Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love, 2019.
Directed by Nick Broomfield.
Starring Marianne Ihlen, Leonard Cohen and Nick Broomfield.
SYNOPSIS:
The story of the relationship between musician Leonard Cohen and his long-time muse Marianne Ihlen.
The artists of the 1960s lived very differently to the artists of today. Now, a struggling writer is far more likely to post a TMI thread about creative blockage on Twitter than they are to escape to an idyllic Greek retreat in the hope of getting the juices flowing in a fugue of LSD and no-strings sex. But it’s the latter environment that proves to be the backdrop for Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love – Nick Broomfield’s tender, sensitive documentary about the relationship between folk singer Leonard Cohen and his muse.
At the centre of the story is the Greek island of Hydra, which served as a sort of hub for creative types in the ‘free love’ era of the Swinging Sixties. It was on this island that Cohen – then a poet and novelist with no musical ambition – met Norwegian actress Marianne Ihlen, and they forged an immediate, intimate connection. For years, Marianne served as a muse for Cohen and several of his most famous songs were inspired by her, including ‘So Long, Marianne’ and ‘Bird on a Wire’, even as their relationship evolved and changed, for better and worse.
It’s worth noting at the outset that Broomfield, who remains best known for 1998 music doc Kurt & Courtney, is not an impartial observer to this story. He, too, was part of Hydra’s unique creative milieu and had his own romantic entanglements with Ihlen. When this is first mentioned early on, it adds an intriguing wrinkle to the narrative, but later references seem to intrude into the central thrust of the story – the creative union between the two title characters.
With that said, the film itself often loses sight of the importance of that central story. Often, this is simply a Leonard Cohen documentary, tracing his journey from poet to music icon, pausing to contemplate his later years in a Buddhist monastery and his period of financial woe in the noughties. Despite the fact she’s named first in the title, Marianne is very much a peripheral figure in this story, which perhaps reflects the inherent imbalance of the artist-muse relationship.
Marianne & Leonard is at its strongest when it focuses on the otherworldly environment of Hydra. One talking head states that the island “gets in your bones”, while another points out that many people were “irreparably damaged” by the focus on hedonism. The 1960s on Hydra are described as a “tiny moment of history” in which this specific balance of boozing, sexuality and recreational drug use was encouraged. Indeed, both Marianne and Leonard were changed forever by it, but Broomfield chooses to follow Cohen’s pinballing lifestyle rather than focus squarely on Hydra.
Cohen, though, is undoubtedly a compelling figure in the world of music and so a movie following him was always going to be an exciting one. Described by one of his close friends in the film as “the poet for the quasi-depressed women”, he became a unique heart-throb in the 60s and so put his pedal through the floor rather than pausing for breath. The film follows him more or less entirely chronologically and hits all of the key beats, from the crippling stage fright of his first performance through to the strange journey that led ‘Hallelujah’ to eventually make it to its iconic status.
This is an odd film to dissect, because it is at once helped and hindered by its director’s closeness to his subject. It’s as if Broomfield wants to keep Marianne at something of an arm’s length, while also making her the protagonist of the film, and is caught between two stalls as a result. The era of Hydra, of free love and of Leonard Cohen is a strange one, and it’s an era that proves slightly too slippery for this film.
There’s an undeniable warmth and heart to Marianne & Leonard, but there’s a sense it could never have done this unusual, solemn bond justice. But that’s why we have the songs.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Tom Beasley is a freelance film journalist and wrestling fan. Follow him on Twitter via @TomJBeasley for movie opinions, wrestling stuff and puns.
Originally published July 23, 2019. Updated July 22, 2019.
