Should you watch Buena Vista Social Club?
Who it’s good for, who it isn’t, and what’s in it. No ratings, no scores.
Buena Vista Social Club
Documentary · 1999
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.
The sides of Buena Vista Social Club
- Cuban musicians in their eighties recording in Havana
- Streets and doorways of old Havana
- A concert at Carnegie Hall
Buena Vista Social Club is good for you if…
- you like Cuban son played by the men who grew up with it.
- you want old musicians telling their own stories to the camera.
- you like simply walking a city with a few old men.
Buena Vista Social Club is bad for you if…
- you need momentum, and this one strolls from a doorway to a rehearsal.
About: ageing · music · memory
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