Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
Directed by Wim Wenders · 105 min · Documentary, Music
57.0 TOPICAL score · #1,459 of 6,776 films
Vote for it on the board →In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.
Buena Vista Social Club (1999, directed by Wim Wenders) has a TOPICAL score of 57.0 - ranked 1,459 of the 6,776 films TOPICAL scores. It scores highest on historical impact and awards, and lowest on lasting engagement. It won 2 awards from 3 nominations, including the European Film Award for Best Documentary. Critics: 92% on Rotten Tomatoes · 7.5/10 critics' average · Metacritic 81. Audiences: TMDB 7.5/10 (388 ratings). Wikipedia covers it in 21 languages, and the Library of Congress chose it for the National Film Registry.
Why this score
Each bar: better than this % of the 6,776 films we score. How the score works.
- Critics92% on Rotten Tomatoes · 7.5/10 critics' average · Metacritic 81
- AudienceTMDB 7.5/10 (388 ratings)
- Awards2 wins, 3 nominations - incl. European Film Award for Best Documentary; Silver nugget for the best foreign film
- ImpactWikipedia articles in 21 languages · National Film Registry
- Still read8,550 Wikipedia readers in the last 60 days
Starring: Compay Segundo, Eliades Ochoa, Ry Cooder, Joachim Cooder