Buena Vista Social Club

Theatrical Release Date: 1999 06 04 (USA)

UPC: 012236101765

Studio: Live/Artisan

MPAA Rating: G   Contains:null

Summary: 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. ~ G?n?l D?nmez-Colin, Rovi

Category: Music [nf]

Awards: Best Documentary – European Film Academy Best Film Music – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Foreign Language Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Documentary – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Documentary – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Documentary Feature – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Documentary – National Board of Review Best Documentary – National Society of Film Critics Best Documentary – New York Film Critics Circle

Features: Audio commentary featuring director Wim Wenders
16:9 full-screen version
5.1 Dolby Digital
Theatrical trailer
Crew, Musician information
Production notes
Digitally mastered
Interactive menus
Scene access
Additonal scenes

Buena Vista Social Club

Format: DVD

Release Date: 02/20/2001

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 101 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1
0. Scene Access
1. Buena Vista Social Club [5:30]
2. Searching for the Old Club [5:19]
3. Le Carr?, Amsterdam [5:08]
4. Omara and Ibrahim's Duet [10:21]
5. Ibrahim Ferrer's Story [4:36]
6. "Dos Gardenias. 00:03:16
7. Omara Portuondo [5:24]
8. Compay Segundo [8:19]
9. Compay and Ry's Jam Session [4:41]
10. Eliades Ochoa [3:56]
11. Ibrahim's Family History [3:52]
12. Cuban Life [8:07]
13. Rub?n Gonzalez [3:46]
14. Rub?n Goes to Havana [4:05]
15. Vices [6:39]
16. Forming the Club [5:14]
17. Orlando "Cachaito" Lopez [4:07]
18. Amadito Valdes [4:38]
19. Manuel Mirabal Vazquez [4:32]

Bob Mastrangelo

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, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Pio Levya  Actor 
Ry Cooder  Producer 
Ulrich Felsberg  Executive Producer 
Ulrich Felsberg  Producer 
Wim Wenders  Director 
Deepak Nayar  Producer 
Buena Vista Social Club  Composer (Music Score) 
Nick Gold  Executive Producer 
Ry Cooder  Actor 
Compay Segundo  Actor 
Rubén González  Actor 
Ibrahim Ferrer  Actor 
Eliades Ochoa  Actor 
Omara Portuondo  Actor 
Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal  Actor 
Orlando Lopez "Cachaito"  Actor 
Barbarito Torres  Actor 
Manuel "Puntillita" Licea  Actor 
Raul Planes  Actor 
Felix Valoy  Actor 
Ricahrd Eques  Actor 
Maceo Rodriguez  Actor 
Joaquim Cooder  Actor 

Country: Germany,USA