Buena Vista Social Club

"In Havana, music isn't a pastime, it's a way of life."

Jun 4 1999 G 1h 45m
Documentary, Music

In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.

Plot

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.

Written by

Wim Wenders, Nick Gold

Directed by

Wim Wenders

Cast

Compay Segundo, Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

Cuba, France, United Kingdom, United States of America, Germany

Production Companies

ICAIC, ARTE, Channel Four Films, Wim Wenders Stiftung, Road Movies, Kintop Pictures

Languages

English, Español

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 21 wins & 12 nominations total

Trailers
Buena Vista Social Club (1999) Promo (VHS Capture)
Featurettes
Wim Wenders on Buena Vista Social Club’s Ibrahim Ferrer
Scores
# of Votes
21,247
Average Rating
7.6 out of 10
Metascore
81
Popularity
NA