Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen

Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen


Starring:Pierre Berton (II), Earle Birney, Leonard Cohen, Robert Hirschhorn, Irving Layton, Derek May, Mort Rosengarten
Director: Don Owen
Studio: Winstar
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
This 1965 Canadian documentary captures Leonard Cohen just as he was poised to translate his notoriety as a novelist and poet into a parallel identity as a singer-songwriter. If the latter role would bring him his broadest and most enduring audience, these glimpses of a still youthful Cohen underscore the Montreal native's prevailing literary sensibilities--even when his poetry readings verge on standup routines, both for his impish wit and the adulation it inspires among his listeners, Cohen's serious craft shines through.

Indeed, the film--shot in black and white and laced with a jazzy instrumental score that suggests a Québecois spin on European cinema--argues that Cohen began as both a peer and an inversion of Bob Dylan. Whereas Dylan's deceptively rough-hewn songs were transcended by their poetry, Cohen transformed his poems into songs. Cohen's self-conscious intellectualism now seems conservative alongside Dylan's cagier, more ambivalent slant on culture, which he lampooned even as he revealed its influence.

Given the film's evident preoccupation with Cohen's poetry and novels, we're given only brief snippets of his music, which confirm his primitive skills as a performer. More interesting is the eerie resemblance the young poet bears to Dustin Hoffman. This home video release augments the original documentary with four animated shorts based on Cohen's songs and poems. --Sam Sutherland
Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Leonard Cohen, what a legend.
  • Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr. Leonard Cohen
  • Well done movie
  • Leonard Cohen as a young man.
  • Perfect Documentary Form
 Ladies and Gentlemen... Mr. Leonard Cohen
Starring: Pierre Berton (II) , Earle Birney , Leonard Cohen , Robert Hirschhorn , and Irving Layton
Director: Don Owen
Manufacturer: Winstar
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:
  1. Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man
  2. Book of Longing
  3. The Tibetan Book of the Dead (A Way of Life / The Great Liberation)
  4. Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
  5. Book of Mercy

ASIN: B00000JS6R
Release Date: 1999-11-16

Amazon.com

This 1965 Canadian documentary captures Leonard Cohen just as he was poised to translate his notoriety as a novelist and poet into a parallel identity as a singer-songwriter. If the latter role would bring him his broadest and most enduring audience, these glimpses of a still youthful Cohen underscore the Montreal native's prevailing literary sensibilities--even when his poetry readings verge on standup routines, both for his impish wit and the adulation it inspires among his listeners, Cohen's serious craft shines through.

Indeed, the film--shot in black and white and laced with a jazzy instrumental score that suggests a Québecois spin on European cinema--argues that Cohen began as both a peer and an inversion of Bob Dylan. Whereas Dylan's deceptively rough-hewn songs were transcended by their poetry, Cohen transformed his poems into songs. Cohen's self-conscious intellectualism now seems conservative alongside Dylan's cagier, more ambivalent slant on culture, which he lampooned even as he revealed its influence.

Given the film's evident preoccupation with Cohen's poetry and novels, we're given only brief snippets of his music, which confirm his primitive skills as a performer. More interesting is the eerie resemblance the young poet bears to Dustin Hoffman. This home video release augments the original documentary with four animated shorts based on Cohen's songs and poems. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Leonard Cohen, what a legend........2007-03-08

I really enjoyed this intimate insite into the early years of Leonard Cohen's life. He allows an opportunity to see the world as he sees it, and allows the viewer an opportunity to see how he shapes those observations into poetry. I was unexpectedly surprised at all sorts of things in this dvd, and was so disappointed when it ended. Long live Leonard Cohen, he is a gift to us all. A great watch.

1 out of 5 stars Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr. Leonard Cohen.......2007-01-19

Love Leonard Cohen, but this particular item disappointed us immensely.

4 out of 5 stars Well done movie.......2006-08-25

I enjoyed this movie. Nice to watch after seeing the I'm Your Man movie in the theatre.

5 out of 5 stars Leonard Cohen as a young man........2006-08-14

When the new movie on Mr. Cohen came out in June "I'm Your Man" I wanted to see this CBC Documentary. It is a fantastic look at Leonard when he was an up and coming poet. You will never again get a look at the man as a contemporary in the mid 1960's. Paired with the new movie at the end of his career in the 21st century you will have an amazingly true biography.

The Alpha and the Omega as it were.

