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a14 people &arts
Wednesday 29 June 2022
A deep dive into Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’

By LINDSEY BAHR clarifying that their mother
AP Film Writer Suzanne Elrod was not in
Leonard Cohen was deep fact the woman he was
in his career when he finally singing about in Suzanne.
finished “Hallelujah.” Well, There could be many rea-
the first version of “Halle- sons for this, including pos-
lujah” — there would be sibly honoring the wishes of
many, many versions when his grown children, or want-
all was said and done. ing to focus on the work.
He’d toiled on the lyrics But the absence of any
for seven years. Yet when acknowledgement makes
he submitted the album, this attempt at a deep, ho-
“Various Positions,” to his listic portrait of Cohen feel
longtime record company incomplete at best. There is
Columbia Records in 1984, more time devoted to ex-
the company’s president plaining the aesthetics of
Walter Yetnikoff decided “Shrek” than his relationship
not to release it in the U.S. with his kids.
What would become Co- Or maybe they just weren’t
hen’s seminal anthem was really part of the path to
dead on arrival. “Hallelujah,” though his
But in the new documenta- daughter did have a child
ry “ Hallelujah: Leonard Co- with Rufus Wainwright, who
hen, A Journey, A Song,” Leonard Cohen is photographed in Toronto on Feb. 4, 2006. is responsible for one of
in theaters Friday, directors Associated Press the more famous covers of
Dayna Goldfine and Dan ning of his songwriting ca- friend and his rabbi Morde- Singer Regina Spektor mar- the song, featured on the
Gellar examine how de- reer to trace how he got chi Finley. One of the main vels about his gracious- wildly successful “Shrek”
spite the odds, the song there. voices is journalist and au- ness at his Coachella per- soundtrack.
managed to take on a life It feels, in some ways, like thor Larry “Ratso” Sloman formance in 2009, saying It is interesting, though, that
of its own thanks, in vary- two different films: The who interviewed Cohen that it was like Cohen was it seems to have been John
ing degrees, to Bob Dylan, first part is a standard bio- many times over 30 years teaching the audience Cale’s cover that became
John Cale, Jeff Buckley graphical documentary and whose tapes of those how to be good. the most influential. He
and Shrek. Yes, Shrek. Now, that then shifts focus to interviews are used to let And yet, for all the talk stripped down the arrange-
four decades after its initial “Hallelujah’s” resurrection Cohen speak for himself. about and praise for his ment, took to the piano,
recording, it’s downright outside of Cohen, before The archival footage, too, seeking, this is a film that belted out the lyrics and
ubiquitous, a regular fea- finally turning attention is pretty extraordinary and seems completely uninter- turned “Hallelujah” into a
ture in movies, television back to Cohen and his tri- elegantly paired with Co- ested in the fact that he’s melodic anthem.
shows, and singing compe- umphant final tour. As the hen’s music throughout. the father of two children. Jeff Buckley even said that
titions around the world. title says, it is a journey and Much of the film is devoted We see photos of them as though Cohen wrote the
It’s an interestingly stitched a long one at that. to chronicling Cohen’s own babies with their mother song, it was Cale’s version
together film that starts The filmmakers are enam- spiritual journey and his during an offhanded men- that he was covering. No
at the end — his final per- ored of their eloquent sub- evolving relationship with tion that his family was one, it seems, from Bran-
formance in 2013, singing jects, from Judy Collins and his Jewish faith, from his po- breaking up. di Carlile to Bono to Eric
“Hallelujah,” of course — composer/arranger John etry to his later years at a A reporter mentions the kids Church, is out there singing
and rewinds to the begin- Lissauer to a childhood zen center atop Mt. Baldy. later, but only in context of Cohen’s version.q

Woody Allen mulls end of career, talks

with Alec Baldwin

saying directing has lost its tion several times, with his mood light, compliment-
luster. screen freezing. ing Allen for his writing. and
The two men — each fac- Allen, 87, said movie-mak- realizing that neither had
ing significant controversies ing is not as exciting now contracted COVID-19.
— steered clear of address- that his films spend a few Allen has continued to face
ing either the abuse allega- days in movie theaters and backlash after his adopted
tions against Allen or the then directly go to stream- daughter, Dylan Farrow,
shooting last year on Bald- ing. accused him of molesting
win’s movie set. “A lot of the thrill is gone,” he her as a child. Allen has de-
The public comment op- said. “It’s not as enjoyable nied the allegations.
tions were turned off, and as it was.” Still, he plans to Baldwin has faced his own
Actor Alec Baldwin attends the screening for “Framing John the 45-minute interview make his next movie later controversy after he fatally
DeLorean” during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival on April 30, 2019,
in New York, left, and filmmaker Woody Allen attends a press attracted a modest audi- this year in Paris. “I’m going shot a cinematographer
conference for the film “Irrational Man,” at the 68th international ence of between 2,400- to make another one, and on the set of his film “Rust”
film festival, Cannes, southern France, on May 15, 2015. 2,700. I’ll see how it feels.” in New Mexico. Baldwin
Associated Press The two men chatted Baldwin, who has worked has said he was pointing
about Allen’s writing, the with Allen on a number of the gun at the cinematog-
By The Associated Press view Tuesday on Instagram use of profanity in films and films, including “To Rome rapher at her instruction
Woody Allen told Alec that he is mulling ending the current state of Broad- with Love,” “Alice” and when it went off without his
Baldwin during a live inter- his movie-making career, way. Allen lost his connec- “Blue Jasmine,” kept the pulling the trigger.q