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.
Condition: NEW
Actors: Ry Cooder, Ibrahim Ferrer, Rubén González, Omara Portuondo, Compay Segundo
Directors: Wim Wenders
Format: AC-3, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, Special Edition, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: Spanish
Subtitles: English
Dubbed: English
Region: Region A/1
Number of discs: 1
Rated:
G
General Audience
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Release Date: April 18, 2017
Run Time: 105 minutes
Cast & Crew
Ry Cooder Actor
Compay Segundo Actor
Rubén González Participant
Ibrahim Ferrer Actor
Eliades Ochoa Actor
Omara Portuondo Actor
Manuel "Guajiro" Mirabal Actor
Orlando Lopez "Cachaito" Actor
Barbarito Torres Actor
Manuel "Puntillita" Licea Actor
Raul Planes Actor
Felix Valoy Actor
Ricahrd Eques Actor
Maceo Rodriguez Actor
Joaquim Cooder Actor
Pio Levya Actor
Technical Credits
Wim Wenders Director
Rosa Bosch Associate Producer
Buena Vista Social Club Score Composer
Ry Cooder Producer
Ulrich Felsberg Executive Producer
Nick Gold Executive Producer
Brian Johnson Editor
Walter Mueller Sound/Sound Designer
Robby Müller Cinematographer
Deepak Nayar Producer
Lisa Rinzler Cinematographer
Joerg Widmer Cinematographer
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