It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to the great filmmaker and Miami native Jonathan Demme. To honor his memory and to celebrate his life and important body of work, O Cinema is presenting a special screening of his landmark documentary STOP MAKING SENSE, in collaboration with dozens of arthouse theaters across the nation.
Universally acclaimed as one of the best concert films ever made, STOP MAKING SENSE documents the groundbreaking Talking Heads at their peak.
Directed by the late, great, Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia) STOP MAKING SENSE subverted the typical concert film with long shots, lack of audience footage, and minimal lighting. The focus remained entirely on the band as they supported the release of Speaking In Tongues with a bare-bones stage setup and performances of “Psycho Killer”, “Heaven”, “Once in a Lifetime”, and “Girlfriend Is Better”. It was shot over three days at Hollywood, famed Pantages Theater in 1983.
Recently restored, The New York Times summed up the film as such; “It’s apparent that this is a rock concert film that looks and sounds like no other. The sound is extraordinarily clear, thanks to the pioneering use of 24-track digital recording. And the film’s visual style is as coolly iconoclastic as Talking Heads itself. Mr. Demme has captured both the look and the spirit of this live performance with a daring and precision that match the group’s own."