A24 to release remastered version of Talking Heads concert film ‘Stop Making Sense’
It has been confirmed that A24, the famed American independent entertainment company, has acquired the rights to the classic Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense and will release a remastered version.
The film, originally released in 1984, was directed by Jonathan Demme, the acclaimed filmmaker who previously released feature-length movies such as Silence of the Lambs, Something Wild, Married to the Mob and more.
Regarded by many as the greatest concert film ever made, Stop Making Sense was shot over a three-night run at Hollywood’s Pantages Theater in December 1983 as David Byrne and Talking heads were touring in promotion of their new album Speaking in Tongues.
“Jonathan’s skill was to see the show almost as a theatrical ensemble piece, in which the characters and their quirks would be introduced to the audience, and you’d get to know the band as people, each with their distinct personalities,” David Byrne said in a eulogy, posted after Demme’s death while reflecting on their work together. “They became your friends, in a sense.”
Famously, Stop Making Sense was the moment that Byrne debuted his now-iconic “big suit”, and he later said of the idea: “I was in Japan in between tours and I was checking out traditional Japanese theatre — Kabuki, Noh, Bunraku — and I was wondering what to wear on our upcoming tour. A fashion designer friend (Jurgen Lehl) said in his typically droll manner, ‘Well David, everything is bigger on stage.’ He was referring to gestures and all that, but I applied the idea to a businessman’s suit.”
Stop Making Sense features the core band members of Talking Heads in the form of David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison and features classic cuts from the band’s now famed back catalogue, including ‘Burning Down the House’, ‘Once in a Lifetime’ and many more.
“There was a band. There was a concert,” the Talking Heads said. “This must be the movie!”
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