Stop Making Sense (1984)

United States of America

Documentary, Music

Talking Heads Films, Arnold Stiefel Company

Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, Ednah Holt, Lynn Mabry, Steven Scales

Jonathan Demme

Jonathan Demme

Taglines: Why stop making sense? Why a movie? Why a big suit? Where do the odd movements come from? What will the band do next?

concert, concert film, new wave, energetic

A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.

Reviews:

Author: Geronimo1967
I'm not sure Jonathan Demme really had too much to do here as David Byrne and "Talking Heads" present us with a belter of a creative toe-tapper. It's a film of their concert - constructed from performances over three nights in a small Hollywood theatre, and that setting lends itself excellently to their showcase. The depth and height of the stage allows the band to arrive on set song by song, and for the camera work to get down and dirty with the band members amidst the most sparing of sets as they churn out some of the repertoire in an inimitable style that cleverly marries the intense with the entertaining, the comedic and the slightly fantastic. The audio is of an astonishingly strong quality, and the closeness and intensity of the photography makes the film really quite enthralling to watch. I am not the biggest fan of this band, but this film is really good and well worth a cinema watch - it only for that sound.