Marianne and Leonard: Words Of Love – “Hallelujah!”

This film is as much about the 1960's counter-culture on the beautiful Greek island of Hydra as it is about Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen.  It must have been incredible to live on Hydra back then – even better than the Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco (which was a place I thought was terrific, except that I wouldn't have had even one functioning neuron left if I had lived there!) Leonard Cohen was a Jew born in Montreal in 1934.  He died in November 2016 from a sudden fall.  The love of his life, Marianne, died only a few months earlier.  Leonard was a notorious ladies' man and just about every woman I ever dated – including my wife – was really into him.  His most famous song is "Hallelujah," which has been covered by over 300 singers, but he has many great songs, including "Suzanne," "Sisters of Mercy," and "Famous Blue Raincoat," among others.  Marianne was the inspiration for "So Long, Marianne" and "Bird on a Wire." At first, Leonard was a poet and novelist.  He landed in Hydra in the mid-1960's and met all sorts of interesting artists and writers.  He drank a lot and took plenty of drugs to "expand his consciousness."  Hydra is where he met the beautiful Marianne, who was the love of his life (even more than Suzanne) and his muse.  Marianne and Leonard's relationship went on for years, and she not only lived with him on Hydra, but also in Montreal and NYC.  Leonard's novel "Beautiful Losers" was a bust, so then he became a singer/songwriter, since he was a poet and his lyrics were great. We learn much about Leonard, including his life-long struggle with depression, his compulsive sexuality, and his search for self-actualization.  Although Leonard always considered himself a Jew, he became an ordained Buddhist monk in 1996, and lived at a Buddhist monastery for years.  Years later, he discovered that his agent had embezzled millions of dollars.  Leonard had retired from touring, but finding himself penniless, he went back on the road in 2010.  Miraculously, he became even more popular and made more money than he ever did before! The film has lots of footage of Leonard and Marianne in Hydra, concert footage, parties, etc.  The movie also has interesting interviews with Aviva Layton (wife of Leonard's poet friend, Irving Layton) and Leonard's guitarist, Ron Cornelius.  Marianne remains more of a mystery, but everyone liked her.  She was very warm, loving, and generous.  Marianne was a muse for others as well. For Leonard Cohen fans, the film is a MUST-SEE!  And don't forget, if you want a brief movie review, "I'm Your Man!"