Stop Making Sense: Difference between revisions
Edited down the 2023 restoration section and moved information to corresponding new article
No edit summary |
SlipperyDude (talk | contribs) (Edited down the 2023 restoration section and moved information to corresponding new article) |
||
| (11 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|1984 concert film by Jonathan Demme}} | {{Short description|1984 concert film by Jonathan Demme}} | ||
{{For|the soundtrack|Stop Making Sense | {{For|the soundtrack|Stop Making Sense (album)}} | ||
{{ | {{Hatnote|Corresponding Wikipedia article: [[Wikipedia:Stop Making Sense|Stop Making Sense]]}} | ||
{{Infobox film | {{Infobox film | ||
| image = Stop | | image = Stop Making Sense Poster.jpg | ||
| alt = | | alt = | ||
| caption = Theatrical release poster | | caption = Theatrical release poster | ||
| Line 28: | Line 27: | ||
The band raised the budget of $1.2 million themselves. The four core members of Talking Heads are joined by the backing singers [[Lynn Mabry]] and [[Ednah Holt]], the guitarist [[Alex Weir]], the keyboardist [[Bernie Worrell]] and the percussionist [[Steve Scales]]. ''Stop Making Sense'' is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest concert films of all time. The film is a pioneering example of the use of early digital audio techniques. In 2021, it was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." | The band raised the budget of $1.2 million themselves. The four core members of Talking Heads are joined by the backing singers [[Lynn Mabry]] and [[Ednah Holt]], the guitarist [[Alex Weir]], the keyboardist [[Bernie Worrell]] and the percussionist [[Steve Scales]]. ''Stop Making Sense'' is considered by many critics to be one of the greatest concert films of all time. The film is a pioneering example of the use of early digital audio techniques. In 2021, it was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." | ||
== Background and Production == | |||
Much of the show that would becomes ''Stop Making Sense'' originated as part of the 1983 tour. Continuing the trend the band started in 1980, Talking Heads' live performances would featured a number of collaborative musicians in an expanded lineup. | |||
Putting together the movie and the tour were both stressful endeavors for the band in many ways. David has talked about how he became ''"kind of obsessive about getting that show up and running,"'' and that he might ''"not have been the most pleasant person to deal with at that point."''<ref>Cooper, Anderson. “David Byrne on Talking Heads and Following His Own Beat.” ''Www.cbsnews.com'', 5 Mar. 2023, www.cbsnews.com/news/david-byrne-60-minutes-2023-03-05/.</ref> | |||
==Plot== | ==Plot== | ||
Lead singer [[David Byrne]] walks on to a bare stage with a portable | Lead singer [[David Byrne]] walks on to a bare stage with a portable cassette tape player and an acoustic guitar. He introduces ''[[Psycho Killer]]'' by saying he wants to play a tape, but in reality a [[Wikipedia:Roland TR-808|Roland TR-808]] drum machine starts playing from the mixing board. The gunshot-like beats cause Byrne to stagger "like [[Wikipedia:Jean-Paul Belmondo|Jean-Paul Belmondo]] in the final minutes of ''[[Wikipedia:Breathless (1960 film)|Breathless]]'', a hero succumbing, surprised, to violence that he'd thought he was prepared for." | ||
With each successive song, Byrne is joined by more members of the band: first by [[Tina Weymouth]] for ''[[Heaven]]'' (with [[Lynn Mabry]] providing harmony vocals from backstage), second by [[Chris Frantz]] for ''[[Thank You for Sending Me an Angel]]'', and third by [[Jerry Harrison]] for ''[[Found a Job]]''. Performance equipment is wheeled out and added to the set to accommodate the additional musicians: back-up singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt, keyboardist [[Bernie Worrell]], percussionist Steve Scales, and guitarist [[Alex Weir]]. The first song to feature the entire lineup is ''[[Burning Down the House]]'', although the original 1985 RCA/Columbia Home Video release (which featured three additional songs in two performances edited into the film) has the entire band (minus Worrell) performing ''[[Cities]]'' before this song. Byrne leaves the stage at one point for a costume change, during which the Weymouth–Frantz-led side-band [[Tom Tom Club]] perform their song ''[[Genius of Love]]''. The band also performs two songs from Byrne's soundtrack album ''[[The Catherine Wheel]]'', ''[[What a Day That Was]]'' and (as a bonus song on the home video release) ''[[Big Business]]''. | With each successive song, Byrne is joined by more members of the band: first by [[Tina Weymouth]] for ''[[Heaven]]'' (with [[Lynn Mabry]] providing harmony vocals from backstage), second by [[Chris Frantz]] for ''[[Thank You for Sending Me an Angel]]'', and third by [[Jerry Harrison]] for ''[[Found a Job]]''. Performance equipment is wheeled out and added to the set to accommodate the additional musicians: back-up singers Lynn Mabry and Ednah Holt, keyboardist [[Bernie Worrell]], percussionist Steve Scales, and guitarist [[Alex Weir]]. The first song to feature the entire lineup is ''[[Burning Down the House]]'', although the original 1985 RCA/Columbia Home Video release (which featured three additional songs in two performances edited into the film) has the entire band (minus Worrell) performing ''[[Cities]]'' before this song. Byrne leaves the stage at one point for a costume change, during which the Weymouth–Frantz-led side-band [[Tom Tom Club]] perform their song ''[[Genius of Love]]''. The band also performs two songs from Byrne's soundtrack album ''[[The Catherine Wheel]]'', ''[[What a Day That Was]]'' and (as a bonus song on the home video release) ''[[Big Business]]''. | ||
