Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

One of the most critically acclaimed and commercially popular documentaries of its time, Buena Vista Social Club is a loving tribute by filmmaker Wim Wenders and musician Ry Cooder to the surviving members of a forgotten golden age of Cuban music. Shot on digital video and presented in a straightforward manner, the movie beautifully interweaves profiles of the principal musicians with footage of them playing at recording sessions and at 1998 concerts in Amsterdam (Le Carre) and New York City (Carnegie Hall). The music is fantastic, and, for those unfamiliar with this musical genre, a revelation. Each of the principals is given a chance to show off, with memorable sequences devoted to singer Ibrahim Ferrer, pianist Ruben Gonzalez, laud player Barbarito Torres, and nonagenarian guitarist Compay Segundo. But it is just as interesting to see these old-timers taking the filmmakers -- and audience -- on a tour through the streets of Havana, telling their stories and looking back on their lives. Buena Vista Social Club probably would have been just as successful had it been merely a filmed record of the various performances, but the interviews give the film an extra character, revealing layers to the artists that a simple concert picture never could. Also evident throughout is the respect that Wenders and Cooder hold for their subject, and Wenders provides a revealing peak into contemporary Cuban life. The ecstatic response to Buena Vista Social Clubmay have been a bit overenthusiastic -- this is not groundbreaking documentary filmmaking -- but the subject matter is so compelling and the music so enduring that it is easy to see why it seduced audiences around the world. ~ Bob Mastrangelo, All Movie Guide