Customer Reviews

Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have the audio version of I'm your man. This cd is the video version. Also included

are a variety of interviewa with Leonard, pictures at an early age up to today. These two cd's

compliment each other and you will see his songs so beautiful sung by a variety of singers.

I highly recommend both audio and video ''I'm your man''.

There is something about Leonard Cohen that seems just right for me. Lian Lunson's 2006 documentary titled Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man is about the life and career of Canadian song lyricist/poet Leonard Cohen, and it helps verify to me that my lifetime fascination with Cohen is because he seems to write and sing as if he has no choice. It is just part of who he is and what he must do. Cohen writes songs like we would need to eat, it is id-driven; he simply needs it for sustenance. In some ways listening to, understanding, and connecting to Cohen's words and music is as equally an aggressive impulse for me as a fan.

He was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame last night. I gave up on the legitimacy of the Rock N' Roll Hall a Fame a while ago but they gain points for honoring Cohen, perhaps this means they finally give Tom Waits his due? Anyway, rather than sit through boring brown-nosing of what I see as mediocre talents like John Mellencamp and Madonna, I decided to just watch Lou Reed gloat over how great Cohen is and then see Damien Rice belt out a nice version of Hallelujah (a song best covered by the late Jeff Buckley). Then I opted to throw in this little documentary. To my surprise I was in the prefect mood for it and so I decided to review it after a positive viewing experience. The first time I saw this it seemed to drag at a snail's pace but still kept my attention, so take that for what it is and know it is my primary justification for a less than perfect rating.

It is very important to note that this movie really is for Cohen fans, or at least fans of some of the artists who appear in the film singing his songs at a tribute show at the Sydney Opera House. In fact, if you like Cohen but not some of the performers you may be frustrated because the film shows primarily covers versions of his songs. Some of the complete performances include Nick Cave singing the title track, Beth Orton singing "Sisters of Mercy", Rufus and Martha Wainwright singing various tracks, Teddy Thompson doing multiple songs, and perhaps my favorite performance, Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons singing "If it Be Your Will" with great passion. Cohen also performs with U2 at the end of the film and several additional performances that appear on the film's soundtrack are available as extras on the DVD. If none of that interests you then you might want to pass, but I happen to think Cohen is one of best song lyricists I've ever heard and this documentary really tries to focus on how he writes and what inspires him.

Everything about this DVD impressed me. To my surprise the performance by the other artists all seemed to me to be deeply respectful of Cohen's music and poetry so I did not regret that it was not simply a concert of Cohen performing his own work. Everything felt to me in harmony with what I like so much in Leonard Cohen's songs. I thought it was magnificent and moving, both in the music and in the remarks made by Cohen, a most interesting and rewarding (I feel) man to listen to.

Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man I'll start by affirming my great admiration for Cohen's poetry and music. Friends and I have spent many wonderful hours listening to Cohen's CDs and reading his works aloud. The problem with this DVD is that too much of the concert footage is hacked up to allow for the interview - I would prefer to hear all the songs in their entirety and I would like to know what happened to the rest of the performance by The Handsome Family with Linda Thompson. While the information presented by Cohen was interesting, I was not sure that it was coherent (that is, providing a clear(er) view of his intentions and philosophy as a unity), which is not to say I was uninformed and unappreciative of what he did say. I admit I enjoyed immensely seeing the little smile of bemusement that so often lit his mouth, as though it were all a cosmic joke. I also enjoyed seeing younger musicians whom I had not heard before (Anthony, Jarvis Cocker) and felt that the McGarrigle/Wainwright family could have done a spectacular concert on their own, so powerful is their connection with the music they performed. And just to see Loenard Cohen with U2. The enlightening portion in the whole film was when Cohen said that, at one time, he was concerned that he had lost his popularity which, I felt, contradicted many of his other statements and stances.... I began to wonder how much is public persona and how much is 100% Leonard. (This is not a big problem - the more complex one is the more likely for contradiction to occur and I know how a public persona can differ from our private self.) I think the director should have decided what he wanted - a concert film or a documentary, rather than not quite half of either.

As big fan of Leonard Cohen I was looking forward to seeing this film.
The best thing is the one interview with Cohen they conducted. However the authors didn't seem to connect very much with their subject but was still interesting to see the old man.
Otherwise it's really disappointing - no original sound tracks - all Cohen songs are played by other artists. Maybe was a right's issue but still...
Structure leaves to be desired as well. An opportunity missed.

The movie and the concert are mixed, a very bad idea.

Great performance from artists in the concert part but two much poor lighting in the theater.

Also no french subtitles available in the dvd set-up, a big deception....