The documentary captures Cohen's career as a noted poet and novelist before he launched his career as a singer-songwriter in 1967. The original idea for the film had involved documenting a tour of Canadian poets, including Irving Layton and Earle Birney; however, that idea was abandoned when the filmmakers decided the other poets would not serve as charismatic film subjects.[2]
Shot and edited in the Direct Cinema style, the filmmakers follow Cohen through his hometown of Montreal, Quebec, as he moves from poetry readings at McGill University, Cohen's alma mater, to a television appearance with his friend and fellow poet Irving Layton and host Pierre Burton, to his childhood home sitting with his mother, to his "three-dollar-a-night hotel room" in a shady part of the city. The audio is a mix of traditional voice-over, interviews with Cohen, along with Cohen's own poetry. The poems read are mostly taken from The Spice-Box of Earth and Flowers for Hitler, including:
I Have Not Lingered in European Monasteries
Prayer for Messiah
A Kite is a Victim
Disguises
Beneath My Hands
Here Was the Market
Twelve O'Clock Chant
As the Mist Leaves No Scar
The Genius
On Hearing a Name Long Unspoken
Three Good Nights
Alexander Trocchi, Public Junkie, Priez Pour Nous
Hydra 1963
The Only Tourist in Havana Turns His Thoughts Homeward
The Music Crept By Us
Themesedit
The central themes of the documentary include fame, authorship, image, irony and artifice. Cohen himself comments multiple times on the artificial nature of documentary filmmaking and storytelling. Throughout the film Cohen is aware that he is on camera, and actively shaping his own image, along with the filmmakers. Cohen is in fact a collaborator in this artificial process to the extent that the film ends with a sort of postscript, where Cohen has been invited to watch the film in a screening room alongside Don Owen. Cohen remarks on the fraud of the camera crew showing him pretend to sleep. Cohen then discusses how strange it is that he let them film him in the bathtub. In the footage they watch, a naked Cohen writes "CAVEAT EMPTOR," Latin for "buyer beware" on the wall next to the bathtub. Cohen says "I had to act as a double agent... let the [audience] know that this is not entirely devoid of the con." Earlier, following his TV appearance with Pierre Burton, Owen asks Cohen what Burton wanted from him and Cohen replied "He wanted me to cut my con out... What's the true story? Is wrestling really fixed?"
Unlike contemporaneous Direct Cinema documentaries on similar subjects, most notably Lonely Boy, by Roman Kroitor and Wolf Koenig, Cohen is given licence to comment on the proceedings, as and even after they happen. Where in Lonely BoyPaul Anka is only the subject, and often the dupe, of Koenig and Kroitor's investigation of fame and artifice, in Ladies and Gentleman..., Cohen is in on the con as a collaborator and co-conspirator. To this end, Cohen is allowed to manufacture irony, along with the directors throughout the film, including as he watches himself fumble with horizontal blinds in his hotel room and comments ironically, "I was always good with my hands."
ladies, gentlemen, leonard, cohen, 1965, national, film, board, canada, documentary, about, leonard, cohen, directed, owen, donald, brittain, written, brittain, produced, john, kemeny, directed, bydon, owendonald, brittainwritten, bydonald, brittainproduced, b. Ladies and Gentlemen Mr Leonard Cohen is a 1965 National Film Board of Canada documentary about Leonard Cohen co directed by Don Owen and Donald Brittain written by Brittain and produced by John Kemeny 1 Ladies and Gentlemen Mr Leonard CohenDirected byDon OwenDonald BrittainWritten byDonald BrittainProduced byJohn KemenyCinematographyPaul LeachLaval FortierRoger RacineEdited byBarrie HowellsProductioncompanyNational Film Board of CanadaRelease date1965 1965 Running time44 minutesCountryCanadaLanguageEnglish The documentary captures Cohen s career as a noted poet and novelist before he launched his career as a singer songwriter in 1967 The original idea for the film had involved documenting a tour of Canadian poets including Irving Layton and Earle Birney however that idea was abandoned when the filmmakers decided the other poets would not serve as charismatic film subjects 2 Contents 1 Contents 2 Themes 3 Awards 4 References 5 External linksContents editShot and edited in the Direct Cinema style the filmmakers follow Cohen through his hometown of Montreal Quebec as he moves from poetry readings at McGill University Cohen s alma mater to a television appearance with his friend and fellow poet Irving Layton and host Pierre Burton to his childhood home sitting with his mother to his three dollar a night hotel room in a shady part of the city The audio is a mix of traditional voice over interviews with Cohen along with Cohen s own poetry The poems read are mostly taken from The Spice Box of Earth and Flowers for Hitler including I Have Not Lingered in European Monasteries Prayer for Messiah A Kite is a Victim Disguises Beneath My Hands Here Was the Market Twelve O Clock Chant As the Mist Leaves No Scar The Genius On Hearing a Name Long Unspoken Three Good Nights Alexander Trocchi Public Junkie Priez Pour Nous Hydra 1963 The Only Tourist in Havana Turns His Thoughts Homeward The Music Crept By UsThemes editThe central themes of the documentary include fame authorship image irony and artifice Cohen himself comments multiple times on the artificial nature of documentary filmmaking and storytelling Throughout the film Cohen is aware that he is on camera and actively shaping his own image along with the filmmakers Cohen is in fact a collaborator in this artificial process to the extent that the film ends with a sort of postscript where Cohen has been invited to watch the film in a screening room alongside Don Owen Cohen remarks on the fraud of the camera crew showing him pretend to sleep Cohen then discusses how strange it is that he let them film him in the bathtub In the footage they watch a naked Cohen writes CAVEAT EMPTOR Latin for buyer beware on the wall next to the bathtub Cohen says I had to act as a double agent let the audience know that this is not entirely devoid of the con Earlier following his TV appearance with Pierre Burton Owen asks Cohen what Burton wanted from him and Cohen replied He wanted me to cut my con out What s the true story Is wrestling really fixed Unlike contemporaneous Direct Cinema documentaries on similar subjects most notably Lonely Boy by Roman Kroitor and Wolf Koenig Cohen is given licence to comment on the proceedings as and even after they happen Where in Lonely Boy Paul Anka is only the subject and often the dupe of Koenig and Kroitor s investigation of fame and artifice in Ladies and Gentleman Cohen is in on the con as a collaborator and co conspirator To this end Cohen is allowed to manufacture irony along with the directors throughout the film including as he watches himself fumble with horizontal blinds in his hotel room and comments ironically I was always good with my hands Awards edit18th Canadian Film Awards Montreal Genie Award for Best Film TV Information 1966 American Film and Video Festival New York Blue Ribbon Literature 1966 International Festival of Short Films Philadelphia Award for Exceptional Merit 1968 3 References edit Ladies and Gentlemen Mr Leonard Cohen Film Collection National Film Board of Canada Web site 1965 Retrieved 2009 08 31 Gravestock Steve Oct 6 2005 Don Owen Notes on a Filmmaker and His Culture Cinematheque Ontario pp 43 48 ISBN 0 9689132 4 5 Ladies and Gentlemen Mr Leonard Cohen onf nfb gc ca National Film Board of Canada Retrieved 2 February 2023 External links editWatch Ladies and Gentlemen Mr Leonard Cohen on the NFB website Watch the film on the NFB s channel on YouTube Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ladies and Gentlemen Mr Leonard Cohen amp oldid 1181773598, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
