Stop Making Sense | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jonathan Demme |
Written by | Talking Heads Jonathan Demme |
Produced by | Gary Goetzman |
Executive Producer | Gary Kurfirst |
Starring | Talking Heads |
Cinematography | Jordan Cronenweth |
Edited by | Lisa Day |
Music by | Talking Heads |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Cinecom International Films Island Alive Releasing[1] A24 (2023 re-release) |
Release dates | |
Running time | 88 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.2 million |
Box office | (Original 1984 Release) $5,389,431[2]
(2023 Re-Release) $6,915,675[3] (Box Office Total) $12.4 million[4] |
Stop Making Sense is an independently produced 1984 American concert film featuring a live performance by the American rock band Talking Heads.[5] The film was directed by Jonathan Demme and executive produced by Gary Kurfirst, the band’s longtime manager. The film was shot over four nights in December, 1983 at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre while Talking Heads were on tour promoting their 1983 album, Speaking in Tongues. Stop Making Sense includes performances of the early Talking Heads single, "Psycho Killer" (1977), through to their most recent hit at the time, "Burning Down the House" (1983). It also includes songs from the solo career of frontman David Byrne and by Tom Tom Club, the side project of drummer Chris Frantz and bassist Tina Weymouth.
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 a classic and one of the greatest concert films of all time.[6][7][8] 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."[9] A special 4K restoration of the film was re-released in theaters in September 2023 by A24.
The film's title is derived from a lyric in the song "Girlfriend Is Better."[10]