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Carlos

Play trailer 1:56 Poster for Carlos R 2023 1h 27m Documentary Music Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 95% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
At the age of 5, in his native Mexico, he learned to play the violin. At 8, he developed a lifelong love for the guitar. At 14, he honed those guitar virtuoso skills and his performance style working a street musician, starting his own band long after, while still a teenager. And at 22 -- just before his first album was released to acclaim -- Carlos Santana became one of the major discoveries of Woodstock, anchoring the famous festival's second afternoon on August 16, 1969. A music industry legend for 50 years and a 10-time Grammy-winning global sensation, as well as a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor and a Billboard Century award, Santana continues to be one of the music world's premiere artists, blending jazz, blues, and the Mariachi sound with a rock n' roll spirituality and a sense of connection to music's primal connection to our deepest emotions. The electric documentary CARLOS utilizes new interviews with Santana and his family alongside extraordinary, never-before-seen archival footage -- including home video recordings Santana himself made; concert footage; and behind-the-scenes moments -- as two-time Emmy-winning director Rudy Valdez (The Sentence; Through Our Eyes; We Are: The Brooklyn Saints) creates an intimate, rich documentary about a man whose sound casts a spell on fans who love -- as one of Santana's famous titles says -- "how his rhythm goes."
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Carlos

Critics Reviews

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Chris Azzopardi New York Times This controlled documentary captivates as a soulful personal history, even if it doesn’t exactly transcend. Sep 28, 2023 Full Review Mark Kennedy Associated Press It’s lovingly told -- and intimate. Rated: 3/4 Sep 27, 2023 Full Review Leslie Felperin Guardian Valdez gets the job done, laying down a constant soundtrack of Santana’s music in the background that (to be honest) sounds like variations on the same theme over and over again at slightly different speeds. Rated: 3/5 Sep 21, 2023 Full Review Jeffrey M. Anderson Common Sense Media This straightforward rock documentary, with its fairly traditional arc, is heightened by Santana's embrace of the spiritual and the natural, lending a somewhat mythical tone to his story. Rated: 3/5 Oct 29, 2023 Full Review Tim Appelo AARP Movies for Grownups Carlos shows why he belongs to the ages. Rated: 4/5 Oct 6, 2023 Full Review Marc Glassman POV Magazine s Carlos also a film worth embracing? If you want to hear some extraordinary music—jazz fusion to progressive rock—then the film provides much pleasure. Oct 4, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dan S Despite all of his awards and recognition, this a very fine view of a great musician and probably an even greater human being. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/10/23 Full Review Teresa L Great movie! Sad that not one poster advertising this movie or listed on board in what room. Needed to refer to our tickets. Sad that only 4 watching this movie on a Friday night. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/05/23 Full Review Edgar It was interesting to find out about his early life in Tijuana. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/04/23 Full Review Ruby very interesting and enlightening documentary movie! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/04/23 Full Review Dr. J We liked the first part, where he discusses his father's music, how he started on violin, played in Tijuana and came to believe his destiny was with the guitar. It was good to hear and see him playing through the years. We would have liked to hear more about the influences on his music, and the musicians he played with and who played with him. More in-depth discussion of his respect for jazz and its icons. My favorite lines: when Santana goes from Island Records to Clive Davis, he tells Davis he wants to "connect the molecules with the light" in his usual spirtual and space-y way. Davis translates: when Carlos says that he means "I want a hit on the radio!! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/01/23 Full Review Michael Excellent blend of Carloss life and his music journey ! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Carlos

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Cast & Crew

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Rudy Valdez

Director

Carlos Santana

Self

Sara Bernstein

Producer

Leopoldo Gout

Producer

Ashley Kahn

Producer

Liz Morhaim

Producer

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Carlos

Carlos: The Santana Journey: Trailer 1 Carlos: The Santana Journey: Trailer 1 1:56 View more videos
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Carlos

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Movie Info

Synopsis At the age of 5, in his native Mexico, he learned to play the violin. At 8, he developed a lifelong love for the guitar. At 14, he honed those guitar virtuoso skills and his performance style working a street musician, starting his own band long after, while still a teenager. And at 22 -- just before his first album was released to acclaim -- Carlos Santana became one of the major discoveries of Woodstock, anchoring the famous festival's second afternoon on August 16, 1969. A music industry legend for 50 years and a 10-time Grammy-winning global sensation, as well as a recipient of a Kennedy Center Honor and a Billboard Century award, Santana continues to be one of the music world's premiere artists, blending jazz, blues, and the Mariachi sound with a rock n' roll spirituality and a sense of connection to music's primal connection to our deepest emotions. The electric documentary CARLOS utilizes new interviews with Santana and his family alongside extraordinary, never-before-seen archival footage -- including home video recordings Santana himself made; concert footage; and behind-the-scenes moments -- as two-time Emmy-winning director Rudy Valdez (The Sentence; Through Our Eyes; We Are: The Brooklyn Saints) creates an intimate, rich documentary about a man whose sound casts a spell on fans who love -- as one of Santana's famous titles says -- "how his rhythm goes."
Director
Rudy Valdez
Producer
Sara Bernstein, Leopoldo Gout, Ashley Kahn, Liz Morhaim, Sam Pollard, Justin Wilkes, Lizz Morhaim, Rudy Valdez
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Sony Music Entertainment, Imagine Documentaries
Rating
R (Language|Brief Nudity|Some Drug Content)
Genre
Documentary, Music, Biography
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 23, 2023, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA)
$432.2K
Runtime
1h 27m
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