5 out of 5 stars Perfect Documentary Form.......2004-03-30

Brilliant Don Owen film from the NFBC. This is a proper documentary explaining the reality of Cohen. I interpret the footage as unflinching, as the always reliable NFBC lens discovers a sensitive, transitional and often uncomfortable artist. As I saw the film I witnessed Cohen in often hilarious social settings and conversations. There is a humor to the voice-over, but not an aesthetic one, as one of the previous reviewers indicated, puzzlingly. On a related note, the voice-over is spare, as the film relies on SOT and B-roll to describe its subject.

Included on the VHS copy of this film, as I saw it, were the remainder of Cohen related NFBC materials; some cartoons and other shorts in the 2-7 minute range.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Leonard Cohen, what a legend.
  • Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr. Leonard Cohen
  • Well done movie
  • Leonard Cohen as a young man.
  • Perfect Documentary Form
 Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

GeneralGeneral | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video
DVDs Under $14.99DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
( L )( L ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Used DVDsUsed DVDs | Stores | DVD | Video | Action & Adventure | African American Cinema | Animation | Anime & Manga | Art House & International | Classics | Comedy | Cult Movies | Documentary | Drama | Educational | Fitness & Yoga | Gay & Lesbian | Horror | Kids & Family | Military & War | Music Video & Concerts | Musicals & Performing Arts | Mystery & Suspense | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Special Interests | Sports | Television | Westerns
Similar Items:
  1. Leonard Cohen I'm Your Man
  2. Book of Longing
  3. The Tibetan Book of the Dead (A Way of Life / The Great Liberation)
  4. Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man
  5. Book of Mercy

ASIN: B000051WCE

Amazon.com

This 1965 Canadian documentary captures Leonard Cohen just as he was poised to translate his notoriety as a novelist and poet into a parallel identity as a singer-songwriter. If the latter role would bring him his broadest and most enduring audience, these glimpses of a still youthful Cohen underscore the Montreal native's prevailing literary sensibilities--even when his poetry readings verge on standup routines, both for his impish wit and the adulation it inspires among his listeners, Cohen's serious craft shines through.

Indeed, the film--shot in black and white and laced with a jazzy instrumental score that suggests a Québecois spin on European cinema--argues that Cohen began as both a peer and an inversion of Bob Dylan. Whereas Dylan's deceptively rough-hewn songs were transcended by their poetry, Cohen transformed his poems into songs. Cohen's self-conscious intellectualism now seems conservative alongside Dylan's cagier, more ambivalent slant on culture, which he lampooned even as he revealed its influence.

Given the film's evident preoccupation with Cohen's poetry and novels, we're given only brief snippets of his music, which confirm his primitive skills as a performer. More interesting is the eerie resemblance the young poet bears to Dustin Hoffman. This home video release augments the original documentary with four animated shorts based on Cohen's songs and poems. --Sam Sutherland

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Leonard Cohen, what a legend........2007-03-08

I really enjoyed this intimate insite into the early years of Leonard Cohen's life. He allows an opportunity to see the world as he sees it, and allows the viewer an opportunity to see how he shapes those observations into poetry. I was unexpectedly surprised at all sorts of things in this dvd, and was so disappointed when it ended. Long live Leonard Cohen, he is a gift to us all. A great watch.

1 out of 5 stars Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr. Leonard Cohen.......2007-01-19

Love Leonard Cohen, but this particular item disappointed us immensely.

4 out of 5 stars Well done movie.......2006-08-25

I enjoyed this movie. Nice to watch after seeing the I'm Your Man movie in the theatre.

5 out of 5 stars Leonard Cohen as a young man........2006-08-14

When the new movie on Mr. Cohen came out in June "I'm Your Man" I wanted to see this CBC Documentary. It is a fantastic look at Leonard when he was an up and coming poet. You will never again get a look at the man as a contemporary in the mid 1960's. Paired with the new movie at the end of his career in the 21st century you will have an amazingly true biography.

The Alpha and the Omega as it were.

5 out of 5 stars Perfect Documentary Form.......2004-03-30

Brilliant Don Owen film from the NFBC. This is a proper documentary explaining the reality of Cohen. I interpret the footage as unflinching, as the always reliable NFBC lens discovers a sensitive, transitional and often uncomfortable artist. As I saw the film I witnessed Cohen in often hilarious social settings and conversations. There is a humor to the voice-over, but not an aesthetic one, as one of the previous reviewers indicated, puzzlingly. On a related note, the voice-over is spare, as the film relies on SOT and B-roll to describe its subject.

Included on the VHS copy of this film, as I saw it, were the remainder of Cohen related NFBC materials; some cartoons and other shorts in the 2-7 minute range.

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