Stop Making Sense (1984)

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:

New Wave | Musician | Band | Rock Music | Suit

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

Directed by
Jonathan Demme

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jonathan Demme		writer
Talking Heads		writer

Produced by
Gary Goetzman	....	producer
Gary Kurfirst	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Chris Frantz
Jerry Harrison
Talking Heads
Tina Weymouth

Cinematography by
Jordan Cronenweth

Film Editing by
Lisa Day

Sound Department
Rick Coberly	....	sound
Walter A. Gest	....	sound re-recordist
Stan Horine	....	sound
Steve Maslow	....	sound re-recording mixer
Charles Butch Watson	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Sandy McLeod	....	visual consultant

Camera and Electrical Department
Mike Chevalier	....	camera operator
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer
John Graham	....	film loader
Ernest Holzman	....	assistant camera
Johnny E. Jensen	....	camera operator
Bernie Schwartz	....	grip
Robert Seaman	....	camera operator
Greg Walters	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Catherine Peacock	....	assistant film editor
Barbara Pokras	....	additional editor

Other crew
John Chimples	....	slide wrangler
Pablo Ferro	....	title designer: main title sequence
Sandy McLeod	....	visual consultant
W. Thomas Snyder	....	production coordinator

Production Companies

• Music Television (MTV)
• Talking Heads

Distributors

• Cinecom Pictures
• Island Alive
• Kinetique
• LW Editora (Brazil) (DVD)
• Palace Video (1985) (UK) (VHS)
• Palace Video (1985) (UK) (video) (Betamax)
• Palm Pictures
• Polygram TV (Australia)
• Tantra DMPC Ltd.
• Triple M
• Vídeo Ban (Brazil) (VHS)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (1999 re-release) | Stereo

Certification:

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:

Referenced in Weird Science (1985)

Soundtrack:

Girlfriend Is Better

the best concert film of all time

Most concert films really miss the mark. Woodstock is almost unwatchable today. The Talking Heads "Stop making Sense" show was one of the best concerts that I've ever seen. Thank God for Jonathan Demme catching it so wonderfully on film. The only other concert film that compares to this is "Gimme Shelter." It contains the most powerful message of any rock film ever made. It is the anti-woodstock. But "Stop Making Sense" is simply a joy.