Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen

This seemingly casual film set in Montreal in 1965 keeps us fixated on the character in the film, namely Leonard Cohen, a poet who came of age in the 1960's. A Donald Brittain documentary, it gives us a glimpse of Cohen going about his daily routine of rising from bed, reading before loving audiences, going to restaurants and bars, and even getting his hair done at a beauty salon. We see him on a broadcast show trading barbs with Pierre Berton and telling the viewers the importance of being in a state of grace. Interesting how this Jewish young man has an affection for Catholic metaphor,which he interprets in his own fashion but which he can explain in terms that make perfect sense.

The camera is his friend. He looks good on camera and is relaxed and articulate. He looks like a sixties preppy with the fine-tailored look and the well-coiffed hair. He even jokes about ads in the paper for hair removal. The camera zooms in on him when he speaks. In this film, we see a series of portraits of the poet on film. We are treated to background scenes from his home town of Montreal...as he rises and looks out the window at the snow falling, or talks about Mount Royal where he played as a child. The winter background in Montreal is appropriate since Montreal is a city known for winter. It used to be the most Catholic winter city in the world, although hockey might have been the more dominant religion. He talks about hockey and how in public school, he was the ninth best defenceman in his class.

He sees himself as a social critic and yet he comes from a well-heeled family and grew up in the once insular English enclave of Westmount in this predominantly French-Catholic city. This is not a pro-Cohen film but true to his talent for great documentary, Donald Brittain has delivered a film that could be of interest to all shades of opinion on Leonard Cohen.

From what I gather in this documentary he was not even a renowned singer and musician yet by which the world knows him today and yet he was already a star. Here we got Cohen the novelist and poet and ever wanderer like a little boy, although he already had his share of admirers. I love this guy very much. He is a living genius. The soul can always relate to Cohen. He is fit enough to write an extension to the Bible. Cohen is my guardian angel and teacher, guru and mentor, there is something of an oracle in his voice. What makes him so great is his honesty. That is also what drives the ladies mad about him too. cohen's work however is not just simply romantic. It reaches certain depths which in the modern day love song is nowhere to be found.

Leonard can write lyrics, but he sure can't sing. Nor has he had an original idea in his life, just a floater. From the looks of this nasty little puff piece (note that his publishers, McClelland and Stewart were involved in the production), he didn't know how to live, either. The woman he loves is only mentioned in passing and no woman is allowed to speak in this nonsensical advertisement. While Irving Layton was given a credit, the other poet interviewed, Earle Birney, was to remain nameless. I come from the generation just after Cohen, where all the boys seemed to idolize him. His lack of commitment was probably just calling to them. I hadn't realized what a disappointing poseur he was back then. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his age.

Whiny, little rich prince, and not one memorable line in his oeuvre. No dedication to social change, outside of the sexual arena.

You don't speak for my generation, Lennie, and not for my gender. Go back to the monastery and stay off the screen.

As for my local public broadcaster, I will let them know what I think of them wasting my time on this guy. Not a has-been, a never was...

Jazzy portrait of the artist as a young poet, it's fascinating to see this glimpse of the pre-pop singer Cohen. Whether he's self-effacing, full of himself, or both is up for debate, and we can't gather much of why he's in the poetry biz besides for the purpose of meeting girls. (There's a wonderful CanCon moment where, on some stereotypical CBC panel discussion program, Pierre Burton grills him on this point, and Cohen refuses to play along).

While it is a nice time capsule of Montreal in the early '60s, whether or not you enjoy this depends on how you feel about L.C., and about the possibility of poetry embiggining the human spirit. Myself, I'm a bit of a sucker for it.

Black and white, 44 minutes. Rating: 5 out of 10 (average).

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Leonard Cohen (1965)

*** (out of 4)

This early documentary on Leonard Cohen is quite interesting to watch today because it takes a look at the now legendary musician before he was a musician. The documentary basically captures Cohen as a poet and we get to see his stand-up act, which is a little better than you might expect as well as several other moments where he just rambles about various thoughts he has.

I'm not going to call this film a masterpiece because it's certainly not but at the same time it's a fairly fascinating look at Cohen that fans of his will probably love. I thought the film was certainly influenced by DON'T LOOK BACK but it doesn't have the same great filmmaking that the Dylan documentary did. With that said, there's no question that Cohen manages to grab your attention and hold it throughout the short 45-minute running time.