This is a great film that most don't know about. The 1992 musical drama was based on the 1989 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel 'The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love' by Oscar Hijuelos. Starring the great Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas, they actually did their own singing, and studied to master the instruments their characters used in the film. Banderas worked to mimic the correct posture and finger placements for his character's trumpet performances.

This story is of course about two brother's pursuit for the American Dream coming out of Cuba. As talented musicians, they work their way to the top and this is a brief scene where they showcase their musical genius to owners of a very well-known club.

It is a great and yet tragic film about the mambo scene in the 50s, but really it showcases Assante and Banderas' musical prowess as they truly own these characters and are exceedingly believable as musical performers. Watch the film if you can.

Where to watch: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-mambo-kings/
Listen to the soundtrack: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-mambo-kings-original-motion-picture-soundtrack/583738136
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Every Monday and Wednesday, SCORE CUE SNAPSHOTS brings you iconic scenes married to the corresponding score cue without dialogue and SFX, thus allowing anyone to appreciate how the score works with what you see unfold on-screen.