Barnes & Noble

In the skillful hands of visionary director Wim Wenders (WINGS OF DESIRE), this touching documentary about the Cuban musical phenomenon known as the Buena Vista Social Club becomes a moving meditation on the passage of time. Wenders brings an impressive restraint to his telling of this rags-to-riches story, a simple tale enhanced by the gorgeously muted scenery of Havana's romantic ruin and its glorious music. Two events frame the Buena Vista Social Club's rise from obscurity to senior-citizen superstardom -- club master of ceremonies Ry Cooder's return to Havana in 1998 to record vocalist Ibrahim Ferrer's solo album and the gang's heart-stopping performance at Carnegie Hall. We see the physical decay of the men and their city as we hear, through lively interviews with nearly every member of the large ensemble, about the glory of Cuba and her musicians of a half century before, when mambo and son filled hotel salons and casino ballrooms. But when these aged masters burst into song -- Compay Segundo's baritone ringing out, Rúben González's rich piano soloing, Omara Portuondo's tearful dueting with Ferrer on "Dos Gardenias" -- music erases the ravages of time, old men become animated as children, and a forgotten world lives again, glowing around the edges like a dream. Mark Schwartz

All Movie Guide

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

Product Details

• UPC: 012236107576
• Source: LIONS GATE
• Sales Rank: 23,973