Customer Rating:  
Summary: NIce, early period documentary
Comment: As the title indicates, this DVD covers Leonard Cohen's life from his birth in 1934 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada to 1977 when he recorded the album with Phil Spector, "Death of a Ladies' Man." It is also labeled "an independent critical analysis" and Cohen's biographer Ira Nadel's critique is included, along with that of John Simon who produced Cohen's first album, other Cohen producers, a couple of his friends/colleagues from the period in question, "Rolling Stone" magazine's editor at the time, and an assortment of other talking heads. For the most part, Cohen has nothing to worry about as practically everyone praises this man, his novels, his poems and his music. Nadel's commentary was most helpful. He describes Cohen as an artist who engages rather than entertains the listener. Ronee Blakley's comments-- she sang backup on "Death of a Ladies's Man"--were beautifully spoken and rang with sincerity. The different speakers discuss Cohen's early books of poetry, his two novels but concentrate for the most part on his singing career and the albums he released from 1967 through 1977. There is a difference of opinion by this folks as to which one is his best one. Although more critics vote for his first released in 1967, "Songs of Leonard Cohen," "Songs of Love and Hate" gets high marks as well.
There is a lot of new information on this DVD for those of us who are besotted with Leonard Cohen, although I must be the only fan alive who didn't know who the woman in the Chelsea Hotel was; so now I know, not that it matters. By far the best part of this production is the actual footage of Cohen when he is interviewed ("everyone lives the life of the heart") and/or the snatches of his or Judy Collins' singing. We can all be thankful that she introduced Cohen's work to the U. S. when she recorded what was to become his most popular song "Suzanne" on her fantastic album "In My Life."
Watching this 90 minute film, did make me want to listen to more of this great artist's music, certainly a good thing.
Customer Rating:
Summary: deeply dissappointing, to put it mildly; infuriating, really
Comment: I want my money back! I feel deceived.
I wished I had read the one star reviews here before I bought this one (plus the second one) as a Christmas present for my best friend, a great admirer of Cohen! 3 of us sat down in great expectation to watch what we thought was a review of Leonard's life. We found what Mr Hulme and beechbooks found: talking empty heads, making a disgrace of the poesy that is Leonard Cohen and his real voice! These DVDs should be barred from sale pretending they are about Cohen. They are quite blatantly about lots of other other people I don't care to know because Cohen doesn't really seem to matter to them, only the sound of their own voice!
I wished I could get my money back! That was my main Christmas present to my best friend, and he is furious with the talking heads these DVDs feature, instead of the singing soul of Cohen.
Can I give this video NO star?
The only person talking I would care listen to for the odd minute he was on was the narrator (relating simple facts of Cohen's life) who did what the other talking heads should have done: to stay invisible and say only what has real meaning!
Customer Rating:
Summary: what a disappoinment
Comment: I like Cohen a great deal - sadly I have to agree with the one-star review. This is not a good film - badly made and no tribute to a iconic musician
Customer Rating:
Summary: A lesson in how not to make a documentary
Comment: Leonard Cohen. Where to start? The man deserves a quality, insightful documentary about his writing, poetry and music, and this film is about as far away from this as you could get.
The "documentary" consists of unknown journalists and studio types who vaguely knew or had some tenuous connection to Cohen at different stages of his career, and so the interviews generate precious little in the way of interest or insight. As for the music - it is clear that the company who made this farcical documentary could not afford or did not want to pay the money to licence his music, so we get no more than perhaps eight bars of perhaps eight songs in total (i.e. all you'll hear is the first two lines of "Suzanne", before we cut to another boring interviewer explaining how he mopped the floors in the corridor above the recording studio and how this gives him an insight into Leonard Cohen's work.)
A special mention must be given to the abysmal direction, which would not be out of place on a regional news programme. Each album cover is brought up by the kind of graphics last seen in the early 1980s, and just when you think things can't get any worse, they do. When in Suzanne we hear Cohen sing "you can watch the boats go by," the documentary cuts to an image of - some boats going by. At this point, I almost demolished my television set.
If you are a fan of Leonard Cohen, boycott this film and demand that a decent documentary be made. Unless the production crew were media studies students and this is in fact a piece of "A" Level coursework, anyone involved in this should be ashamed of themselves.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Cohen forever
Comment: And he will live forever. Such a genius deserves to, and it's documentaries like this that help to give him the recognition he so richly deserves. A great buy, I loved it. A real credit to the musician.
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