IMDb > Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
Buena Vista Social Club
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Buena Vista Social Club (1999) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 8)
Buena Vista Social Club (1999) -- Legends of Cuban music perform with Ry Cooder in this lively documentary. Combining fabulous performance footage with intimate profiles, this rollicking, music-filled film is essential for world beat fans.
Buena Vista Social Club (1999) -- Aging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of ext
Buena Vista Social Club (1999) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   6,594 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 2% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Wim Wenders (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Buena Vista Social Club on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
4 June 1999 (USA) more
Tagline:
Cubas Poesie Cubas Musik, Cubas Menschen, Cubas Poesie [The music of Cuba, the people of Cuba, the poetry of Cuba]
Plot:
Aging Cuban musicians whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 18 wins & 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Free Flick of the Day: Buena Vista Social Club
 (From Cinematical. 9 November 2009, 12:02 PM, PST)

Turturro Embraces The Sounds Of Naples
 (From WENN. 27 March 2009, 9:05 AM, PDT)

User Comments:
Cuba delights, Cooder gets the credits more (74 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Compay Segundo ... Himself
Eliades Ochoa ... Himself
Ry Cooder ... Himself
Joachim Cooder ... Himself
Ibrahim Ferrer ... Himself
Omara Portuondo ... Herself
Rubén González ... Himself
Orlando 'Cachaíto' López ... Himself
Amadito Valdés ... Himself
Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal ... Himself
Barbarito Torres ... Himself
Pío Leyva ... Himself
Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea ... Himself
Juan de Marcos González ... Himself
Octavio Calderon ... Himself - Musician
more

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Buena Vista Social Club (France)
Havana Rhapsody (USA) (working title)
Ry Cooder & the Buena Vista Social Club (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
105 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The Buena Vista Social Club album was put together by guitarist Ry Cooder in 1997 as a means of recapturing the "lost" music of pre-revolutionary Havana. The story was later made into this movie. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Xin jing cha gu shi (2004) more
Soundtrack:
Chan Chan more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful.
Cuba delights, Cooder gets the credits, 8 August 2005
9/10
Author: Andrei_Ciprian from Bucharest, Romania

This movie was a must for me, not for cinematographic reasons but for the piece of music history it contains. I had heard Ibrahim Ferrer was coming to Romania with Buenos Hermanos Tour. So I tried to find out all about the Buena Vista history. I have found Cuba a far away, resolute place, nevertheless glamorous and melancholic. Popular Cuban music is an absolute jewel that had to be forgotten even in its' own country and then brought back into the limelight by the likes of Cooder and Wenders. Cooder is a scavenger that wanders the exotic musical destinations for the next big hit. The film is centered too much on Cooder, and I find the time allotted to Ibrahim, Omara, Compay, Barbarito, Cachaito and the others (the real musical giants) unsatisfactory. You only get a glimpse and then have to run away for the next character... Yet, Wenders manages to catch the sweetness in the Cuban relaxed lifestyle, beautiful Rembrandt-like sunshine coming through leaves and a touch of history and relaxed musicians in the act of recollecting.

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Where can I get the soundtrack? barnrat
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Inspiring and mesmerizing mirellytaylor
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