| | | | Stop Making Sense
(1984) |
hat will the band do next?
When you see a concert movie, you usually just sit back and thank goodness you're not in the middle of 10,000 people. You just watch. This is different. "Stop Making Sense" is not watched... It is experienced.
To some, the concert follows a loose plot (An uptight man joins the human race)... To all, it brings together a collection of dynamite musical numbers!
Cast your mind back to 1983... The Talking Heads are in L.A. They've bought along Johnathan Demme (previously the man behind off-beat fare like "Caged Heat", "Crazy Mama" and "Melvin & Howard"), and as he filmed a series of 4 concerts, magic was made.
Starting off with a solo acoustic-guitar-and-beatbox reindition of "Psycho Killer", David Byrne entertains the audience. As Tina Weymouth joins in, the melancholic yet strangely happy "Heaven" is performed. Chris Frantz comes out, hits the kit, and starts in on "Thank You For Sending Me An Angel". Finally, Guitarist Jerry Harrison joins the scene for "Found A Job". Back-up singers Mabry and Holt, along with Worrell, Weir and Steven Scales come on out for "Slippery People" and "Burning Down The House". The fans are loving it, but this is just the beginning. Now the images begin.
With "Life During Wartime", Byrne does the "knock-knee" dance (Better seen than described) and the band jogs in place. As we hear "Making Flippy Floppy", on screens in the back are images of funny and weird words and phrases ("hamburger", "alarm clock", "fur coat" and so forth). David slips on a bluesy voice for the dirty-sounding tune "Swamp" (also featured in the 1983 Martin Scorcese picture "The King Of Comedy"). After a good performance of "What A Day That Was", Byrne and company play the poignant song of belonging "Naive Melody (This Must Be The Place)". Spirits are kept up, though, as we see images of hands, feet and stomachs, while Byrne dances with a lamp. To end this second part, Byrne reaches into his soul and comes out screaming on a powerful reindition of "Once In A Lifetime".
Lightness prevails for the final 3rd. First up, the off-shoot band Tom Tom Club performs their hit "Genius Of Love", complete with Tina hopping like a rabbit and Chris screaming out "JAMES BROWN... JAMES BROWN!". In what has been described as both the movie's signature scene and a portrait of the "Greed Is Good" 80s, Byrne comes out wearing a big suit! I can't describe it, but in a suit that makes his head look small and his body look big, Byrne performs a roof-raising and totally blazing "Girlfriend Is Better". As his suit dissolves, an excellent reindition of "Take Me To The River" is performed. The movie ends with "Cross-Eyed And Painless" ...the crowd is on their feet, and the Heads are bringing the goods. With that, the movie ends, but you, dear viewer, feel better, and may even be boogying after the credits are over.
Remember how I said "you thank goodness you're not in the middle of 10,000 people"? This movie says otherwise... You'll want to travel back to 1983, get your tickets, and see an awesome show! Until time-travel is invented, we have this movie as a document of a band at its prime.
The Talking Heads... What will this band do next?
 Don't forget that Stop Making Sense is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
|
| | | | 
A perfect 80s movie in every conceivable way. Pure music... Pure magic.
To me, this is Demme's best movie. Long after the final reference to fava beans and Chianti is made... Long after "Philadelphia" is viewed as outdated... Long after "Beloved" is forgotten... This movie shall remain!
A jewel of the 80s... And one of the greatest concert movies of all time, if not the absolute!
|
| | | |  | 
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".  -Thanks to Sam P
| |
The audience is hardly seen until the end of the movie. The only shot comes between "Life During Wartime" and "Making Flippy Floppy". -Thanks to James Bender
David Byrne collaborated with Jonathan Demme on Demme's "Something Wild", as well as the score of "Married To The Mob".
The band split in the early 90s, but reunited in 2002 for another excellent performance at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
The Talking Heads's song "This Must Be The Place" was also used in the 2004 IMAX masterpiece "Space Station". In it, Tom Cruise (who unfortunately is never seen) narrarates several historic flights from both the United States and Russian Republic which contributed to the International Space Station's construction, and eventual habitation. The classic Heads tune plays during the second crew's arrival and repair sequence. As of January 2007, the film is playing at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, but a 2-D version is currently available on DVD. -Thanks to C.T. Warren
During the actual concert, the band took a short break here and there and David Byrne would tell the crowd "We are taking a short break". Since there is no actual break in the film, Demme overdubbed Byrne asking "Does anybody have any questions?" -Thanks to James Bender
« Click
here to add some Stop Making Sense trivia
Find much more great trivia in the filmmaker's commentary on the Stop Making Sense DVD.
