Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire

The film shows Leonard Cohen on a spring 1972 tour of Europe and Israel, accompanied by two guitarists; a bass and fiddle player; Bob Johnston, a record producer, and backup singers Donna Washburn and Jennifer Warnes. It begins toward the end of the tour in Tel Aviv, and shows Cohen scolding aggressive security guards during a fan riot. Considerable technical problems plagued Cohen throughout the tour, including constant audio difficulties that resulted in a tense confrontation with fans in Copenhagen who wanted a refund because the show ended early. The film also has backstage scenes of Cohen giving interviews and interacting with fans, including a female fan who "baldly propositions" him. It ends with Cohen's final stop on the tour, at Jerusalem's Binyanei Hauma on April 21, 1972, in which Cohen has an emotional crisis and takes LSD backstage.