Buena Vista Social Club

I just got to see this on video last night. It's a lovely film, and the protagonists are memorable. My one problem, however, is with Ry Cooder. Don't misunderstand my admiration for Cooder's past work. He's an original, often evocative guitarist and composer. I just felt that his additions to these recordings -- both in the studio and in their concert versions -- were intrusive at the least. That wailing slide guitar just about ruined some great songs. I'm surprised the gentlemen and ladies of the band didn't say anything. It was a relief when he sat out of a performance. I really wanted to jump into the film, tap him on the shoulder and ask him to put down his guitar and just sit behind the mixing board!

OK. That's my rant. This is an impressive and lovely film.

If you have a chance, track down 1997's Black Tears (lagrimas Negras).

And why wasn't it? The editing, the shaky hand held cameras which made it difficult to read the subtitles, the musical numbers cut off before completion, the insertion of Ry Cooder and or his son into practically every frame, the story management - why did it not show the preparation and rehearsals leading up to the climax of Carnegie Hall. The touristy reactions in New York were too kitchsy for words and took the dignity of these brilliant musicians away. I wanted more of these musicians' stories and my favourite sequence was of the pianist playing in Havana and all these tiny little ballerinas dancing around him, caught up in the magic. More of the history of the Buena Vista Social Club would have been wonderful also - this was sad in its omission. These incredible musicians were not served well here.

So a man who chases an enthusiasm for Cuban music and ends up spending his own resources to record and popularize a bunch of musicians who would have died in obscurity otherwise, takes great pains to present the music in a relatively unaltered state (unlike some such other world music experimenters like Sting and Paul Simon), and even removes much of his own contributions from the recording mix, is a self-aggrandizing cultural imperialist. The proof of the man's real intentions lies on the disc, an understated and moving documentation of a era that got plowed under by the cold war.

As for the film, indeed it's not perfect. It would be nice to have full songs, but they decided not to go with a strict concert film and concentrate on the project and the stories behind it. If you want more, the CD is easily available and highly recommended. When I saw this movie at the Lincoln Plaza cinema in Manhattan, I decided when the movie ended to trek over a few blocks to the local record store to see if they had the Cd in stock, As I walked down the street, I noticed that most of the people who had just seen the film were going the same way, and indeed, appeared to have the same idea I did (it was a packed show, by the way). It is perhaps a weakness of the film that it depends on the album for it's interest and power, but it is a loving document of the process.

Loving Wim as I do, I was intrigued to see what he could achieve with this group of stellar musicians.

In a word, Greatness.

Having this group of warm, vital and oh so talented people sure helped him out. What is captured, for me, is the incredible staying power of true, heart felt music. These people sing, play and dance with a sense of worship. Having seen many hard times and passed through trials and tribulations (that we in the US have little understanding for) these people through faith and belief, persevered and continue to shine like diamonds.

Wim also conveys an old world beauty in a place run over by westernization. The surf smacking the coast line and spraying the ol' 50's cars racing down the road. The streets at night dimly lit, allowing the colors to permeate your senses. You feel like you can taste the blues and touch the pinks. The bright afternoon sun, sparkling among the ruin of buildings long forgotten to some but revered still by others. A magical yet very real place is given to us to explore in this film. I, along with many others, have an overwhelming urge to go to Cuba now and experience for myself.

If you have a chance to see any of these musicians live, DO SO! You will not be disappointed. If you do not, see this movie and get yourself a taste that will leave you breathless for more.

Criterion shot an interview with director Wim Wenders in 2016, and if you can find it, I highly recommend watching this BEFORE you watch the film. There's a 2 minute clip on youtube if you search for "Wim Wenders on Buena Vista Social Club's Ibrahim Ferrer".

This interview with Wim prepares you and gives you a deeper appreciation for what you're about to see. You'd still appreciate the film without any prep, but if like me, you're completely unfamiliar with the album, the musicians and the story behind this film, then hearing Wim's insights and anecdotes will really pique your interest.

"Buena Vista Social Club" is a documentary shot in Cuba showing the musicians, the culture and the images of Havana as they record the album of the same name. Interspersed between songs, which are generously shown without too many interruptions, are some charming, entertaining, funny and poetic stories told by the musicians themselves.

The reason I recommend the Wim interview is because he gives us context that is otherwise missing or just vaguely implied in the film. And that is: that these 80-odd-year-old musicians, talented as they are, are nobody. They never found success or wealth of any appreciable kind. As Wim explains in the interview, half the original band was supposed to fly in from Africa, but at the last minute they got detained in Paris. So Ry Cooder set about hastily recruiting the local talent to fill the void. That's when the magic happened, and THAT is the story of the film "Buena Vista Social Club".

Wim also explains one of the film's most noticeable "flaws", and that is the grainy, somewhat worn look that it has. It was shot on DigiBeta and MiniDV (back when these were top of the line) meaning 480p (DVD) quality. So although you may expect Havana to pop out of your screen with crisp vibrant colors that you can smell, what we get instead is a slightly archaic look. But this ended up working brilliantly because Wim is telling us a visual story of a bygone, forgotten, faded era. This is no photoshopped travel brochure. Although the scenes are gorgeous, we see clearly that the city is full of poverty, decay and thin layer of grime.

The first time I watched "Buena Vista Social Club" I was unimpressed because I didn't know who these people were, I didn't know why the story is so special, and I didn't like the worn look of the film. But if I had known beforehand that this is not meant to be a normal polished documentary, that it's a story of a bunch of shoeshine boys who can play the heck out of a song, I would've loved it immediately. The 2nd time I watched it (after seeing the Wim interview) I was hooked.

A NOTE ON THE CONTROVERSIAL APPEARANCE OF RY COODER: If you've read a bunch of reviews, you probably noticed that one of the big criticisms is that there's too much Ry Cooder. Honestly after reading a half dozen of these criticisms, I was expecting to see nothing less than Ry's colonoscopy splayed across the screen to the shrill cacophony of 13 slide guitars played at once in different keys. Haha, I'm happy to report that it's not as bad as that. In fact, maybe if you watch this film *expecting* to see too much Ry, then, like me, you'll be pleasantly surprised that it's not as bad as the warnings. Ry Cooder produced this album, and in musical terms that means he was the "director". The producer of a musical recording is the most powerful and characteristic force, artistically speaking (notice how many bands that are produced by the same person often sound so similar that you can't tell them apart, for example the bands AC/DC and the early work of Def Leppard, both produced by John Mutt Lange). Therefore, it makes artistic sense why Ry would have some decent screen time. Not only did he personally select all the band members, but he was right there at the mixing board putting everything together. So yeah, it may seem odd that this non-Cuban is crashing the guarachar. But just keep in mind that he was the guy who pulled this product together. And what a fantastic product it is.

Maybe with this stuff in mind, you'll also see the magic. "Buena Vista Social Club" isn't so much a documentary as it is a monument to all the great musicians and artists hiding out in all the obscure and decayed alleys in all the world. And for my money, this tells the story of music better than any glossy, overproduced biography of any pop star out there. Buena Vista Social Club is the real deal.