“So long, Marianne – A Leonard Cohen series” in the ARD Mediathek | NDR.de – Culture

The eight episodes of the drama series, filmed in Norway and Greece, an NDR/SWR/WDR co-production with the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, will be available in the ARD Mediathek on September 22nd – parallel to the broadcast on Norwegian television. NDR will then broadcast the first episodes every Wednesday from October 2nd.

Great love story: Leonard Cohen and Marianne Ihlen

The drama series is set in 1960 and 1967 and tells the legendary love story between the Canadian singer and poet Leonard Cohen and the Norwegian Marianne Ihlen. With strong images and great songs, the eight-part series is about being young and the search for the right place in the world.

It is the story of a love that goes beyond death, between two completely normal young people. One of them will become a world star.

Series tells the story of an encounter

Leonard has an idiosyncratic sense of humor and is full of self-doubt, but his first poetic songs captivate those around him. Marianne, however, feels chained to the father of her son Axel, even though he is constantly cheating on her. It was only when she met Cohen that she was encouraged to break up and live a love with him in which there are no possessive claims.

His love for her seems unconditional, and Marianne finds it increasingly difficult to endure the freedom. Back in Norway, she has the opportunity to lead a safe and orderly life. This puts their relationship to the test. Leonard Cohen returns to Canada, but without Marianne and her son, he lacks stability. Can the two of them only be happy on Hydra? The two are united by an intense love affair that will shape them for the rest of their lives.

Historical background to the creation of the series

When Leonard Cohen learned from friends in 2016 that his great love Marianne Ihlen would soon die, he wrote her in a famous letter saying that he would soon follow her: “Knowing that I am so close to you, you can just reach out your hand, and I think you will reach mine.” In the series, Marianne Ihlen (played by Lise Fjeldstad in this scene) reaches out her hand and touches the young Leonard (Alex Wolff), who is dancing for her.

In this, probably the most touching scene in the series by Norwegian director and creator Øystein Karlsen, his courage to condense the story is particularly impressive: Karlsen and his co-author Jo Nesbø adapted the real life stages of Cohen and Ihlen and repeatedly break up the story with modern narrative elements. In scenes in which Wolff speaks directly into the camera or poses in front of the mirror as a testosterone-filled youth, the audience experiences the story of two modern heroes who are searching for their self-image – like social media nomads from the present day.

Directed by: Øystein Karlsen and Bronwen Hughes

The ensemble includes Alex Wolff (Leonard Cohen), Thea Sofie Loch Næss (as young Marianne Ihlen), Lise Fjeldstad (as older Marianne Ihlen), Noah Taylor (George Johnston), Anna Torf (Charmian Clift). The screenplays are by Øystein Karlsen, Jo Nesbø and Tony Wood, and the direction is by Øystein Karlsen and Bronwen Hughes.

More information

The Canadian musician would have turned 90 this week. Houdus voices him in the series “So long, Marianne”, which started on Sunday in the ARD Mediathek. more

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The songwriter was born on September 21, 1934. “Suzanne,” “So long Marianne,” “Hallelujah” – his songs became famous. 15 min