Stop Making Sense (1984)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers:

Jonathan Demme (writer)
Talking Heads (writer)

Release Date:

16 November 1984 (West Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Tagline:

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

Plot:

An innovative concert movie for the rock group The Talking Heads.

Plot Keywords:

Band | Concert | Musician | Concert Film | Stage

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Bernie Worrell	...	Keyboards
Alex Weir	...	Guitar and Vocals
Steven Scales	...	Percussion (as Steve Scales)
Lynn Mabry	...	Backing Vocals
Ednah Holt	...	Backing Vocals (as Edna Holt)
Tina Weymouth	...	Bass, Percussion and Vocals
Jerry Harrison	...	Guitar, Keyboards and Vocals
Chris Frantz	...	Drums and Vocals
David Byrne	...	Vocals and Guitar

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (1999 re-release) | Stereo

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Pantages Theater - 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Music Television (MTV)

Trivia:

David Byrne's staggering during the latter part of "Psycho Killer" was directly inspired by Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding (1951) during the song "I Left My Hat In Haiti".

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: Because the footage was edited together from three shows, there are numerous continuity errors. One mentioned on the commentary track of the DVD is the beach ball which is launched from the audience, but never falls.

Quotes:

David Byrne: I wanna introduce the band by name.

Movie Connections:

References Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

Soundtrack:

Once In A Lifetime

Pure cinema

'Stop Making Sense' is more than simply a concert film. It is pure cinema. It engages all of the senses, it creates a mood, it establishes an atmosphere, it has narrative logic, and it jolts the viewer with electric energy. You can't sit still while watching this. You can't keep your head from bobbing, or your mouth from moving, if you know the words to the songs.

Twenty years later, the sound and image of Talking Heads still feels new, maybe even post-new. It's frightening to look at this film and then consider that all of the Talking Heads are now in their fifties, and David Byrne's hair is as white as Steve Martin's. Byrne's music has mellowed just as people mellow with age, and his fascinating career along with the direction it's taken is emblematic of the excitement that youth brings to an artist's work. To watch 'Stop Making Sense' is to be alive, and for someone who never had and probably never will have the opportunity to see Talking Heads live, and even for those who have, it is a blessing to have a film such as this to preserve the unmatched innovation and energy of this band. Watching David Byrne perform in this film is an awesome sight. Schwarzenegger and Stallone were never this thrilling.