With a career now spanning well over 50 years, and one that has earned him enormous acclaim in the worlds of poetry, literature, and of course music (in which his skills as a composer are equalled only by his gifts as a performer) Leonard Cohen is the kind of rare beast that emerges seldom even once in a generation. With perhaps only Bob Dylan and, latterly, Tom Waits, considered creative contemporaries, it is testament to Leonard’s immense talent that he still maintains the ability to astonish just about everyone who’s interested. Leonard Cohen - The Complete Review is a two disc set chronicling Cohen’s life and career in full, the result of which is the most comprehensive overview of the man to date. Disc One celebrates Leonard’s formative years, beginning with his growing up in Montreal’s Jewish community, and concluding with the release of his fifth studio album in 1977, the Phil Spector produced Death of a Ladies’ Man. With the troubadour by now firmly established as an artist of huge merit. Disc Two picks up the story in 1978, and brings the tale right up to date. With the aid of plentiful rare interview and performance footage of the man himself, plus comment and insight from an array of colleagues, friends and the most informed writers, this film, running at more than two and a half hours and packaged in fittingly elegant style, achieves its purpose by revealing at least some more of the Cohen mystery than has previously been acknowledged - and in so doing provides a thoroughly entertaining journey towards that end. This delightful package will prove a top drawer Cohen’s collector’s item and remain the standard visual work on the artist for many years to come.
