FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Leonard Cohen - Live In London [DVD] [2008] [NTSC]

Leonard Cohen - Live In London [DVD] [2008] [NTSC]
enlarge	Director: Edward Sanders Actors: Roscoe Beck, Leonard Cohen, Rafael Gayol, Neil Larsen, Javier Mas Studio: Sony Bmg Category: DVD List Price: ~~£13.99~~ Buy New: £8.13 as of 22/11/2009 23:28 GMT details You Save: £5.86 (42%) New (41) Used (9) from £7.30 Seller: all your music Rating: 93 reviews Sales Rank: 913 Format: Colour, DVD-Video, Live, NTSC Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Exempt Region: 0 Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 154 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.5 MPN: 740503 UPC: 886974050391 EAN: 0886974050391 ASIN: B001RTP3Z0 Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 2009 Release Date: March 30, 2009 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 93 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...19 Next » Breathtaking performance. You have to buy it! March 30, 2009 Julikat (Surrey, UK) 29 out of 29 found this review helpful br /I received my copy today and just finished watching it. I saw him at the Albert Hall last November, and this is the same line up, the Webb Sisters, Sharon Robinson, Javier Mas (playing the archilaud, similar to a mandolin.) From the very beginning when he first comes on stage, you know you're in for something special. br / br /Each and every song is delivered with such energy and enthusiasm, and if the hairs don't stand up on the back of the neck at the intro to 'Who By Fire' then you can't be a true Cohen fan :) Javier Mas's intro is absolutely mindblowing, and when the familiar: "And Who By Fire" rings out, the audience go crazy. There's a wonderful atmosphere, not just from the obvious respect and appreciation from the audience, but from seeing Cohen so obviously enjoying himself. br / br /I didn't think anyone could replace Julie Christensen and Perla Batthala (from 'The Future' tour), but the Webb Sisters and Sharon Robinson do a very fine job. After seeing him on that tour in 1995, I was so disappointed when there was no dvd release, and was absolutely over the moon to see a release from the 2008 tour. br / br /The playlist is phenomenal, "Dance Me To The End Of Love", "The Future", "Everybody Knows", "Bird On A Wire", "Tower Of Song" and a host of others. And I don't know about anyone else, but I love how his voice has mellowed over the years, it's very hypnotic :) br / br /If you've been waiting for years to see this great guy perform live, do yourself a favour and get the dvd immediately. I swear you'll be drawn in from the very first moment, and you'll be glued to the screen until the very last note rings out! It's that good, and as a bonus, the recording quality is excellent too. br / br /I recommend this dvd from the bottom of my heart to each and every Leonard Cohen fan, it's an absolute masterpiece. I defy anyone to watch it and not be totally moved by his performance, the whole concert is just wonderful, so wonderful, I have to go and watch it again right this second. Buy it! You'll be so glad you did. A simply beautiful gig ... March 25, 2009 Bood (London) 99 out of 103 found this review helpful 'Beautiful' is an odd word to describe a gig, isn't it? br / br /But that was the only word that I could use to describe Leonard Cohen's gig at O2 last summer. br / br /From the moment he walked on stage and doffed his hat to the standing ovation he received, to the last (of many) encores, this man had a presence and beauty about him that was simply a delight to behold. He was deeply tender, tender with his band, with his songs, and with his audience. And strong and wry, too. br / br /Every song was treated with affection and reverence, and often with humour - sometimes he'd laugh at some of his lyrics, in much the way a kindly grand-father (he is 74) might when telling a story. br / br /'Suzanne' almost moved me to tears (and that's never happened at any gig I've been to), and 'Hallelujah' received another standing ovation - in fact, there were probably eight standing ovations for this man's return to London. When he sang the line "I was born with the gift of a golden voice" in Tower of Song, you could hear the humour in him, and the delight in the audience. And, when he sang "And if you want a doctor, I'll examine every inch of you" in 'I'm Your Man', he made it sound like one of the dirtiest and sexiest lines ever, despite his age and immaculate appearance as a kindly old gentleman. br / br /He only started performing again after years as a Buddhist monk because his ex-manager shafted him financially and he ended up losing millions. He has said in the past that he stopped performing before because he got too nervous, but he seemed to love every minute of last night's three hour set. He repeatedly thanked his band, and the audience, and never let up on his spiritedness. br / br /This wasn't merely a musical show, it was almost a religious experience (and I say that as a generally deeply cynical atheist). br / br /Utterly extra-ordinary. Quite beautiful. Growing old with grace and beauty March 30, 2009 Bodhi Heeren (Copenhagen) 17 out of 17 found this review helpful Though somewhat dismissive about his years as novice in a zen monastry, talking about how he went around with a hard on under the safron robe, none the less Leonard Cohen seems to have imbibed something. Transmitting an authentic humility and coming across like a human being at rest with himself and the universe. br / br /Like Bob Dylan and Tom Waits kind of a brilliant songwriter and a less than startling vocalist, but Cohen has perhaps in many ways never sounded better than here in his older days. br / br /And as for the music and the musical arrangements it's as close to perfection as you can get. This is world class players like bassist Roscoe Beck who is also the director and arranger, Neil Larson on keys, Bob Metzger on guitar and Javier Mas on diverse exotic string instruments. All virtuosic player who show their true musicianship in the understated way they manage to underscore