Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

In 1996, composer, producer, and guitar legend Ry Cooder entered Egrem Studios in Havana with the forgotten greats of Cuban music, many of them in their 60s and 70s, some of them long since retired. The resulting album, Buena Vista Social Club, became a Grammy-winning international bestseller. When Cooder returned to Havana in 1998 to record a solo album by 72-year-old vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer, filmmaker Wim Wenders was on hand to document the occasion. Wenders splits the film between portraits of the performers, who tell their stories directly to the camera as they wander the streets and neighborhoods of Havana, and a celebration of the music heard in performance scenes in the studio, in their first concert in Amsterdam, and in their second and final concert at Carnegie Hall. The songs are too often cut short in this fashion, but Buena Vista Social Club is not a concert film. Wenders weaves the artist biographies with a glimpse of modern Cuba remembering its past, capturing a lost culture in music that is suddenly, unexpectedly revived for audiences in Havana and around the world. Wenders makes his presence practically invisible, as if his directorial flourishes or off-screen narration might deflect attention from the artists, who do a fine job of telling their own stories through interviews and music. It's a loving portrait of a master class in Cuban music, with a vital cast of aging performers whose energy and passion belie their years. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com essential video

Giants in Havana

The perfect story for the most amazing performers in Latin America and the Caribbean. A must have. October 24, 2008

Bittersweet Symphony

Wim Wenders' "Buena Vista Social Club" is a masterpiece. American blues guitarist Ry Cooder goes to Cuba,in search of the legendary Buena Vista Social Club. He comes to an impoverished, aging country. The clubs are long gone, living only in memories. Miraculously, Cooder finds living remnants of Cuba's musical scene-Ibrahim Ferrer, Ruben Gonzales, Compay Segundo, and the singer Omara Portuoundo. Their music is bittersweet. They sing of joys long vanished, of a freer time. Ry Cooder doesn't glamorize Cuba's squalor,nor the repression that drove its musicians underground.

"Buena Vista Social Club" shows musicians who are young at heart. Quite a few have since passed away since this film's release nearly a decade ago. The opening,the haunting "Chan Chan",sends chills down the spine. "Veinte Anos" is an amazing ballad of unrequited love (when I saw this movie in college,I sang along-it's that powerful) The conclusion is powerful when the musicians come to the US and perform at Carnegie Hall. Ironically, and sadly,the "Buena Vista Social Club" was barred from entry to the US after 9/11 since they were branded as "propagandists" for the Castro regime. Anyone who has heard their music knows that they sing about love and loss, joy and sorrow... not politics. They are musicians whose golden years are truly golden.

"Buena Vista Social Club" is a soothing bittersweet symphony for the eyes and the soul. It's impossible to watch this documentary without being moved. It's music that speaks to the heart. The musicians are elderly,their song is timeless. June 2, 2008

What an experience!

Thank you, Ry Cooder for tracking done these hidden legends and documenting them before some of them disappeared. May 4, 2008

Cuban Legacy Music !

I have several copies of this wonderful Cuban Music, one for the car, one for the house, etc. I have also purchased the DVD on the making of the CD by Ry Cooder. This is a lasting memory of what was a beautiful era in Cuban Music. You don't need to understand Spanish to appreciate the glory of the sounds that come out of this band of legends. A must have for any music collection ! September 21, 2007

great for the classroom!

I show this movie in my High School Spanish class! Kids love it and have often downloaded the music onto their ipods! September 19, 2007

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