote the rest of his life to take care of himself and his family.
It is interesting to see that her prediction was right on both counts:
# 1. In 1964, Johnson ran for office and he won.
# 2. In 1968, Johnson announced that he was not going to run for a second term. He retired in January 1969.
What do reviewers say about this film?
Here are some results:
71 percent = IMDb
82 percent = Meta
82 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
100 percent = Rotten tomatoes (the critics)
As you can see, the ratings are very good. I understand the numerous positive reviews and I agree with them.
This film offers an interesting account of the Johnson presidency seen from the perspective of his wife.
The question is not if you agree with the actions and opinions of Lyndon Johnson or with the opinions of his wife as they are stated in the audio diaries.
The question is: does this film - based primarily on excerpts from the audio diaries - offer an account which is worthwhile? Is it interesting? Can it capture the attention of the viewer?
In my opinion, the answer to these questions is yes.
I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).
The Johnson Family
** Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973) - the father
** Lady Bird Johnson (1912-2007) – the mother
** Linda (born 1944) - the elder daughter
** Lucy (born 1947) – the younger daughter
The Director
Dawn Porter, an American filmmaker, is the director of several documentary films, including the following:
** Trapped (2016)
** John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020)
** Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court (2023) (a miniseries with four episodes)
REFERENCES
Lady Bird Johnson
By Joanne Mattern
(2007)
Lady Bird: A Biography of Mrs. Johnson
By Jan Jarboe Russell
(2016)
Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding in Plain Sight
By Julia Sweig
(2022)
*****
Lady Bird Johnson and
Lyndon Baines Johnson
with their two daughters
(This picture was taken in 1948)
*****
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