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

Filmed in Black & White and released in 1965, the film was made as a 'documentary,' and as such takes us 'behind-the-scenes' into a slightly-staged version of Cohen's day-to-day life, complete with scenes of him waking up, bathing, shaving, hanging out at the local bar or a friend's house with his closest friends, at a book signing, and walking in the Montreal park where he played as a child. The film was shot before he became famous as a singer, and as such it focuses mainly on his work/career as a poet and novelist.

The film was made by the Canadian National Film Board, and as such has a dated, now-quite-funny voice-over about Cohen. At the same time, the people behind the film definetely "got" Cohen -- the film is made with the same type of quiet humour that Cohen himself possesses. I think one of my favorite moments in the film shows Cohen being interviewed by a stern, older man who insists that Cohen couldn't possibly be a poet without things that "bother" or upset him. The man kind of insinuated that Cohen must have a mission of some sort, something deep -- that by being a poet, he must have been trying to address some wrong in the world and do something which would help correct it. But Cohen would have none of that. Looking like he does for much of the film: quiet, a bit smug, self-consciously attractive and intelligent, Cohen quietly responds, in a soft-spoken manner similar to that of B&W footage I've seen of fellow '60's poet Jim Morrison, "well, what I'm really interested in is a state of grace. When I wake up in the morning, I have to know that things are in balance...." The interviewer gives up completely then, and instead of getting any more miffed or confused, finally says, "okay, now you've lost me." And then you know it's Score One, Cohen and Film; Score Zero, Stuffy Clueless Interviewer.

I Highly Recommended this film to fans of Cohen's music, his writing, or others of the wanna-be beatnik variety. There are plenty of black turtlenecks, steaming cups of coffee, intently gazing eyes, sly comic humour, stern black glasses, and seductively charming lines. His deadpan sarcasm and semi-stand-up comedy routines work just as well in 2001 as they did in 1964. His dashing, quiet, tongue-in-cheek humour reminds me much of a reading I saw recently of fellow Canadian writer, Margaret Atwood. They both had me laughing in the aisles. But it was smart laughter, if that makes sense.

Better than a trip to the local coffehouse for that poetry slam -- well, just as good, but this one gives you a glimpse of history. I found it captivating. Forty years later, the Man still has It.


Older film about Cohen the poet, not Cohen the musician   December 9, 1999
Clayton W. Hibbert (Seattle, WA, USA)
48 out of 48 found this review helpful

This DVD (and presumably the VHS version too) is composed of 2 parts: a 1960's era Canadian Film Board "documentary" about Cohen, and 4 short experimental music-video-like segments.

Fans who know Leonard Cohen only through his music can expect either to be disappointed (because the film largely predates and ignores this aspect of his life), or excited to learn that Cohen is very much a world-class poet first and a musician second.

The texture of the documentary is quaint, even funny to those of us who grew up with MTV. It follows Cohen though his daily life, as he speaks to everyday people on the street and crowds of fans in auditoriums, and feels strangely like a propaganda film at times.

The "selected discography" on the DVD is suprisingly useless and doesn't bother to list most of his albums.

All in all, an interesting look at Cohen in his spry younger years. Recommended.


Saint Leonard Claims His Territory   February 2, 2000
S. Ihad (USA)
32 out of 32 found this review helpful

For all you people who got to know Leonard Cohen after his 1988 album "I'm your man" this should be a must see video. You will find out that this living legend received a very classical training and was groomed for a high position in the Canadian world of poetry. Instead of course he threw it all away for "an education in the world" and became a pop singer. This is an important video that almost didn't happen. The documentary was supposed to be made about five poets but Cohen was the youngest and least stuffy of them all and the director wisely focused on Cohen and saw the genius in the bard of Montreal. All of this is news to the new fans of Cohen but for the old timers like me this is ancient but never the less pleasant history. Anything by Leonard Cohen is welcome. Yes, he is that good.


Portrait of an artist as a writer   February 6, 2004
Damon Navas-Howard (Santa Rosa, CA USA)
27 out of 27 found this review helpful

"Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr. Leonard Cohen" is a documentary made in 1965 about Leonard Cohen, before he was a singer-songwriter(although the film shows a brief scene of him playing guitar) but a writer. The film follows Leonard Cohen around Montreal, Canada(where he is on vacation from his home in Greece) as he goes about his daily life. The film also shows interviews with Cohen and has readings of his poetry in the background. Leonard Cohen is a man of many incarnations and this is simply one of them. The biggest surprise for me was seeing Leonard Cohen do standup comedy. While I don't believe Leonard Cohen is as depressing as most have made him out to be, I definitely would have never expect to see him do comedy. This documentary reminded me of Bob Dylan's "Don't Look Back," an intimate look at an artist at a very young age. I recommend this documentary to anyone who is a fan of Leonard Cohen.


Perfect Documentary Form   March 29, 2004
dave formburger
15 out of 15 found this review helpful

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.