The Facultat de Filologia, Traducció i Comunicació at Universitat de València has hosted the opening of ‘Bird On A Wire’, an unknown documentary on Leonard Cohen. The documentary has been opened the same day in all parts of Spain, but Tony Palmer has been at the university to present the film and take part in the afterwards debate. He has explained the production secrets and his relationship with Leonard Cohen.
The film, unknown in our country, shows the tour he took that year in Europe, when he interpreted some of his most known songs like Suzanne, Sisters of Mercy, So Long, Marianne, Bird on the Wire, or Chelsea Hotel.
Tony Palmer is one of the most important film makers in the current scene. He has directed more than a hundred films, but his main interest is reflecting music in fims. His career began in the 60s and he worked with musicians like Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, or Frank Zappa, but also with people la Maria Callas, Benjamin Britten, and Igor Stravinsky.
He directed the film 200 Motels with Frank Zappa in 1971, and then he decided to begin a documentary on Leonard Cohen’s European tour. He followed the musicians around 20 European cities and he recorded his concerts and also different moments. In Bir On A Wire, we can see Cohen flirting with his fans, arguing with the public because of the technical problems during the concert, or stopping one concert after consuming some substances. After that, Palmer’s film did not like Cohen’s team, and a different version of the film was opened. But the film maker could recover the original film in 2010 and it is opened for the first time in Spain with subtitles.
The showing has taken place in the Facultat de Filologia, Traducció i Comunicació’s Saló de Graus at Universitat de València. This event is also going to be the opening event for the master’s degree Máster en Interculturalidad y Políticas Comunicativas en la Sociedad de la Información, which has organized the debate.
Last update: 27 de september de 2012 07:55.
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