Buena Vista Social Club

Jun 4, 1999

1h 45m

★ 7.5

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

Overview

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.

Genres

Documentary

Music

Production Companies

Kintop Pictures

Road Movies

Buena Vista Social Club Trailers

Cast

Self

Compay Segundo

Self

Eliades Ochoa

Self

Ry Cooder

Self

Joachim Cooder

Self

Ibrahim Ferrer

Self

Omara Portuondo

Self

Rubén González

Self

Orlando 'Cachaíto' López

Self

Amadito Valdés

Self

Manuel 'Guajiro' Mirabal

Self

Barbarito Torres

Self

Pío Leyva

Half blind and half deaf, ostraziced Cuban writer Rafael Alcides tries to finish his unpublished novels to discover that after several decades, the home made ink from the typewriter he used to write them has faded. The Cuban revolution as a love story and eventual deception is seen through the eyes of a man who is living an inner exile.

10.0

AHORA SI LLEGO!

Dec 26, 2015

The first Road Movie feature film made by the Italian artist Sanzi together with the Cuban Balboa is inspired by friendship, the island and the motorbike. The two artists used, for the first time in Cuba, the form of the Road Movie--the cinematic genre the plot of which is developed during a trip.

8.7

Backyard Babies - Live at Cirkus

Feb 24, 2016

Swedish rock sensation Backyard Babies have delighted us with a truly breathtaking live recording! ‘Live at Cirkus’ contains 17 hits, all taken from the 2016 Cirkus Theatre concert in Stockholm. Nicke Borg and team are in seriously good shape and can literally make the stage shake. If you’re a fan of Hardcore Superstar, Michael Monroe, the Hellacopters or Buckcherry, then the live performance quality of this band will win you over for sure.

6.2

Seed of the Son

Nov 10, 2023

Spanish musician Santiago Auserón soaked up the rhythmic wisdom of son during his first visit to Cuba in 1984, an influence he soon transferred to his own work.

5.0

Ernest Hemingway: Wrestling with Life

Sep 27, 1997

A&E's long-running biography series takes a look at one of the 20th century's most emblematic figures, Ernest Hemingway. Through a collection of still photography, narration by granddaughter Mariel Hemingway, commentary from author A.E. Hotchner and publisher Charles Scribner, and readings from Hemingway's writing (including personal letters and unpublished works) by Scott Glenn, the film takes us from the man's Midwestern childhood roots up through the tragic suicide that serves as a bittersweet exclamation on what is otherwise considered to be a life of profound accomplishment.

5.8

Looking for Fidel

Apr 14, 2004

Oliver Stone's second documentary on/interview with Fidel Castro specifically addresses his country's recent crackdown on Cuban dissidents; namely, the execution of three men who hijacked a ferry to the United States.

8.0

Cuba, A Paradise on the Brink

Oct 6, 2017

Will Cubans be able to safeguard their heritage of pristine Nature and preserved ecological treasures under this new era, as they are facing the combined pressure of money and tourism? What policies can be implemented to maintain the island’s spectacular wilderness?

6.9

Fidel: The Untold Story

Aug 2, 2001

Documentary about Fidel Castro, covering 40 years of Cuban Revolution. Rare Fidel Castro footage: he appears swimming with a bodyguard, visiting his childhood home and school, playing with his friend Nelson Mandela, meeting kid Elián Gonzalez, and celebrating his birthday with the Buena Vista Social Club group.

8.0

For Those About to Rock - Monsters In Moscow

Oct 14, 1992

What do you give the youth of Moscow for standing down the coup and ending the reign of Communism in Russia? 700,000 Watts of Head-banging Power. With Exclusive live performances and behind-the-scenes footage, FOR THOSE ABOUT TO ROCK captures five heavy metal bands and 500,000 fans in historic celebration of freedom at the concert that almost didn't happen.

9.1

Mi vida entre las hormigas

Jun 14, 2017

Documental film about Jorge Martínez, leader of the spanish rock band Ilegales.

6.6

The Man Who Skied Down Everest

Sep 19, 1975

This Oscar-winning documentary tells the story behind Japanese daredevil Yuichiro Miura's 1970 effort to ski down the world's tallest mountain.

5.5

HAIM: Behind the Album

Jul 14, 2017

An in-depth tour of the band’s sophomore album with a thrilling live performance, interviews and backstage footage.

7.7

Cuba's Wild Revolution

Jun 9, 2019

As the largest island in the Caribbean, Cuba is host to spectacular wildlife found nowhere else on the planet: from the jumping crocodiles of the Zapata swamp to the world's tiniest hummingbird, from thousands of migrating crabs to giant, bat-eating boas that lie in wait for easy prey. Decades of a socialist, conservation-minded government, American embargoes and minimal development have left the island virtually unchanged for 50 years. As international relations ease, what will become of this wildlife sanctuary?

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0.0

Kubánske otázniky

Aug 1, 2000

No overview available.

8.7

Jeronimo

Nov 21, 2019

Born to Korean immigrant parents freed from indentured servitude in early twentieth century Mexico, Jerónimo Lim Kim joins the Cuban Revolution with his law school classmate Fidel Castro and becomes an accomplished government official in the Castro regime, until he rediscovers his ethnic roots and dedicates his later life to reconstructing his Korean Cuban identity. After Jerónimo's death, younger Korean Cubans recognize his legacy, but it is not until they are presented with the opportunity to visit South Korea that questions about their mixed identity resurface.

5.2

Cerro Pelado

Jan 1, 1966

A ship of athletes training on the rough seas becomes a symbol of Castro’s Cuba, the games projected on the backdrop of political struggle. This is the story of a ship and of a sports delegation whom the enemy tried to stop from participating in the Tenth Central American and Caribbean Games.