Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man (2005)

A documentary on the legendary singer-songwriter, with performances by those musicians he has influenced.

Director:

Lian Lunson

Writer:

Lian Lunson

Stars:

Leonard Cohen, Bono, Rufus Wainwright

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonard Cohen	...	Self
Martha Wainwright	...	Self
Beth Orton	...	Self
Jarvis Cocker	...	Self
Rufus Wainwright	...	Self
Nick Cave	...	Self
Perla Batalla	...	Self
Julie Christensen	...	Self
Anohni	...	Self (as Antony)
Linda Thompson	...	Self
Teddy Thompson	...	Self
Kate McGarrigle	...	Self
Anna McGarrigle	...	Self
The Handsome Family	...	Themselves
Hal Willner	...	Self - Music Producer

Storyline

Legendary poet, singer/songwriter and alleged ladies man Leonard Cohen is interviewed in his L.A. home about his extraordinary life and times, interspersed with old footage from his private photo collection and lavish praise plus elaborately performed Cohen cover songs from a motley crew of colleague musicians, amongst whom Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Rufus & Martha Wainwright, Nick Cave, Jarvis Cocker and U2's Bono and The Edge. By way of dessert the latter two and their band mates even get to back up the man for a special performance of his own.

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Plot Keywords:

poet | leonard cohen | f rated | songwriter | rock star | 

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Taglines:

Songwriter. Poet. Counter-culture icon. Consummate ladies' man.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Music

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Certificate:

14A

Did You Know?

Quotes

Leonard Cohen: For many years, I was known as a monk, I shaved my head and wore robes, got up very early. I hated everyone but I acted generously, and no one found me out. My reputation as a ladies man was a joke. It caused me to laugh bitterly through the 10,000 nights I spent alone.

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Alternate Versions

Original screening at Sundance Film Festival included an additional duet of "Death of a Ladies' Man" by Jarvis Cocker & Beth Orton, which was cut from the theatrical cut due to copyright issues.

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Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #20.1 (2007)

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Soundtracks

If It Be Your Will
Performed by Anohni (as Antony)
Written by Leonard Cohen
Published by Bad Monk Publishing (BMI) / Sony/ATV Songs LLC (BMI)
All rights on behalf of Bad Monk Publishing and Sony/ATV Songs LLC are administered by Sony/ATV Music Publishing,
8 Music Square West, Nashville, TN 37203 USA.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.

User Reviews

Nearly Biblical per The Edge

Greetings again from the darkness. Guess I went into this one with misdirected expectations. I really thought it would be more of a traditional documentary film exploring the true genius and talent of the man. In fact, really all we get are film clips from a 2005 tribute concert in Australia wrapped around some priceless interview moments with Mr. Cohen. It doesn't take much talent to quickly realize the value is with the man, not the cover songs. The question is, why doesn't our rookie filmmaker recognize this? Although into his 70's now, Mr. Cohen remains other-worldly lucid and insightful and his smooth baritone readily spews forth words of wisdom and genius. His observational and oratory skills remain unmatched. The mix of his personal home movies is a nice touch, but oh how I wish we had more of his reminiscing and just talking about his life.

Most of his music is presented by second tier artists. The real stand out is Rufus Wainwright (son and grandson to Loudon I and II). Rufus obviously worships the man and his music and his affection shines through in all three performances, especially "Chelsea Hotel #2" (a kind of tribute to Janis Joplin). Nick Cave probably most accurately captures the Cohen style, but at least half of the songs in the film were performed by women. Quite a contrast to Cohen's own style.

A really magical moment occurs at the end of the film as Leonard performs with the backing of U2. Hard to tell who is more honored at playing with whom. The reverence shown for Cohen's writing is evident throughout the film, but the interview moments are mere teases to what could have been. Make sure to stay for the credits to hear Leonard sing his own song.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 July 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

Filming Locations:

Sydney Opera House - 2 Macquarie Street, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$17,130, 25 June 2006

Gross USA:

$1,044,254

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,398,424

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lionsgate, SundanceTV, Con Artists Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White