Stop Making Sense (1984)

★ 8.3 1h 28m 355 votes IMDb

Documentary Music

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.

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Cast

David Byrne as Self - Vocals, Guitar Age 73 · Dumbarton, Dunbartonshire, Scotland, UK David Byrne (/bɜːrn/; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the America...

Chris Frantz as Self - Drums, Vocals Age 74 · Fort Campbell, Kentucky, USA Charton Christopher Frantz is an American musician, producer and author. Born in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Frantz attended the Rhode Island School of Design in the early 1970s, where he met musicians D...

Jerry Harrison as Self - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals Age 77 · Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Jeremiah Griffin Harrison is an American songwriter, musician, producer, and entrepreneur. He achieved fame as the keyboardist and guitarist for the new wave band Talking Heads and as an original memb...

Tina Weymouth as Self - Bass, Percussion, Vocals Age 75 · Coronado, California, USA Martina Michèle "Tina" Weymouth is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist of the new wave group Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club, which she co-founded with hu...

Ednah Holt as Self - Backing Vocals

Lynn Mabry as Self - Backing Vocals Age 68

Director Jonathan Demme

Cast David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Jerry Harrison, Tina Weymouth, Ednah Holt, Lynn Mabry, Steven Scales, Alex Weir, Bernie Worrell

CinemaSerf 7/10 Oct 08, 2023

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.

James 7/10 Oct 20, 2023

I did write an artistically brilliant rendition of my thoughts on this movie but instead I’m going to give you this: I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax
I can't sleep 'cause my bed's on fire
Don't touch me, I'm a real live wire
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away, oh-oh-oh
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ay-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya, ooh
You start a conversation, you can't even finish it
You're talking a lot, but you're not saying anything
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed
Say something once, why say it again?
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away, oh-oh-oh
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ay-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya
Ce que j'ai fait, ce soir-là
Ce qu'elle a dit, ce soir-là
Réalisant mon espoir
Je me lance vers la gloire, okay
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
We are vain and we are blind
I hate people when they're not polite
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away, oh-oh-oh
Psycho Killer
Qu'est-ce que c'est?
Fa-fa-fa-fa, fa-fa-fa-fa-fa-fa, better
Run, run, run, run, run, run, run away, oh, oh, oh, oh
Ai-ya-ya-ya-ya-ya, ooh