Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song

Leonard Cohen is a name that need only be mentioned to invoke greatness. One of the best songwriter-poets of all time, rivaled only by perhaps Bob Dylan.

And this beautiful cinematic documentary does him justice, to say the least. Cohen's life and career is beautifully chronicled and his immensive songwriting process.

It's a very beautifully shot documentary, and the cinematography and editing is splendid.

Overall, one of the best films of 2022 and one that is definitely recommended for any fans of Leonard Cohen. It's just a beautiful piece of filmmaking and a beautiful portrait of a great man! May his legacy live on.

I am not a Leonard Cohen fan myself although I do love many of his songs, but even for the non fans this documentary could be worth the watch, because of the delightful, pleasant person that Leonard Cohen is as a humanbeing next to being gifted with a wonderful, unique voice and and an even bigger talent for writing songs that the most legendary, biggest musicians of this world have copied and praised.

With a particular attention to one song "Hallelujah" this documentary about the life of Leonard Cohen is an easy, pleasant watch, with many surprises for those who are not very familiar with his music.

What a voice. What terrific songs. What a man!

This captivating documentary shows the origins and evolution of the iconic song "Hallelujah," written by poet, author, singer/songwriter and musician Leonard Cohen. A song that transcends generations, "Hallelujah" is more than music; it is a work of art and this film is an immersive exploration of this iconic song.

The documentary narrates how Cohen started his music career back in the '60's. Disappointed by his lack of success in the literary world, Cohen decided to explore a career in music, despite not intending to sing or play an instrument. In fact, Cohen didn't start writing songs until age 30. The narration in the film explores his early success in music and other aspects of his life, including his Jewish roots, politics, relationships and more. He was a spiritual seeker and his oeuvre constantly gravitated around spirituality. "Hallelujah," his most renowned song, was released in 1984. The song is a moment of realization-a revelation-about love and loss, and it touches the listener in so many different ways. The song is so larger-than-life it's almost its own person, and we see how it has become an anthem.

As of today, there are over 300 cover versions of "Hallelujah." Originally 150-180 verses were written for "Hallelujah" until the perfect edition of the song was written. More popular versions have come from artists Eric Church, Jeff Buckley and John Cale. Through many different interviews, the documentary shows how most people know the song through Jeff Buckley and many thought he wrote it. It was really interesting to me to see how a lot of the film is devoted to Leonard's spirituality. One of my favorite clips was the 2009 Coachella concert where Cohen sang "Hallelujah," and you could really feel how moved and captivated the audience was. The visuals, the archived interviews and footage are all nicely arranged. I particularly enjoyed listening to the interviews with various artists, reporters and people that were close to Cohen and to witness the warmth that emanated from him. One I found very interesting was with Vicky Jenson, where she talks about how "Hallelujah" was used in the movie Shrek. Another was how singer Judy Collins remembers when she first met him how he didn't believe in his own music. Cohen's work was not always praised as some music labels rejected his albums, but his talent has proved to be immortal.

The message of the film is that music is cross-generational, and it establishes an emotional connection that unites people in a powerful way.

I give Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for audiences 12 to 18, plus adults. Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song opens in select theaters July 15, 2022.

When Leonard Cohen passed away in 2016, the first song that inevitably was mentioned about his career was "Hallelujah". Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine's documentary uses that famous hymnal to trace not only the history of that particular song, but Cohen's entire life and career.

The song was first recorded in 1984 but he had been in the process of writing it for at least five years, including, by his own count, going through some 150 verses (Cohen continued to re-write phrases and verses ever after)! "Hallelujah" made little impact upon release and it wasn't until first John Cale, and later, Jeff Buckley covered the tune got major attention.

The movie documents Buckley's version in such detail, that it sidetracks the main discussion for quite a spell. The digression is, unfortunately, a bit emblematic of the Doc as a whole. While the basics of Cohen's life (and this particular song) are adequately delved into, Geller and Goldfine never find a consistent narrative. Fortunately, there is enough quality archive footage along with contemporary interviews with those who knew him including long-time friend Larry Ratso Soloman and producer John Lissauer to flesh out some semblance of a story-line.

The concert footage allows Cohen to be seen and heard in his element over the decades. It's an irony that Cohen only had a Billboard charted single -- after he passed away. It, of course, was "Hallelujah."

For those of you who are unaware, Leonard Cohen was a Jewish Canadian mystic poet. His concern was the apparent conflict between the sacred and the profane. One day he realized what he was writing might actually be songs, and so began a concert and recording career. The song in the title "Hallelujah" was a track on an album which his company refused to release -- in my opinion, Cohen's mixture of the sacred and the earthy in this song likely offended the equally Jewish head of the company so much it was not released in the US. Nonetheless, the song caught on over the decades.

As a Jew, I find nothing surprising in this. As Cohen notes in one of the later interviews included herein, Judaism makes you want to raise your fist and to shout hallelujah. To Christians, who believe in a benevolent G*d, this seems to be confusing; however Jews recognize that the world is G*d's creation just as much as the Torah. Which is why there are more than a hundred verses in Cohen's notebooks, with subjects ranging from angels to bondage.

Cohen wrote some other excellent songs, too.