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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  • Dual Layer (RSDL 1.00:26)
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
  Subtitles
    English
  Extras
  • 3 Deleted scenes
  • Theatrical trailer
  • Cast/crew biographies
  • Production notes
  • Animated menus

Buena Vista Social Club

Roc Vale/Magna . R4 . COLOR . 117 mins . G . PAL

  Feature
Contract

Buena Vista Social Club is one of those things that can grab the attention of just about the entire world. The story of these musicians and their history is the rarest kind of tale, one of honesty and extraordinary talent through the eyes of some of the most humble people alive. Their presence is simply captivating, with a wonderful tale behind each musician and a talent that is both unique and unrivalled. One case in point, 90-year-old guitarist and living legend to all likewise musicians, Compay Segundo. Even in his '90's, Compay boasts razor sharp whit, flawless fashion sense and, apparently, a healthier libido than most twenty-something’s that I know of. Can he still play you ask? Like a fox he can! Likewise, 80-year-old Ruben Gonzalez. Still considered by many as one of the greatest pianists alive, Ruben plays with the finesse of an angel; yet according to Ry Cooder, when he first approached Ruben to play on the album, he told him how he suffered from arthritis and was unable to play. This was not true, as the film will produce ample proof of.

How did this happen? How did these musicians, up until recently long forgotten, fade into the background? Well, the revolution was both good and bad for Cuba. On the good side, you will notice how truly free these people really are. There are no chain-stores, no advertising, virtually no American influence whatsoever. However, with this situation also comes poverty, unemployment, lack of food and so on, and so on.

The reason Buena Vista Social Club is so special lies in its rediscovery of a culture that, if left unchecked, may never have resurfaced. For Ry Cooder, it must have been like stumbling upon the world's greatest treasure chest. Initially Ry was to travel to Cuba to record with a select few local musicians and a group of African professionals. The Africans never showed up, so Ry went hunting around for some more locals. He enlisted the help of Juan de Marcos Gonzalez, a young musician and bandleader of The Afro-Cuban Allstars. It was Juan who had initially tracked down all of these lost musicians, as he knew of their talents and knew full well that they were tragically unappreciated in their home country. Whilst all involved have now found an unimaginable new lease of life for their careers, all of them would have probably been just as happy living out their lives the way they were.

"You always have to ask, who wrote it and are they still alive. In case they might be around, you can get them to come down and perform."

The film is a must-see for anyone even remotely interested in world music, let alone anyone with a flavour for magic. There are so many incredible moments in this documentary that really must be experienced. Images of Ruben Gonzalez performing in a ballet school for children or Ibriham Ferrer roaming his neighbourhood greeting each and every person are just two examples, however there are countless more. As one of the quotes on the back describes this film so accurately, it is indeed "Sunshine for the Soul".

  Video
Contract

Considering the format that it was shot on in the first place, this transfer of Buena Vista Social Club comes to us in relatively good condition. Quite simply, due to the US' boycott of Cuba following the successful revolution led by Fidel Castro at the end of the 1950's, the safest and most economic way to get this film done was to shoot it on digital video. Now, I am sure I do not have to tell you how bad NTSC video colours can look on VHS, let alone DVD. However, understanding the circumstances surrounding the film's production, this is entirely forgivable, and besides, the film was hardly shot by amateurs.

The 16x9 transfer, comes across very clean for the most part (one the best advantages of digital video, no flecks or dirt), however, again due to its NTSC origins, there are some occasional issues with flesh tones and generally pale colour saturation. However, there are only small instances of this throughout the film, and when they do occur in larger quantities, such as the concert footage from Amsterdam, you should be too busy listening to the music to really give a hoot. On occasion, I noticed some slight artifacting in the backgrounds of the stage performances, but considering the sort of on-stage issues between light and dark, it is nowhere near as bad as it could have been.

The only other issue is again with the Amsterdam concert footage, which manifests itself as a ratio glitch between the bottom of the picture and the black bar beneath it. I've never seen this sort of problem before, but I’m assuming it has something to do with a conversion error. Of course, those of you with a 16x9 screen will not have a problem with this. Also, depending on your DVD player, it may not even appear.

  Audio
Contract

For all the faults inherent in the video source for this film, the audio provided here is magnificent. For any documentary to have a 5.1 soundtrack is a blessing for a start, but with a movie as rich in musical performance as Buena Vista Social Club, then it becomes an experience that should be ruled as compulsory. First of all, the audio reproduction of the live performances is outstanding. Due to the large nature of the group's big-band sound, most available channels get a great work out. Naturally, with the abundance of horns and percussion filling everything out beautifully. Some of the live performance is occasionally a little lacking in bass, but that is a comparative issue, depending on your listening preferences. On a frequent basis, the film uses a superb method of inter-mixing studio and raw performances with that of the live footage. Hearing this effect in 5.1 is truly sublime, and it is executed seamlessly. An additional spark for the live performances is, of course, the audience roar, which is all encompassing.

Most of the interview footage is straight to camera, so there is nothing of real significance there, but it is often interspersed with music, and in the occasional outdoors interviews, there are plenty of atmospheric sounds like cars and street noise that make great use of the remaining channels.

  Extras
Contract

The most criminal act in this transfer is the exclusion of Wim Wenders' commentary track from the region 1 release. Apparently, this commentary is very good, and his information about the making of the film and the back-story of the musicians would have been great to have. Yet again, Australia gets abused like the proverbial redheaded stepchild of the DVD market.

There are still a few decent features to this disc remaining though. First of all, there are three excellent deleted scenes. Totalling about 15 minutes, these include the full performances of "Candela" from Amsterdam and the studio version of "Cien Feugos Tiene Su Guaguanco", as well as an extension of Alberto Korda's photo presentations, including pictures of Ernest Hemmingway, Fidel Castro and Albeto's famous photo of Che Gueverra, which just happens to be one of the most re-produced photos in history. All up, with Alberto's wonderful anecdotes, this is a great scene.

The theatrical trailer is presented in full-frame, however it is an excellent trailer and, without giving too much away, really makes you want to see the film.

There are plenty of written materials to sort through here as well, including information about the production, the filmmakers and detailed biographies for all of the musicians involved.

  Overall  
Contract

Despite the small issues with the video transfer, and the fact that we were absolutely robbed in not getting Wim Wender's commentary track, Buena Vista Social Club still remains a sublime viewing experience. You don't even have to like Cuban music to enjoy it, as the people behind the music are so eternally fascinating, that if left unchecked, that grin you have been wearing might just swallow your face.


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      And I quote...
    "...an experience that should be ruled as compulsory."
    - Ben Pollock
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Omni SL-P2000KD
    • TV:
          Palsonic 71cm
    • Speakers:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Centre Speaker:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Surrounds:
          Teac PLS-60 Home Theatre System
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard RCA
    • Video Cables:
          standard s-video
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