Stop Making Sense (1984)

Director:

Jonathan Demme

Writers:

Jonathan Demme
Talking Heads

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 | Song | Musician | Suit | Concert Film

Awards:

3 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
Talking Heads

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

Original Music by
David Byrne
Chris Frantz
Jerry Harrison
Talking Heads
Tina Weymouth

Cinematography by
Jordan Cronenweth

Film Editing by
Lisa Day

Production Management
Charles Myers	....	production manager (as Charles A. Myers)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Looney	....	second assistant director
Joe Viola	....	first assistant director (as Joseph A. Viola)

Sound Department
David Byrne	....	re-recording supervisor
Mike Carver	....	boom operator
Alan Chinowsky	....	live recording engineer
Jonathan Demme	....	re-recording supervisor
Walter A. Gest	....	re-recording recordist
Gary Goetzman	....	re-recording supervisor
Jerry Harrison	....	re-recording supervisor
Steve Maslow	....	re-recording engineer
Mark Wolfson	....	sound consultant
Billy Youdelman	....	production mixer
Rick Coberly	....	sound (uncredited)
Stan Horine	....	sound (uncredited)
Charles Butch Watson	....	sound (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Frank DeMarco	....	special effects master
Dave Sarger	....	assistant special effects

Visual Effects by
Bill Hansard	....	special visual effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Billy Beaird	....	grip (as Bill Beaird)
David Byrne	....	lighting design
Mike Chevalier	....	camera operator
Jeff Cronenweth	....	second assistant camera
Beverly Emmons	....	lighting design
Bob Fine	....	electrician
Anthony Francesco	....	first assistant camera (as Tony Francesco)
Dave Friedman	....	still photographer
Lloyd Gowdy	....	electrician
John Graham	....	film loader
Michael Greenlee	....	electrician
Cary Griffith	....	key grip
Khan Griffith	....	grip
Frederick Hamm	....	second assistant camera (as Fred Hamm)
Charlie Hammerschmitt	....	camera operator (as Charlie Hammerschmidt)
Daniel Hernández	....	electrician
Ernest Holzman	....	second assistant camera (as Ernie Holzman)
László Horváth	....	grip (as Lazlo Horvath)
Susan C. Ingram	....	second assistant camera (as Susan Ingram)
Stephen V. Isbell	....	grip (as Steve Isbell)
Robert Isenberg	....	camera operator (as Robert Eisenberg)
Johnny E. Jensen	....	camera operator (as John Jensen)
Kevin Jewison	....	first assistant camera (as Kevin Jewson)
Horace Jordan	....	first assistant camera
Thomas Kessler	....	electrician
Joe R. Marquette Jr.	....	camera operator (as Joe Marquette Jr.)
Joseph Martens	....	electrician
Rick Martens	....	gaffer
Steve McLean	....	first assistant camera
Fred Muncey	....	best boy
Andy Romanoff	....	video assist coordinator
Phillip R. Sarabia	....	grip (as Phil Sarabia)
Art Schwab	....	first assistant camera
Bernie Schwartz	....	grip
Robert Seaman	....	camera operator
Bing Sokolsky	....	first assistant camera
Robert C. Thomas	....	camera operator (as Robert Thomas)
Greg Walters	....	film loader
Greg Walters	....	second assistant camera (as Gregory Walters)
Doug Willis	....	dolly grip
Mario Zavala	....	second assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gail Blacker	....	costume: David Byrne's big suit
Laura Langdon	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Barry Dresner	....	apprentice film editor
Greg Goetzman	....	post-production best boy
Catherine Peacock	....	assistant film editor
Barbara Pokras	....	additional editor
Jim Prior	....	assistant film editor
Brian Ralph	....	negative cutter
Scot Olive	....	colorist: HD remastering (uncredited)

Music Department
Nancy Fogarty	....	music editor
Jim Henrikson	....	music editor
Joel Moss	....	music mixer

Transportation Department
Walt Freitas	....	transportation
Wayne Nelson	....	transportation

Other crew
Gerry Bakalian	....	film liaison
Clive Brinworth	....	stage crew
David Byrne	....	conceived for the stage by
John Chimples	....	slide wrangler
Robin Citrin	....	production assistant
Rick Coberly	....	monitor man
Bryan Curry	....	production assistant (as Brian Curry)
Pablo Ferro	....	title designer: main title sequence
Michael Fish	....	production assistant
Jeffrey Hooper	....	stage sound
Hans Kastensmith	....	stage coordinator
Adelle Lutz	....	creative
Cathy Malcolm	....	production assistant
Eileen McGuire	....	accountant
Sandy McLeod	....	visual consultant
Matthew Murphy	....	road manager
Sean Myers	....	production assistant
June Petersen	....	production associate
Jim Piccirillo	....	production assistant
Dave Powell	....	stage crew
Abigail Rosen	....	chief light
Dave Russell	....	stage manager
Ken Ryan	....	auditor
Nook Schoendfield	....	stage light
Jeff Shaw	....	stage crew
Tommy Smith	....	stage crew
W. Thomas Snyder	....	key production assistant (as Tom Snyner)
Lou Stone	....	production assistant
Butch Watson	....	stage crew

