Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

In 1996, Ry Cooder and others assembled forgotten veteran Cuban musicians to form the Buena Vista Social Club. The original Club has long since gone. This movie has their recent performances. Individuals are interviewed about their struggles during tough times and their music.This is a time capsule in more than one way. It recalls the time when Cuba is starting to reach America. It's the hesitant start of a political thaw. The music itself is a throwback to an earlier time period. The musicians' stories are another throwback to another era. It can get repetitive as each musician gets his own section. The music is great. It's touching and funny when the men visit NYC for the first time. That is yet another time capsule as they look out onto the twin towers. This is a fine documentary.

Most documentaries these days are nothing more than masked narratives, some semblance of reality (often largely fictitious) structured as a story meant to grip. They grip and hold on to. This is not that type, although it's loosely a story. It's more properly a frame, a portal; into the lives of ageing Cuban musicians brought out of retirement and obscurity for one last round, recast as memory of a time and place.Like their music, the film is not about spine-tingling rhythms or crescendos. It is mostly a colorful lull with the sweet pull of a hot summer night. A pull into anecdotes about life in old Cuba and snapshots of the present one. We never get to know any of the players well enough, but we spend with them time enough to soak up the atmosphere of being there.Being there is what the movie is all about. The wise choice of digital video abets this, the palpable immediacy. Wenders' camera tricks are superfluous then, because the material doesn't need any mediating. The only thing required of the camera here is to transport us.And it does. Watching this, I felt like it was the first time I was seeing New York (when eventually the band flies there for one night of apotheosis at the Carnegie Hall). We walk the streets, also back in Cuba. Glimpses of life abound, some spontaneous others not so much. Wonderful architecture, colonial remnants wasting away with the last signs of a revolution heading south. A building sign reads "KARL MA X", the R missing and no one bothered to replace it. But we so rarely get to see these things in movies, that it's a breath of fresh air. But in order for the film to breathe into you, you need to have devoted part of yourself and have an affinity for untravellled cinematic space. For the place, despite the narrative. We get plenty of that here.

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.

I would like to start off by saying how angry and distressed i was to read the foul narrow minded commentary by whichever person wrote the review stating that it is the worst documentary and a complete hash in fact i don't blame him/her that much because we are all in titled to our own opinions but IMDb should not have put that as the main page of this movie's commentary. The person who wrote this commentary is obviously incapable of watching and giving credit to anything apart from big budget Hollywood American stereotype films. therefore do not take it as a exact review.Unless you are not a musician it is quite hard to not like this movie. why? because (i have actually forgotten all of their names so if you bare with me)these ageing Cubans don't read music they don't have the best instruments, all except one have not had a musical education they don't have the money to muck around with these things they have been gifted with the basic. An instrument and they go on from there so having taken all of this into account they produce an emotional salsa with beautiful lyrics and sound ,not frankly giving a damn about their badly made instruments they embraced what they had and sheer determination and musical talent and a drop of luck brought them to the prestigious Carnegie hall in new york. most of them hadn't even stepped a foot out of heir own town let alone a different country.And to see their faces when the crowd started applauding is unbelievable you can read their minds they just can not believe that they are there. so as they are walking round New York streets admiring each figure in every glass window they seem like children lost in Disney land but once they have been given their microphone or piano or guitar they come to their own and you give them fully credited respect and they look in control.By America cutting them off from advanced technology of the day all of there cars in the streets are some old Reno's and Beatles paint drying of the city walls bumpy roads the burning sun the public bus made out of old cars and trucks painted pink and their simple humble homes beautiful men and women. and children who are still children not dressing over their age or acting like twenty year old women its almost impossible to not fall under charm of the Cuban people.Yes this documentary was filmed badly with rubbish cameras but doesn't that add to the whole thing? i think so. So if you have actually kept on reading to this point you must have at least some interest in the film then give it a go if you are different and not American glazed then i guarantee you will love it. it is by far the best documentary i have ever seen.