Tony Palmer’s “Bird On A Wire” documentary of Leonard Cohen’s 1972 Tour, as broadcast on 3sat, a German language TV network, can be viewed on YouTube. he video is imperfect but certainly watchable.
Those unfamiliar with the extraordinary story of the rediscovery, reconstruction, and re-release of this film can find this information as well as a Q&A with its director Tony Palmer, at Tony Palmer Q&A: The 38 Year Journey To Release His Leonard Cohen “Bird On A Wire” Documentary.
From the YouTube blurb [Google English Translation]:
The documentary “Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire” accompanied Cohen and his band during the tour – backstage, on stage and on the tour bus. Documented also be meeting with fans and celebrity. In Germany, the international star met under other Elke Sommer and Udo Jürgens.
Leonard Cohen on the tour bus traveling from his concert tour through Europe.
Leonard Cohen has written songs that moved a generation. Whether “Suzanne,” “Lover Lover Lover” or “Hallelujah”, for over 40 years, the Canadian poet and songwriter, an icon of pop culture. The British filmmaker Tony Palmer accompanied Leonard Cohen on his 1972 world tour. The film about the tour, which began in Dublin and ended in Jerusalem, was originally purely a promotional film for Leonard Cohen is, the album sales were at the time rather low. Palmer caught the tour, as it was, with all the awkwardness, the technical problems and the emotional ups and downsCohen shunned the unvarnished honesty of Palmer’s film and took personal care to a complete overhaul. The original footage was lost and rediscovered only in 2009. From the 294 rolls of film, Palmer, a new film about the now unvarnished Cohen Tour of 1972. He is also a document of the colorful, liberal life at the time. 3sat
Credit Due Department: Special thanks are herewith extended to Jo Meul, who sent the message that this recording was available on YouTube.
