Synopsis
In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.
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Cast
- Compay SegundoSelf
- Eliades OchoaSelf
- Ry CooderSelf
- Joachim CooderSelf
- Ibrahim FerrerSelf
- Omara PortuondoSelf
- Rubén GonzálezSelf
- Orlando 'Cachaíto' LópezSelf
- Amadito ValdésSelf
- Manuel 'Guajiro' MirabalSelf
Recommendations
- 100
New Times (L.A.)
Infectious, intoxicating joy is the emotion conveyed in every frame of this ravishing, exuberant documentary. - 90
Los Angeles Times
Being able to hear this kind of playing is a special moment in time, one we don't want to end and one that we're privileged to experience. - 90
New York Magazine (Vulture)
I've never seen another movie that so clearly expresses the sensual sustenance that great folk culture provides its practitioners. - 88
San Francisco Examiner
A 140-minute film masterpiece. - 80
Variety
Wenders lets the music and the sprightly people who make it speak for themselves, although the director's ongoing fascination with the urban environment is in top form as the camera serenely cruises the streets of Havana, often at a velvety dusk. - 80
Newsweek
The film is short on biographical details and the history of the music, and long on impressions of the musicians' character and motivations. - 80
Village Voice
Feels like a timeless blast from the past. - 67
Austin Chronicle
Buena Vista Social Club is obviously intended less as a concert film than as a set of cinematic liner notes about the vanishing musical culture.
