To round off their programme for 2023 Clameur Du Cinema pulled out all the stops with a movie designed to appeal to cinephiles and music fans in Jonatham Demme’s 1984 concert film of new wave band Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense.
This wasn’t my first time seeing the film but it was my first time in a cinema (in this case, Guernsey’s Mallard Cinema) and in the new remastered version from A24, so, in some senses I was looking forward to it even more than my previous watch.
While often described as a documentary that is somewhat misleading as what it does is capture Talking Heads in concert at Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California over three nights in 1983 – though I’m unsure if it captures their actual touring show from the time or a special performance designed for the film – either way it’s terrific.
Opening with a close up on frontman David Byrne’s shoes as he walks onto stage armed with an acoustic guitar and cassette player (and looking somewhat like a young Cillian Murphy) he hits play on the ‘tape’ (actually an off stage backing track from a drum machine) and launches into iconic single Psycho Killer.
From there, as the songs continue, the other members of the band join him stage as various extra equipment is brought on during the songs; from the relatively simple guitar pedals to risers containing the drums, keyboards and further percussion, extra lighting, backdrops and more, building the sound and visuals until the whole extended band is on in time for their then current single, Burning Down The House.
In terms of performance the show is astonishing, Byrne seems in constant motion going from angular dancing, a la Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, to literally doing laps running around the stage.
All through this he seems to be constantly in connection with everyone on stage, leading from the front, and his glances and aside moments with the various members are a joy to behold.
The rest of the band are also fantastic both musically and in terms of performance with bassist Tina Weymouth particularly giving Byrne a run for his money but in her own idiosyncratic way, while backing singers Lynn Mabry and Edna Holt are a delight throughout.
When it comes to the filming Demme and his crew do a job that matches the music, at once making us feel like we are in Pantages with the crowd but also getting up close and personal with the band without losing the magic of a live show.
Shot on what appear to be full size film cameras, both static and hand held, means the whole thing looks terrific and feels alive, and it’s to Demme’s credit that he doesn’t really try to hide the presence of the cameras which matches with the staging where we see all the audio cabling and such being put in place as the stage set builds.
Across the film we go from wide shots of the band to close ups which capture the personality and performance of each member, including the sweat dripping from them as it goes on, while also allowing us to get the feel of the whole show including some terrific and, it feels, unlikely moments between the different members – see Byrne, Mabry and Holt playing off each other and clearly having a great time.
In this Demme doesn’t do what most concert filmmakers do of continually cutting back to the audience or interspersing back stage segments, really making it feel like we are present at the event in the way only a film could, elevating the live experience to something new and different.
With Byrne’s famous ‘big suit’ coming out towards the end of the show, after a run at Once In A Lifetime that is glorious (and sees the frontman looking rather like a young Robert Peston, of all people), for a casual listener of Talking Heads like me there were more songs I knew than I expected
Along with these the exceptional visuals throughout mean Stop Making Sense remains not just a great movie, but an essential one, that certainly is high on the list for the best concert films ever made (as it is often billed) and in this edition from A24 reaches new heights, even 40 years after its original recording and release.
Now I’m hoping for a 4K home edition…
Tommy Girard 
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