Hallelujah is one of many amazing songs from Leonard Cohen. Significant for his own version and the many covers, specifically Jeff Buckley. Fair to say a lot of the music world discovered the song from Buckley and not Cohen.
That is often the path of Leonard Cohen songs from Suzanne (Judy Collins) and Dance Me to the End of Love (Madeline Peyroux). If you were to make a documentary about a modern song, you might be inclined to pick Layla, The Loco-Motion, or Black Magic Woman instead of Hallelujah.
The first part of the film is about the long path to Cohen coming up with the song over several years, how Columbia refused to release the album Various Pictures that featured the song, and how Cohen reworked lyrics in a live version long after the song was released on the album (by a different record label).
The second part of the film is the path of the song in the voices of other artists including John Cale, Buckley, Myles Kennedy, Brandi Carlile, Shrek the film with Rufus Wainwright and Cale, and k.d. lang. Watching Steven Page sing the song at the funeral for Jack Layton felt very Canadian.
Religion and secularism get long stretches in the documentary. The song is about a spiritual chase.
The growth becomes so huge that at one point on the UK Charts in 2008, the Alexandra Burke version was #1, Buckley's version was at #2, and Cohen's version was "only" at #36.
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There are great interviews with various people involved with Cohen at that time. Some interviews from Cohen himself. Former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson is a prominent guest, given her history as a CBC host who talked to Cohen a lot.
The pacing of the film is the main drawback to the documentary. The early part is almost an hour into a almost 2-hour film. You might benefit from watching the second half of the film before the first part.
Daniel Geller and Dayna Goldfine wrote and directed the film. They pack a lot into the film that is worth watching. Just know the second half of the film is better.
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Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song played at the 2022 Windsor International Film Festival. The film is available in the United States on Netflix.
video credit: YouTube/Mongrel Media
photo credit: Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song
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