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 extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers.

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Wim Wenders (by), Nick Gold (original concept)

Stars:

Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 21 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Octavio Calderon	...	Self - Musician
Joachim Cooder	...	Self
Ry Cooder	...	Self
Angel Terry Domech	...	Self
Ibrahim Ferrer	...	Self
Ibrahim Ferrer Jr.	...	Self
Manuel Galbán	...	Self - Musician
Hugo Garzón	...	Self
Carlos Gonzalez	...	Self
Juan de Marcos González	...	Self
Rubén González	...	Self
Pío Leyva	...	Self
Manuel 'Puntillita' Licea	...	Self
Orlando 'Cachaíto' López	...	Self
Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal	...	Self

Storyline

A group of legendary Cuban musicians, some as old as their nineties, were brought together by Ry Cooder to record a CD. In this film, we see and hear some of the songs being recorded in Havana. There is also footage from concerts in Amsterdam and New York City's Carnegie Hall. In addition, many of the individual musicians talk about their lives in Cuba and about how they got started in music.

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Plot Keywords:

musician | comeback | new york | cigar smoking | caribbean sea | 

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Taglines:

Cubas Poesie Cubas Musik, Cubas Menschen, Cubas Poesie [The music of Cuba, the people of Cuba, the poetry of Cuba]

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Genres:

Documentary | Music

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

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Connections

References Godzilla (1998)

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Soundtracks

Black Bottom
Written by Ray Henderson, Lew Brown and Buddy G. DeSylva (as B.G. De Sylva)

User Reviews

Cuba delights, Cooder gets the credits

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.

Details

Official Sites:

PBS [United States]

Country:

Germany USA UK France Cuba

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 June 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Havana Rhapsody

Filming Locations:

Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$127,370, 6 June 1999

Gross USA:

$7,002,182

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$23,141,199

Company Credits

Production Co:

Road Movies Filmproduktion, Kintop Pictures, Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industrias Cinematográficos (ICAIC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1