Directed by Wim Wenders • 1999 • Germany, United States
Traveling from the streets of Havana to the stage of Carnegie Hall, this revelatory documentary captures a forgotten generation of Cuba’s brightest musical talents as they enjoy an unexpected encounter with world fame. The veteran vocalists and instrumentalists collaborated with American guitarist and roots-music champion Ry Cooder to form the Buena Vista Social Club, playing a jazz-inflected mix of cha-cha, mambo, bolero, and other traditional Latin American styles, and recording an album that won a Grammy and made them an international phenomenon. In the wake of this success, director Wim Wenders filmed the ensemble’s members—including golden-voiced Ibrahim Ferrer and piano virtuoso Rubén González—in a series of illuminating interviews and live performances. The result is one of the most beloved documentaries of the 1990s, and an infectious ode to a neglected corner of Cuba’s prerevolutionary heritage.
Directed by Wim Wenders • 1999 • Germany, United States
Traveling from the streets of Havana to the stage of Carnegie Hall, this revelatory documentary captures a forgotten generation of Cuba’s brightest musical talents as they enjoy an unexpected encounter with world fame. The veteran vocalists...
This audio commentary, featuring director Wim Wenders, was recorded in 1999.
This interview with director Wim Wenders was conducted in Berlin in December 2016.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Eliades Ochoa.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Manuel “Puntillita” Licea.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Orlando “Chachaito” Lopez.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Manuel “Guajiro” Mirabal.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Juan de Marcos.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Omara Portuondo.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Ibrahim Ferrer.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Barbarito Torres.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Pío Leyva.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Rubén González.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Manuel Galbán.
The following radio interview, recorded in 2000, features BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Alberto “Virgilio” Valdés.
In this 1998 interview, conducted for the Spanish television program “Las claves,” BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB musician Compay Segundo discuses his career and the Cuban music scene.