Cohen's great songwriting. Metzger really able to say more with 2 - 3 notes than many a progressive shredder with a flourish of scales and appegios. And add to that the beautiful choir of long time collaborator Sharon Robinson - who has also co-written a couple of songs - and the Webb sisters Charley and Hattie. br / br /A great mix of new and old songs, the familiar and the more obscure, each one a true gem. Some are poignant commentaries to the mad world of today, some bordering on the religious, others dissecting the male psyche and the male attitude to love, showing same kind of meticiously and honest introspection Joni Mitchell and Aimee Mann has excelled in from a female perspective. br / br /I shall freely admit that from time to time I have found Cohen somewhat overrated by idolizing critics, but here he certainly shows his mettle and his artistic brilliance. Awesome sound, awesome visuals. An absolutely essential offering - of great art to the Cosmos. br / br / 5 star performance-1 star dvd production April 3, 2009 Zoso 18 out of 19 found this review helpful I saw Leonard 3 times last year on what was a remarkable tour.This DVD is a momento of that tour by a supreme artist giving an outstanding concert.However this DVD as a reminder for posterity is so disappointing.As someone else has noted'why did they shoot it in 4x3 and not 16x9 anamorphic'.Also Leonaed does not like cameras on stage so the shots are very static from cameras for the most part just below front stage.There are superb close ups, warts and all, but the performance has the feeling of being filmed in a goldfish bowl separate from the audience.Audience shots when 'inserted' are very 70's.I keep willing this DVD to be better for Leonard's sake because the concert was sublime. Look at Me, Leonard, One Last Time March 22, 2009 Mr. M. A. Reed (Somewhere, GB) 44 out of 48 found this review helpful This may very well be the end. br / br /Having virtually retired from live performance a decade and a half ago, retreating to occasional album releases and a sedate lifestyle, this DVD captures Cohen on what is in all probability, the final stretch of his long and brilliant career. Occupying the space between an obtuse but effective poet, and a understated balladeer, Cohen has produced a large body of work that was always profound, touching, and unique. br / br /Forced by financial sodomy of his former manager to tour, Cohen does not behave, or perform, like an artist reluctant for the experience, or skimp with a brief performance. He serenades and sings, talks, and recites. His intellect sparkles like a star, he twirls with an enthusiasm enfeebled only by weak flesh, and effortlessly presents the body of work as a cohesive, vital whole. br / br /For almost everyone here though, this was a Once In A Lifetime event. br / br /His ten piece band provide a surprisingly sparse musical accompaniment, where less is more, where space and breath is as important as sound and clutter, and where there are often understated elements of effectiveness. For "Tower of Song", which sees just Cohen and the three singers (Cohen on a tiny keyboard, performing the song solo himself), rapturous applause sees a simplistic single-fingered keyboard solo. br / br /The majority of this set is no nostalgic reprise of past glories. Whilst resembling, and not deviating from the recorded works, "Boogie Street", is sung in whole by Cohen's most recent musical colloborator Sharon Robinson, and "In My Secret Life", which reveals itself a little more with every listen, an apple peel of a song, a mosiac that perhaps will never have all of its textures ever understood. br / br /An evening with Leonard Cohen, which may have a simple staging and a lack of frills and bells and whistles and inflatable dinosaurs and flying beds, offers more than enough in intellectual food to keep the attentive listener fascinated and focused on the rich imagery in his work. But it's no mere artistically redundant smash'n'grab fuelled by money and ego. In this context his work sits as one cohesive whole, a sonic art gallery where you can appreciate not only the original works, but also the context that they have when placed next to each other. Visually this document is anaccurate representation of Cohen live, a faithful rendering of an evening unexpected by all. br / br /And to be honest, this is probably the last opportunity we will have to hear this voice and look at Leonard, one last time. If this were a work of art, it would be shredded in a few years : never seen again - terminated by mortality. br / br /But if that is the case, what a fine exhibition this is. On occasion, Cohen's voice belays his age : he rests for a few moments, spotlighting the other singers, or allowing his band an opportunity to extend existing parts with their own interpretations - though thankfully no tedious jazz noodling - and occasionally, Cohen misses a word or a line from a song, and occasionally his voice cracks and weakens. But this is consistent with the age of the body : There are few experiences as epic, and the length and commitment Cohen demonstrates over 160 minutes is impressive. br / br /Half of the selections are taken from his most recent albums, from the opening "Dance Me To The End Of Love" to a climatic "Democracy". The band are tight, well rehearsed. There are moments where Cohen may appear to be improvising, but these seem rehearsed, the crowd played like a piano, with well-timed, but understated showmanship. It's an impressively minimal performance that is vast in scope and scale and yet wonderfully intimate. br / br /As Cohen serenades us with "Wither Thou Goest", his band resembling an traditional big band in the quiet style of the greats such as Sinatra , the man himself thanks us profusely for our sustained interest, an intimate serenade, and then the recording is over, the artist departs us, our lives continue... but whatever happens from here, the art will remain forever. br / Showing reviews 1-5 of 93 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...19 Next »

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