Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire

Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire
German theatrical quad poster
Directed byTony Palmer
Written byTony Palmer
Produced byRob Ayling
Marty Machat
Steven Machat
CinematographyLes Young
Edited byTony Palmer
Music byLeonard Cohen
Release date
  • July 1974 (1974-07)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire, originally titled Bird on a Wire, is a 1974 documentary that chronicles a troubled 1972 concert tour of Europe and Israel by the Canadian singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen.

It was directed by British filmmaker Tony Palmer, with cinematography by Les Young. The film takes its name from the Cohen song Bird on the Wire.

The film, after extensive re-editing from its initial version, opened in London in 1974. It was shown on German television, but it disappeared for decades and was considered a lost film. Its original version, restored by the director, was released on DVD in 2010 and had its first theatrical release in 2017.