Stop Making Sense (1984)

After seeing David Byrne perform one of the best concerts I've ever been to (so much dancing!), it seemed like a good idea to finally see this movie. And what a fun time! This is a straightforward concert film, with footage from three different Talking Heads shows edited together fairly seamlessly. David Byrne starts off by walking out on stage alone with a boombox, letting us know he's "got a tape he wants to play" and proceeds to do a solo "Psycho Killer" with pre-recorded backup. Slowly the rest of the band comes out to play, rolling out on wheeled stands for the drums and keyboards. Two female back up singers in matching purple outfits complete the set up. It is going to be a good night.

The staging and camera work are notably simple- no dramatic closeups or ecstatic crowd shots. It is very realistically portrayed, without edited frills, so that the music is the clear focus. The lighting isn't very showy, and the background is often blank but for some songs they had very cool images or backlights. The band danced all over the place, often in a synchronized Running Man. Towards the end Byrne got out his notorious Big Suit and managed some impressive hip movements. Songs they play include "Heaven", "Life During Wartime", "Girlfriend is Better", a dragged-out, break-downy "Take Me To the River", and "Crosseyed and Painless" for the closer. They also did one Tom Tom Club (the side project of husband-wife duo bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz) song, "Genius of Love". It was ok- sort of silly and upbeat, but not the Talking Heads so not as good as anything else in the movie. Naturally, the best scene of the entire film is this:

"Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)"


It is a very good movie, and I am not a person who usually does the concert-DVD thing. Naturally, it is most suited for Talking Heads fans, but really I think anyone who enjoys a good musical performance would dig this.

4.5/5

"Girlfriend Is Better"
"Burning Down the House"
"Swamp"