Thanks
JoAnne Akalaitis	....	special thanks (as Joanne Akalaitis)
Hal Ashby	....	special thanks
Jeff Ayeroff	....	special thanks
Steve Baker	....	special thanks
Susan Doi	....	special thanks
Katie Elliott	....	special thanks
Kate Gaffin	....	special thanks
David Gary	....	special thanks
Nadia Ghaleb	....	special thanks
Wendell K. Harrington	....	special thanks (as Wendell Harrington)
Elliott Hoffmann	....	special thanks
Craig McKay	....	special thanks
John Moran	....	special thanks
Nick Newton	....	special thanks
Bert Padell	....	special thanks
Robert Raring	....	special thanks
Stephanie Spruill	....	special thanks
Andrea Starr	....	special thanks
Michael Tronick	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Talking Heads
• Arnold Stiefel Company (in association with)

Distributors

• Cinecom Pictures (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Palm Pictures (1999) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Island Alive
• Kinetique
• LW Editora (Brazil) (DVD)
• Palace Video (1985) (UK) (VHS)
• Palace Video (1985) (UK) (video) (Betamax)
• Polygram TV (Australia)
• Tantra DMPC Ltd.
• Triple M
• Vivendi Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Vídeo Ban (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Can Am Studios  special thanks
• Cinema Research  special thanks
• Clair Brothers Audio  special thanks (as Clair Brothers Sound)
• Glen Glenn Sound Company  special thanks (as Glen Glenn Sound)
• Luminous  special thanks
• Nederlander Organization, The  special thanks
• Ocean Way Studios  special thanks
• Panavision  camera equipment provided by
• Record Plant  music recording engineer
• See Factor  special thanks
• Warner Bros. Records  soundtrack published by (as Sire/Warner Bros. Records)
• Warner Bros. Records  special thanks
• Warner Hollywood Studios  sound post-production

Also Known As:

Runtime:

88 min | 100 min (VHS)

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 | South Korea:15 | Australia:G | France:U | USA:Not Rated | Portugal:M/6

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Talking Heads

Trivia:

The title comes from a line in the song "Girlfriend is Better," which is the song that is performed when David Byrne is wearing the big suit.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: At several points throughout the film, the sound and vision do not sync up. This is particularly noticeable during "Found A Job:" early in the song, a cymbal crash is heard, even though Chris Frantz is not seen to hit one. A few bars later, he hits the cymbal, but no sound is heard.

Quotes:

David Byrne:We'd like to thank our crew... goodnight.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Gilmore Girls: You Jump, I Jump, Jack (#5.7)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Take Me to the River

Perhaps The Greatest Concert-Film Ever Produced

Before I saw Stop Making Sense I had never been particularly concerned with The Talking Heads, or lead-singer and solo-artist David Byrne. Indeed, I had always been a fan of certain songs, such as "Burning Down the House" and "Psycho Killer", but I had never actually spent time becoming acquainted with the band's music on the whole. However, Stop Making Sense was something I was desperate to view, due to the substantial amount of praise that had been garnered over the years since its release. Now it is safe to say that The Talking Heads rank among my favourite bands, thanks to this masterpiece of musical art.

Essentially, Stop Making Sense is a showcase of the band's collected works. Throughout the 90-minute running-time the concert simultaneously covers the back-catalogue of The Talking Heads, through fluid, non-stop vibrancy. From "Found a Job" and "Take Me to the River" the work is merely a sample of the group's ability to provide some of the most engaging live shows ever recorded. To say that the film is "original" would be an understatement, given that the title still rings true today. Stop Making Sense defines the band's abilities, attitudes, styles and motifs. The New Wave approach the film takes is stylistically engaging to such an extent that it is virtually impossible to draw your eyes away from the screen. Minimalist set-pieces move along with the mood of the music at such a rate that much of the picture feels like a kaleidoscope of blistering sound and trancelike imagery.

David Byrne is the key constituent; bestowing his stage presence, creativity and musical proficiency. His stage dynamics are let loose during Stop Making Sense. The infamously over-sized business suit donned by David Byrne is otherworldly, just like the viewing experience, which transports you into a deep-seated, vivacious trance. Yet it is the suit which distinguishes the work completely. The fact that a regular item of clothing can have the ability to make the wearer seem out-of-proportion and disfigured is both mystifying and captivating. Even more bizarre is that the suit seems to grow relatively larger as the concert progresses. Personal interpretation could be that the suit is an implicative metaphor for the irony of the business world or conformity; on the other hand it could just be about not making sense.

Academy award winning director Jonathan Demme does not just "get the gist of The Talking Heads". Instead he is able to comprehend the themes of the band's work from an unmistakably refined tone that he captures through his direction. The irregularity of the group may be hard for some viewers to swallow, but that can be expected from a group which make music of an acquired taste. As for the choreography, it seems there is none, since the musicians all behave in a volatile and limitless manner. The progressively shifted set-pieces convey the altered reality that you have become apart of, and are an extraordinary example of unbound craftsmanship. Stop Making Sense ultimately displays the band's antics from their perspective; this is due to the extended takes of the performers and the lack of audience shots (the fans can only be seen during wide shots or when the camera moves behind the performers). There are even moments where the viewer effectively becomes apart of the band. A prime example of this manoeuvre is when the camera swings behind drummer Chris Frantz and faces the audience during the rendition of "Thank You for Sending me an Angel."

Characteristically speaking it is hopeless trying to describe the feeling you receive while viewing Stop Making Sense. This is because when seen and heard the mind becomes so fixated with the audacious madness of the piece that every viewer will react differently. Personally, this is the concert which I would irrefutably name as the finest ever recorded, maybe you will too.