
Buena Vista Social Club. 1999. Germany/USA. Directed by Wim Wenders. In Spanish, English; English subtitles. 105 min.
Legendary in Cuba, the musicians of Buena Vista Social Club—Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo, Rubén González, and Elíades Ochoa—achieved universal adoration and success after Ry Cooder brought them together to record an album of traditional Cuban son and perform live in Amsterdam and at Carnegie Hall. Rarely has a film about music captivated millions of people worldwide; 15 years later, with the recent thawing of relations between Cuba and the United States, this film could not be more timely.