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| Directed by Wim Wenders; Appearances by Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Ry Cooder, Rubén González, Omaha Portioned, Luis Barrage, Joachim Cooder, Julio Alberto Fernández, Carlos González, Salvador Repilado Labrada, Pío Leyva, Manuel ‘Puntillita’ Licea, Orlando ‘Cachaíto’ López, Benito Suárez Magana, Manuel ‘Guajiro’ Mirabal, Eliades Ochoa, Julienne Oviedo Sánchez, Barbarito Torres, Alberto ‘Virgilio’ Valdés, Amadito Valdés, Lázaro Villa, and Juan de Marcos González |
There are pretty much two objectives for documentaries: to enlighten those knowledgeable on the subject and to interest those unacquainted with the subject. I have seen many that have been really good on one side of the objectives, but not the other. That is much harder to do with concert documentaries. Very few people, including those who could care less about Hendrix and Joplin, would say that Michael Widleigh’s Woodstock does not cause interest in the event. The same can be said about D.A. Pennebaker’s Don’t Look Back about Bob Dylan, but then there is the atrocious Jim Jarmusch documentary on Neil Young titled Year of the Horse, which is of interest only to the biggest fans of Young. Most concert films are rather listless and uninteresting for anyone that is not a fan of the singer or band in question, with the exception of maybe those made by Pennebaker. That is not the case with Buena Vista Social Club. Directed by a renowned independent film director (Wing’s of Desire’s Wim Wenders), like Year of the Horse, it shows off its group more interestingly than most regular documentaries.
I will be first to admit that I was completely in the dark about who The Buena Vista Social Club was when I entered the theatre doors, but when I left I was ready to buy myself a CD of their music and check out what books were out on them. They are a group of Cubans that perform traditional Cuban music better than Ricky Martin could ever dream of. Brought together by American musician Ry Cooder, the group of men and one woman are shown in the film one at a time as they make their way to performing at Carnegie Hall. The group is varied in stories ranging from the on-going virility of one to the excessive checkers ability of another.
The film is a treat to watch, but I have one major complaint: it goes on just a little too long. I was held in my interest from beginning to end, but I kept on thinking that it was about time for the film to end. If not just for the music, the film is worth seeing for the people alone. I was especially interested in guitarists Compay Segundo and Ry Cooder, pianist Gonzalez, and singer Ferrer. Wenders and his cameraman work the shots of the concerts in Amsterdam and New York perfectly with the intermittent stories, never really spending too much time at either spot at one time. Though not half as important, The Buena Vista Social Club is just as interesting as Don’t Look Back.
