Philosopher and poet, seeker and asker of questions, ladies' man and monk: Leonard Cohen was a man of many contradictions, ones that made him one of the most exciting songwriters of the previous century. After 5 years and at least 150 verses, Leonard Cohen was finally satisfied with his magnum opus "Hallelujah" and yet his label Columbia Records decided not to release the LP in America. What at first seemed like a personal tragedy, one that plunged Cohen into a creative crisis, turned out however to be the start of an unexpected journey for the song itself; forging its own path, it managed to reach number 1 on the Billboard charts thanks to covers from musical greats such as John Cale, Bob Dylan and Jeff Buckley. And when a very special version of the song appeared in the film "Shrek", its success was all but guaranteed...
The turbulent journey of a world-famous song serves as the basis for a multi-layered portrait, one rich in previously unreleased archive footage and interviews, of its original creator. Expertly thought-out, HALLELUJAH combines excerpts from Cohen's concerts with interviews of his most important companions in life as well as, time and again, the voice of Leonard Cohen himself as he reflects on the creative process, crises of meaning and the divine. And then there is the material on the musical greats who have helped constantly breathe new life into what is now an immortal anthem.
Text: Prokino
English: Peter Rickerby