| Line 201: | Line 205: | ||
Demme also considered including more shots of the audience reacting to the performance, as is traditional in concert films. However, he discovered that filming the audience required additional lighting, which inhibited the audience's energy. This in turn made the band feel insecure and thus led to "the worst Talking Heads performance in the history of the band's career". The only direct audience shots in the film occur at the very end, during ''[[Crosseyed and Painless]]''. | Demme also considered including more shots of the audience reacting to the performance, as is traditional in concert films. However, he discovered that filming the audience required additional lighting, which inhibited the audience's energy. This in turn made the band feel insecure and thus led to "the worst Talking Heads performance in the history of the band's career". The only direct audience shots in the film occur at the very end, during ''[[Crosseyed and Painless]]''. | ||
== | ==Releases== | ||
The film premiered during the [[San Francisco International Film Festival]] on April 24, 1984, and entered commercial release in the United States on October 19, 1984. | The film premiered during the [[San Francisco International Film Festival]] on April 24, 1984, and entered commercial release in the United States on October 19, 1984. | ||
| Line 208: | Line 212: | ||
The film has been released on Blu-ray, widescreen DVD, VHS in both fullscreen and widescreen versions, and at one point Laserdisc (in Japan). | The film has been released on Blu-ray, widescreen DVD, VHS in both fullscreen and widescreen versions, and at one point Laserdisc (in Japan). | ||
A24 has also released a 4K Collector's Edition. The home video release includes an extended cut overseen by the members of Talking Heads, with the performances of ''[[Cities]]'' and ''[[Big Business / I Zimbra]]'': the original negatives had been lost, but new edits were compiled using the restored footage from the cameras, including unseen footage. Jonathan Demme's own extended cut featuring the missing songs, originally released on VHS and LaserDisc, is also included. | |||
As part of the deal with the film's original distributor, Cinecom, the ownership of the rights to ''Stop Making Sense'' reverted back to Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison shortly before the 40th anniversary of its original release. Hoping to commemorate the occasion, the group sought out potential companies to partner with on a re-release, eventually settling on [[A24]] | |||
== 2023 Restoration == | |||
''Main Article: [[Stop Making Sense 2023 Restoration]]'' | |||
As part of the deal with the film's original distributor, Cinecom, the ownership of the rights to ''Stop Making Sense'' reverted back to Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz, and Harrison shortly before the 40th anniversary of its original release. Hoping to commemorate the occasion, the group sought out potential companies to partner with on a re-release, eventually settling on [[A24]]. | |||
After initial fears of being unable to find an original negative of the film to remaster, restorationist James Mockoski discovered the film in an [[wikipedia:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] vault. <ref>Fear, David. “Big Suits, Lost Tapes, and Dancing Heads: Inside A24’S Incredible “Stop Making Sense” Restoration.” ''Rolling Stone'', 27 Sept. 2023, www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/stop-making-sense-talking-heads-restoration-david-byrne-a24-40th-anniversary-1234828312/.</ref><ref name=":02">Baine, Wallace. “UCSC Alum’s Detective Work Revives Classic Talking Heads Concert Film.” ''Lookout Santa Cruz'', 11 July 2024, lookout.co/ucsc-alums-detective-work-revives-classic-talking-heads-concert-film/. Accessed 18 July 2024.</ref> Similarly, [[Eric Thorgren]] and Talking Heads member Jerry Harrison planned to create new [[Dolby Atmos]] sound mixes. The original audio was stored in the library of [[Wikipedia:Todd-AO|Todd-AO]], which had since gone out of business and its building demolished. Eventually, it was discovered that Todd-AO's collection was claimed by [[Wikipedia:Sony|Sony]], who transported it to a warehouse in Kansas. | |||
The studio premiered the new restoration on September 11, 2023, in 4K on [[Wikipedia:IMAX|IMAX]] at the [[2023 Toronto International Film Festival]], followed by a Q&A hosted by [[Spike Lee]] with Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz and Harrison in attendance, reuniting the group for the first time since their induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2002 | The studio premiered the new restoration on September 11, 2023, in 4K on [[Wikipedia:IMAX|IMAX]] at the [[2023 Toronto International Film Festival]], followed by a Q&A hosted by [[Spike Lee]] with Byrne, Weymouth, Frantz and Harrison in attendance, reuniting the group for the first time since their induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 2002. | ||
The film entered first as an exclusive IMAX exhibition on September 22, 2023, before heading to conventional theaters on September 29, 2023, globally. [[Rhino Entertainment]] also released a new remaster of the [[Stop Making Sense (album)|film's soundtrack]], which includes the complete concert for the first time, on vinyl and digitally on August 18, 2023. | The film entered first as an exclusive IMAX exhibition on September 22, 2023, before heading to conventional theaters on September 29, 2023, globally. [[Rhino Entertainment]] also released a new remaster of the [[Stop Making Sense (album)|film's soundtrack]], which includes the complete concert for the first time, on vinyl and digitally on August 18, 2023. | ||