Main Cast: Ry Cooder, Compay Segundo, Rubén González, Ibrahim Ferrer, Eliades Ochoa
Release Year: 1998
Country: US/DE
Run Time: 105 minutes
Plot
Wim Wenders' documentary Buena Vista Social Club is about the adventures of Ry Cooder in Cuba. Cooder, best remembered by film fans for the wailing slide guitar theme of Wenders' Paris, Texas, went to Cuba in 1996 to meet with some legendary 'soneros' musicians of the '30s, '40s and '50s. The result was the album Buena Vista Social Club, recorded with such colorful characters as the 90-year-old singer/guitarist Compay Segundo, guitarist Eliades Ochoa, baritone Ibrahim Ferrer and Omara Portuondo, "the Cuban Edith Piaf." The album won a Grammy, and in this refreshing documentary, Wim Wenders shows these exceptional musicians in their hometown, following them into their usual hang-outs -- the cafes, clubs and even living rooms -- as well as to concerts in Amsterdam and New York's Carnegie Hall, capturing their incredible vitality. "In Cuba, music flows like a river," according to Ry Cooder, who adds "Music is like a treasure hunt; you dig and dig and sometimes find something." Pursuing this metaphor, Wenders wanted to make a film that would "just float on this river ... not interfering with it, just drifting along." The result is a film full of vitality and positive energy, which is also an absolute delight to musical ears. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
Review
One of the most critically acclaimed and commercially popular documentaries of its time, Buena Vista Social Club is a loving tribute by filmmaker Wim Wenders and musician Ry Cooder to the surviving members of a forgotten golden age of Cuban music. Shot on digital video and presented in a straightforward manner, the movie beautifully interweaves profiles of the principal musicians with footage of them playing at recording sessions and at 1998 concerts in Amsterdam (Le Carre) and New York City (Carnegie Hall). The music is fantastic, and, for those unfamiliar with this musical genre, a revelation. Each of the principals is given a chance to show off, with memorable sequences devoted to singer Ibrahim Ferrer, pianist Ruben Gonzalez, laud player Barbarito Torres, and nonagenarian guitarist Compay Segundo. But it is just as interesting to see these old-timers taking the filmmakers -- and audience -- on a tour through the streets of Havana, telling their stories and looking back on their lives. Buena Vista Social Club probably would have been just as successful had it been merely a filmed record of the various performances, but the interviews give the film an extra character, revealing layers to the artists that a simple concert picture never could. Also evident throughout is the respect that Wenders and Cooder hold for their subject, and Wenders provides a revealing peak into contemporary Cuban life. The ecstatic response to Buena Vista Social Clubmay have been a bit overenthusiastic -- this is not groundbreaking documentary filmmaking -- but the subject matter is so compelling and the music so enduring that it is easy to see why it seduced audiences around the world. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide
The film documents how Ry Cooder, long-time friend of Wenders, brought together legendary Cuban musicians to record an album (also called Buena Vista Social Club), and to perform a concert in the United States. Although they are geographically close, travel between Cuba and the United States is restricted due to the political tension between the two countries, so many of the artists were travelling there for the first time. The film shows their reactions to this experience, as well as including footage of the resultant sell-out concert. It also includes interviews with each of the main performers.
Influence
It made the musicians, some of them already in their nineties, known to a worldwide audience, and some went on to release popular solo albums; these included Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Rubén González and Elíades Ochoa.
Awards
The film was nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary feature in 2000.[1] It won as best documentary in the European Film Awards as well as many others. The album Buena Vista Social Club features studio versions of the music heard in the movie.
