Several famous people are recruited to say nice things, including Judy Collins, Clive Davis, Brandi Carlile, and Cohen’s late-career collaborator Sharon Robinson.
Otherwise, the filmmakers stick to the traditional music-documentary approach of talking-head interviews. As one observer in the film notes, “Leonard’s whole career was the pull between holiness and horniness.”ĭirectors Dan Geller and Dayna Goldfine worked directly with the Cohen estate on the film, which gave them access to never-before-seen archival footage and private photographs. It’s also a little … hmm, “earthy” is perhaps the polite term. It’s a gorgeous piece of work, a masterpiece of existential romanticism and spiritual longing. In the new documentary, we learn that Cohen spent more than seven years crafting “Hallelujah,” cycling through almost 200 verses before whittling it down to the final version. “Hallelujah” has since become a new American standard, played at weddings, funerals, anniversaries, and TV singing competitions. In fact, the song didn’t really blow up until it was later recorded by other artists, specifically John Cale and Jeff Buckley.
The composition that would become his magnum opus, “Hallelujah,” was buried on a 1984 album that was initially rejected by his label. Leonard Cohen, the Canadian poet turned songwriter, didn’t start making music until he was well into his thirties when he haunted the edges of mainstream success with songs like “Suzanne” and “Bird on the Wire.” If you enjoy rabbit-hole excavations like this, I enthusiastically recommend the new documentary Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song, which is essentially an entire feature film dedicated to the history and the unlikely triumph of one brilliant piece of songwriting. I recently spent an entire weekend digging into the Beatles’ B-side classic “Rain.” I consider it a weekend well spent. I Love My Dad | ★★ | Releases Friday, August 5įor music nerds of sufficient intensity, there’s not much on this earth as fun as getting obsessed with a particular song. Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song | ★★★★ | Now playing in local theaters Promo stills from "Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song" and "I Love My Dad"
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