#866: WENDERS, Wim: Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

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WENDERS, Wim (United States)
Buena Vista Social Club [1999]
Spine #866
Blu-ray


Traveling from the streets of Havana to the stage of Carnegie Hall, this revelatory documentary captures a forgotten generation of Cuba's brightest musical talents as they enjoy an unexpected encounter with world fame. The veteran vocalists and instrumentalists collaborated with American guitarist and roots-music champion Ry Cooder to form the Buena Vista Social Club, playing a jazz-inflected mix of cha-cha, mambo, bolero, and other traditional Latin American styles, and recording an album that won a Grammy and made them an international phenomenon. In the wake of this success, director Wim Wenders filmed the ensemble's members — including golden-voiced Ibrahim Ferrer and piano virtuoso Ruben González — in a series of illuminating interviews and live performances. The result is one of the most beloved documentaries of the 1990s, and an infectious ode to a neglected corner of Cuba's prerevolutionary heritage.

105 minutes
Color
5.1 Surround
in English and Spanish
1:78:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2017
Director



A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

 The Booklet

Twenty-page booklet featuring an essay by author and geographer Joshua Jelly-Schapiro.

Commentary

From 1999 featuring director Wenders.

Interview 1

With Wenders.

Interview 2

From 1998 with musician Compay Segundo on his career and the world of Cuban music.

Radio interviews

From 2000 featuring musicians Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Eliades Ochoa, Omara Portuondo, and others.

Additional scenes

Trailer

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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