Music Makers: Buena Vista Social Club

I ordered this DVD to use as a supplement to a Latin music unit with my Spanish students. This is an incredible documentary that lives up to its description on the cover and much more!Musicians introduce themselves and tell their story in Spanish, subtitled in English. They talk about their family, childhood and their music/instruments, as well as the hardships they've had to overcome in their lives. The story telling is accompanied with music and snap shots of their album recording sessions, and sold out concert at Carneggie Hall.Music greats such as Ibrahim Ferrer and Compay Segundo take you inside their delapidating homes in old Havanna, and give you a glimpse into their day to day lives, walking through the streets and allies, allowing the viewer to see Havanna's real life and beautiful, but decaying buildings.It is great Spanish listening practice and will also be a great supplement for music teachers as it exposes students to an authentic, old style of music that was nearly extinct until Ry Cooder recruited these great forgotten musicians and made the Buena Vista Social Club album.This movie takes you back in time and into the magic of Cuba, it's beautiful music and incredibly resilient people who turn to music in order to cope with their sad reality.It is well organized, and told in such a way that made my heart melt, falling in love with the characters.I strongly recommend this product for personal enjoyment and as a teaching aid.

Ry Cooder struck gold when he stumbled upon these Cuban musical legends understandably forgotten by the outside world but somehow forgotten in their own country. With instruments and forms of music virtually unaffected by 40 years of pop culture, these superlative musicians will warm you with their humility and their affection for each other and their culture, and then thrill you will their rich music. Cooder, however, did the musicians a disservice by giving himself and his son such a big role in the project. Cooder's electric guitar doesn't work when it is mixed with thick, natural sound of the Cuban musicians. Director Win Wenders shot a brilliant sequence when legendary pianist Ruben Gonzalez is working magic on his piano and Cooder interjects with his electric guitar. Wenders moves the camera amongst the Cuban musicians while Cooder is playing and they all have perplexed looks on their faces. It is a sound that they obviously are not accustomed to and one that clashes with their natural sounds. It's also painful to watch Cooder's son head and shoulder movements while he plays percussion -- it's something straight out of a Wayans brother movie.I don't want to seem ungrateful. Full credit goes to Cooder for what he has done for these performers and the music world. These performers obviously have deep affection for Cooder. Stepping back and the letting the legends go would have been the right thing to do. Instead, he looks like George Plimpton.Awesome music, awesome movie.

The film captures the live peformance of the wonderful musicians that were featured on the CD. From this perspective it is well worth owning. The ability to see Compay Segundo and Eliades ochoa perform Chan Chan live ,for example, is incredible.The documentary style and the scenes of streetlife in Havana are also very colorful and entertaining,However I must agree with some of the other reviewers that there is something off about Ry Cooder. I respect him for bringing this wonderful music and these artists the recognition they deserve but his attititude on film does seem strange and his guitar playing does not fit with some of the tunes. At one point he is performing with Rueben Gonzalez , the great Cuban pianist, and he sounds so out of place. In fact Gonzalez looks up from the keyboard with a look on his face that seemed to me to be saying."what are you doing?"I guess Cooder might have made the choice to let the music of Cuba speak for itself and just be content to film it but he chose instead to feature himself too frequently for my taste.That aside , this is still a fine documentary and a must for anyone who enjoys latin music.

I showed this to my family, which has zero experience about Cuba, and they absolutely loved it. It gave them a nice perspective on Cuban life, music, and the people living there. For those unfamiliar with Cuba, this film will give them a brief glimpse into life on the island so close to the United States, but yet so isolated from the US. I had just returned from a visit to the island, so I was excited to see famous landmarks that I had visited while there.The filmmaker (Wim Wenders) wisely stays away from mixing politics into the film aside from presenting photographs of Fidel Castro during the Revolution, but does not bring up opinions or an agenda to the film. The famous image of Che is only presented as a painting on the walls of Havana, but he is neither glorified nor vilified.I haven't even spoke of the music yet. Artists such as Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa, Omara Portuondo and many others grace this film with their beautiful voices and their amazing talents. Each of the 10 or so artists has a brief moment to present their work and explain a little of their life, while Wim Wenders masterly mixes their solo work into the concert in Amsterdam and the Buena Vista Social Club performance at Carnegie Hall. Beautiful documentary about a beautiful subject.

... but if you want to feel the atmosphere and hear some of their most popular songs, this is the one to buy.Saw them in Plymouth (UK) earlier this year (2011). Now 1999 is quite a long time ago in the life of the BVSC, so don't expect (as I did) to see too many of the players on this recording when they come to your town!Just as an aside here. If you like BVSC, try 'Asere', especially their album 'Destinos'. They are another, younger(!) Cuban band very much in the BVSC mould. Saw them at Dartington Hall's Home Festival in 2010. They were great.

This is one of the most touching films I've seen for ages. Ry Cooder (Brilliant, look him up) goes in search of this old long forgotten group all very aged. He finds them in Cuba and the story goes on from there. I bet you won't be able to stop yourself from purchasing a CD of them when you see the film. Alas most of them (if not all) are now passed away and I only wished I had gone to Cuba or one of their concerts to see them when they were all together. One of the wishes that never gets done and remembered with great regrets. Dc

Not what I was expecting from this DVD. I hoped it would have been a farewell concert of their music. Choice of Language options were limited.

Everything about Cuba has fascinated me since the sixties. I was lucky enough to visit Cuba four years ago and loved every minute of the three weeks travelling from one end to the other. This DVD was recommended this holiday time to me. The DVD gives a real feel for the country and it's music, ending with the performance at Carnegie Hall, NY - tears of joy!

A very atmospheric evocation of a grindingly poor community enjoying itself. The musicians have great charm and presence and deliver beautiful performances with wit and style. If the music seems simple remember we are accustomed to adolescent pop and have forgotten what real human beings enjoy.