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Songs From The Life of Leonard Cohen

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:46 am
by Lilcurtis
Hi
I am looking for a copy of the 1988 film shown on the South Bank show. does anyone know where I can get one?
thanks
Lil

Re: Songs From The Life of Leonard Cohen

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:26 pm
by Davido
The BBC documentary you refer to was in the 'Omnibus' tv series:
http://www.leonardcohenfiles.com/bbc-life.html
It was only ever released on vhs and is occasionally to be found on ebay. It has never been released on dvd, though a laser-disc version was available!
If you live in UK then you may just be in luck as this documentary is to be re-broadcast next week (Friday 19 June BBC4) in a Leonard Cohen Night! (Well, at least I am assuming this from the TV listings info). viewtopic.php?f=3&t=15268&p=175619#p175619
Dave

Re: Songs From The Life of Leonard Cohen

Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 2:39 pm
by Lilcurtis
That's fantastic news! thanks

Re: Songs From The Life of Leonard Cohen

Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:09 pm
by honeyrose
I have the VHS tape but it is copy protected and there does not yet seem to be a DVD version.

Re: Songs From The Life of Leonard Cohen

Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 3:36 am
by LighthouseA
I love this documentary, however, it seems obvious that Leonard was not in a good space, at the time. He seems out of sorts, and was quite possibly depressed. This comes across in interviews and his interactions with band members.
I find the unfiltered nature of this film life-affirming and it puts many things into perspective. Also, Leonard was not in the best physical shape at this time in his life. All this in no way undermines his ability to be
a true friend to those who work with him, and his generosity of spirit, during the concert footage, is extraordinary. It's quite possible that Leonard's public admission regarding Janice Joplin being the subject of Chelsa Hotel # 2
is one of the reasons why this film has never gone to DVD and on to a wider, current, public format. Mr Cohen has made it clear that he regrets this, and feels it was disrespecrful and disingenuous.
For those who have seen it, it's a major testament to the man's ability to be himself though, under tough circumstances, and this, in the end, is what truly matters.