69 of 70 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Year: 1964. The Country: Canada. The Man: Leonard Cohen., March 23, 2001
I just rented this fabulous DVD about Canadian novelist/poet/singer/traveller Leonard Cohen and am so glad I did... it is a little gem of a movie, giving us a first-hand look into the young Cohen as he, in his quiet, attractive way, lives and learns and laughs about life, in whatever order the day seems to bring him.
Filmed in Black & White and released in 1965, the film was made as a 'documentary,' and as such takes us 'behind-the-scenes' into a slightly-staged version of Cohen's day-to-day life, complete with scenes of him waking up, bathing, shaving, hanging out at the local bar or a friend's house with his closest friends, at a book signing, and walking in the Montreal park where he played as a child. The film was shot before he became famous as a singer, and as such it focuses mainly on his work/career as a poet and novelist.
The film was made by the Canadian National Film Board, and as such has a dated, now-quite-funny voice-over about Cohen. At the same time, the people behind the film definetely "got" Cohen -- the film is made with the same type of quiet humour that Cohen himself possesses. I think one of my favorite moments in the film shows Cohen being interviewed by a stern, older man who insists that Cohen couldn't possibly be a poet without things that "bother" or upset him. The man kind of insinuated that Cohen must have a mission of some sort, something deep -- that by being a poet, he must have been trying to address some wrong in the world and do something which would help correct it. But Cohen would have none of that. Looking like he does for much of the film: quiet, a bit smug, self-consciously attractive and intelligent, Cohen quietly responds, in a soft-spoken manner similar to that of B&W footage I've seen of fellow '60's poet Jim Morrison, "well, what I'm really interested in is a state of grace. When I wake up in the morning, I have to know that things are in balance...." The interviewer gives up completely then, and instead of getting any more miffed or confused, finally says, "okay, now you've lost me." And then you know it's Score One, Cohen and Film; Score Zero, Stuffy Clueless Interviewer.
I Highly Recommended this film to fans of Cohen's music, his writing, or others of the wanna-be beatnik variety. There are plenty of black turtlenecks, steaming cups of coffee, intently gazing eyes, sly comic humour, stern black glasses, and seductively charming lines. His deadpan sarcasm and semi-stand-up comedy routines work just as well in 2001 as they did in 1964. His dashing, quiet, tongue-in-cheek humour reminds me much of a reading I saw recently of fellow Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood. They both had me laughing in the aisles. But it was smart laughter, if that makes sense.
Better than a trip to the local coffehouse for that poetry slam -- well, just as good, but this one gives you a glimpse of history. I found it captivating. Forty years later, the Man still has It.
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48 of 48 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Older film about Cohen the poet, not Cohen the musician, December 9, 1999
This DVD (and presumably the VHS version too) is composed of 2 parts: a 1960's era Canadian Film Board "documentary" about Cohen, and 4 short experimental music-video-like segments.
Fans who know Leonard Cohen only through his music can expect either to be disappointed (because the film largely predates and ignores this aspect of his life), or excited to learn that Cohen is very much a world-class poet first and a musician second.
The texture of the documentary is quaint, even funny to those of us who grew up with MTV. It follows Cohen though his daily life, as he speaks to everyday people on the street and crowds of fans in auditoriums, and feels strangely like a propaganda film at times.
The "selected discography" on the DVD is suprisingly useless and doesn't bother to list most of his albums.
All in all, an interesting look at Cohen in his spry younger years. Recommended.
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32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Saint Leonard Claims His Territory, February 1, 2000
For all you people who got to know Leonard Cohen after his 1988 album "I'm your man" this should be a must see video. You will find out that this living legend received a very classical training and was groomed for a high position in the Canadian world of poetry. Instead of course he threw it all away for "an education in the world" and became a pop singer. This is an important video that almost didn't happen. The documentary was supposed to be made about five poets but Cohen was the youngest and least stuffy of them all and the director wisely focused on Cohen and saw the genius in the bard of Montreal. All of this is news to the new fans of Cohen but for the old timers like me this is ancient but never the less pleasant history. Anything by Leonard Cohen is welcome. Yes, he is that good.
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