Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writer:

Wim Wenders (writer)

Release Date:

4 June 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Tagline:

Cubas Poesie Cubas Musik, Cubas Menschen, Cubas Poesie [The music of Cuba, the people of Cuba, the poetry of Cuba]

Plot:

Aging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers.

Plot Keywords:

Cuba | Havana Cuba | Interview | Latin America | Caribbean

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 18 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Compay Segundo	...	Himself
Eliades Ochoa	...	Himself
Ry Cooder	...	Himself
Joachim Cooder	...	Himself
Ibrahim Ferrer	...	Himself
Omara Portuondo	...	Herself
Rubén González	...	Himself
Orlando 'Cachaíto' López	...	Himself
Amadito Valdés	...	Himself
Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal	...	Himself
Barbarito Torres	...	Himself
Pío Leyva	...	Himself
Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea	...	Himself
Juan de Marcos González	...	Himself
Octavio Calderon	...	Himself - Musician

Also Known As:

Buena Vista Social Club (France)
Havana Rhapsody (USA) (working title)
Ry Cooder & the Buena Vista Social Club (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

Germany | USA | UK | France | Cuba

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | Brazil:Livre | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Hong Kong:I | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:G | Norway:A | Peru:PT | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Company:

Road Movies Filmproduktion

Trivia:

The Buena Vista Social Club album was put together by guitarist Ry Cooder in 1997 as a means of recapturing the "lost" music of pre-revolutionary Havana. The story was later made into this movie.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Jack Black/The Strokes (#27.11)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

El Carretero

Charming film - the people behind the music

It's hard to imagine a better set up for a magical documentary: Wim Wenders, Ry Cooder and a group of ancient and brilliant Cuban musicians. This film tells the story of the reassembling of the Buena Vista Social Club, as a sort of composite house-band including several popular Cuban jazz musicians, most of whom had given up their musical careers long ago. Ry Cooder helped get the players together, played with them, adding his respectfully subtle guitar work to the mix, and got their album released to popular and critical success worldwide.

What I found most impressive about this film is the humility with which it was approached by Ry Cooder. Mr Cooder has done some great work in the world of music, and this must be counted among his triumphs. However, I would have to agree with Mr Cooder, that the credit for the magic of the Buena Vista Social Club was all in the chemistry and performance of its Cuban stars. To see what I mean by all of this, you should see the movie. Whether you buy the CD or see the movie first matters little. You should do BOTH.

Wim Wenders also, intelligently and appropriately, lets this story tell itself. Only occasionally does his artistry (as potent as it is) flare up - such as the scenes with the pianist (who Wenders clearly adores, and understandably so). All in all, the American / German production team on this film takes a back seat to the music, and the stories behind the musicians. I found this a refreshingly honest documentary approach and I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

My enjoyment rating is 10+. I gave the film an 9 because I am sure some will dislike either the music or the proactive approach toward Cuban/American relations. It's definitely not a film for all people. Don't watch it if Cuba brings up strong negative emotions for you.