Can such music make a dilapidated Cuba bearable?
” Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz Wim Wenders (The End of Violence, Paris, Texas, Lisbon Story) made this very touching documentary in collaboration with guitarist Ry Cooder, who had found the aging musicians in the Cuba of 1996. They were musicians neglected after Castro came to power and who were difficult to locate. They range in age from the 60’s-to-the-90’s. They play the same music they recorded in the ’40s and ’50s. The Buena Vista Social Club is also the name of an album the 14 Cuban musicians recorded that became such a hit, that it sold a million copies and also won a Grammy. The movie is a mixture of their music, lifestyles, and an apolitical peek at an impoverished Havana. It is done in a wonderfully nostalgic manner, as Wenders proves himself to be an admiring fan of theirs, allowing us to see how humble and human these most talented musical souls are. We start out at their 2 day concert in Amsterdam, then go back to Havana and see them free associate in an interview and each
