The Video
Burt Lancaster as Elmer Gantry
There is much to like about this video. The sound, for example, is of especially high quality. And, there are a number of scenes, including the screenshot atop this post, in which Leonard Cohen looks strikingly like a Norman Rockwell rendering of a revival evangelist performing in the style but not, one hopes, the intent of Elmer Gantry.
But the most admirable aspect of the video may well be the videographer’s determination to obtain the best recording possible.
The opening scenes are disorienting as the camera seeks a path through the audience to Cohen kneeling at the edge of the stage.
Even when a line of sight through the crowd is achieved, Cohen (yellow arrow below) is obscured by the cameraman and his camera (red arrow) directly between the videographer and his subject.
But the persistence and skills of Giacomo Lucarini are rewarded as Cohen rises to his feet. This may be a broken Hallelujah, but it’s certainly one worth watching.
Best 2013 Leonard Cohen Videos: The best available video of each of the songs performed during the 2013 Leonard Cohen Old Ideas World Tour can be found at the Best Of 2013 Leonard Cohen Tour Video Setlist
Leonard Cohen – Hallelujah
Lucca: July 9, 2013
Video by Giacomo Lucarini
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