Film Review — Stop Making Sense
When concert film meets high art
It’s almost unbelievable to me that in my 19 years of existence, I was only able to experience the genius of Talking Heads on the big screen for the first time at a screening of the A24 restoration of Stop Making Sense (1984) last weekend.
To me, the film is astonishing, transcending conventional performance and capturing the viewer, drawing them into the film’s dream-like fantasy realm where surrealist expression is abundant. I can safely say that I left the cinema in awe of the film’s multi-sensory journey, where every note, step and visual cue had me enthralled.
The curtains open on frontman David Byrne introducing “Psycho Killer” with only a tape machine and acoustic guitar in hand. From there, he is slowly joined by the rest of the band, followed by their backing musicians for lively tunes like “Burning Down The House,” “Life During Wartime,” and “Making Flippy Floppy.”
As the hits continue, the audience is thrown more striking visuals, incredibly funky dance moves and seamless harmonies on songs like “Once In A Lifetime” and “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody).”
Byrne’s eccentricity and idiosyncratic genius is especially seen when he walks back on stage to perform “Girlfriend Is Better,” this time clad in his comically-large cream “Big Suit,” a wardrobe choice that personified his affinity for absurdity, becoming one of the band’s most recognisable attributes.
The triumphant finale of the film is crescendoed with “Take Me To The River” (one of my personal favourites), and “Crosseyed And Painless,” where a montage of crowd members from all walks of life are seen smiling and waving at the camera — a testament to the unifying influence and unprecedented genius of David Byrne and Jonathan Demme.
The concert film, to me and many others, remains an unparalleled, spectacularly avant-garde masterpiece. I urge you, please, if you are able, go and watch the film on the big screen — it’s simply unmissable.
Listen to the full live album here.