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
Stop Making Sense or 80's Dance / Musical classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Dirty Dancing ..... Pink Floyd: The Wall ..... Breakin' ..... Footloose ..... Xanadu ..... Times Square ..... Fame ..... Pennies From Heaven ..... Earth Girls Are Easy ..... Breakin' 2 Electric Boogaloo ..... Purple Rain ..... Girls Just Want to Have Fun ..... Best Little Wh*rehouse In Texas ..... Back To The Beach ..... One From The Heart .....[More]
| | | |
The footage was culled from several different shows. In order to minimize the amount of cameras in the frame, one show was all shot from one side of the stage, the next night was shot from the other side.
«
Click
here to add a new Behind-the-Scenes item for Stop Making Sense
|  |  |  | | Stop Making Sense
Locations |
|
| | |
 Featured Movie Location: The venue
Wanna see the real life filming location used for The venue in the movie? These scenes were actually shot at the Pantages Theatre, located in Hollywood, S. California. [New! Show Google Map]
The Pantages Theatre specialises in musicals. At the time of writing, Disney's "Lion King" is showing there.
See any errors? Something we've missed? [Let us know]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[5.1 CH SURROUND]](dd5.gif) | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette, OutTakes |
| | | | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette, OutTakes |
|
| | | |
Excellent soundtrack... for full effect, though, the images need to be seen that accompanied these songs. The track list for the special, extended re-release of this movie's soundtrack reads as follows:
1. Psycho Killer
2. Heaven
3. Thank You for Sending Me an Angel
4. Found a Job
5. Slippery People
6. Burning Down the House
7. Life During Wartime
8. Making Flippy Floppy
9. Swamp
10. What a Day That Was
11. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
12. Once in a Lifetime
13. Genius of Love
14. Girlfriend Is Better
15. Take Me to the River
16. Crosseyed and Painless
"Genius Of Love" is really an ode to Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth's favorite black musicians... note the references to James Brown, Kurtis Blow and Bohannon.
«
Click here to add new music trivia for Stop Making Sense
Soundtrack Available:
On CD
| | | |
 NEW!
Use our radical Retro Assistant to show you the most accurate information for hard-to-find Stop Making Sense products anywhere on the web...
At a glance, you can now see all the Movie
releases, Soundtracks
or Movie
Posters, Scripts and Books ever available with online price comparisons, even if they're
rare, out of print or only available in another country!
Over 3 years in development and covering more than 10,000 of the
best products hand picked by our editors, we think it's the most fun and retro way to celebrate the era --and find what you
want.
It covers Stop Making Sense DVD,
VHS,
Blu-ray,
HD-DVD,
Downloads,
Soundtrack
CDs, Movie
Posters, Scripts, Books and more... Why not give
it a try...
The
80's Movies Rewind is proudly a spam-free
non-commercial site, written by movie fans... for movie fans.
If
you enjoy this site, please help to support us and keep us
POP UP & SPAM FREE by ordering your stuff through our services.
As you probably already know, we
are not a corporation, but just 80's fans like you...
| | |
 | | Recent
Additions |
March 3, 2008: Commando USA / UK Blu-ray Coming Soon.
February 28, 2008: Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Soundtrack Update.
Previous
additions
We're always updating and improving, so please and check back with us regularly...
|
| | "Why stop making sense? Why a movie? Why a big suit? Where do the odd movements come from?"
| | Year:
| 1984 | Studio:
| Island Alive | Director:
| Johnathan Demme | Starring:
| David Byrne,
Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Jerry Harrison, Bernie Worrell,
Alex Weir, Lynn Mabry, Edna Holt | | - | - | Genre:
| Dance / Musical | | | | + | Great singing, great choreography, great looks, great editing, great directing... GREAT ALL AROUND! | - | None... flawless! |
|
The best links we've found for Stop Making Sense.
 |  | |
Very well put-together fan site!
| |
A perfectly captured review of this work! | | |
|
|
| |
 |
NEW!
Be one of the first to try our unique new cold-war
era product helper to show you the best Stop Making Sense
products and online deals...
-Even if they're rare or out-of-print!
It's got over 10,000 of the best choices hand picked
by our editors and the most accurate product information
anywhere on the web!
Select
from:
The
Movie
DVD,VHS,Blu-ray,HD-DVD,
Download Etc
Soundtrack
Songs, instrumental score and related music
Posters
& Scripts
As well as Books & More...
-Or Simply
Gimme
it All!
(Bit
slower, so be patient!)
|
| | |
More 80s features... | |
|
|
Page
Updated:
5/04/2008 |  | v0.927 | |
|
