Is Leonard Cohen’s “Sisters of Mercy” the greatest song ever written?
I mean no insult to Lennon and McCartney or the Gershwins, but this madcap thought went through my mind while I was watching Beth Orton sing the song in the new film “Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man.” That’s how effective this movie is.
“I’m Your Man” is essentially a concert film padded out with some interviews. The concert was shot in Sydney, Australia, in 2003, where a tribute to Leonard Cohen included songs performed by a passionate roster of Cohen fans, including Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright and Jarvis Cocker.
The interview subjects include Cohen himself. The Canadian singer-songwriter, born in Montreal in 1934, gives thumbnail views of his own life: from bohemian poet to California rock singer to acolyte in a Zen retreat. But a full bio of Cohen will have to wait for another documentary.
The focus is on the music, and that’s all right. While the line-up for the Sydney concert is not exactly heavy with giant stars, it is clearly made up of performers who care a lot about Cohen’s music.
These include Kate and Anna McGarrigle, fellow Montreal natives, whose stirring version of “Winter Lady” is a highlight. Kate’s children, Rufus and Martha Wainwright, also figure prominently in the evening. Rufus Wainwright’s “Hallelujah,” which has lately become a fixture in movie soundtracks, is given a thorough workout.
Nick Cave does a couple of songs, including the classic “Suzanne,” and shares some sweet memories of stumbling across Cohen’s music while growing up in Australia.
Surely the most singular performance in the movie comes from the androgynous singer Antony, whose unearthly falsetto makes “If It Be Your Will” an emotional epic. You might find yourself saying, “What was that?” but you won’t be able to shake it.
Cohen’s gorgeous “Anthem” is given a hearty treatment by two of his longtime backup singers, Julie Christensen and Perla Batalla, who in many ways outshine some of the better-known talent.
Capping the film is a studio performance by Cohen (he doesn’t perform in the Sydney concert), backed by U2 on “Tower of Song.” It’s good, but it also provides an excuse for multiple interview snippets by the ever-quotable Bono, who has just as big a gift for the penetrating one-liner as Cohen himself.
Cohen is an intriguing interview subject. For all his years and evident wisdom, he still gives you the feeling he could disappear for a few days and turn up with a 21-year-old bride in Las Vegas or something. But his music sure holds up, and “I’m Your Man” is a very fine capsule of it.
Leonard Cohen, a burlesque girl and Bono in a scene from “Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man.”
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