Talking Heads: the concert film “Stop Making Sense” hits theaters – Watch the trailer

"Stop Making Sense" arrives on Sky Arte for the first time on Wednesday, August 12, offering the chance to rediscover one of the most celebrated moments in the history of Talking Heads. Regarded as one of the greatest concert films ever made, it was shot by Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme in December 1983 during three shows at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison were then at the peak of their popularity, on tour following the release of their fifth album, "Speaking In Tongues". On stage alongside the quartet, a formidable group of additional musicians helped turn the concert into a show built with almost theatrical precision.
Watch the official trailer below.

"Stop Making Sense" deliberately does away with interviews, commentary and any other framing material: Demme puts all the focus on the music, the bodies, and the gradual transformation of the stage space. The now-iconic opening sees Byrne alone on stage with an acoustic guitar and a tape recorder to perform "Psycho Killer"; song after song, the rest of the musicians join in and the scene expands, eventually building into a full-blown collective celebration. Among the most famous moments, of course, is Byrne's appearance in the oversized suit that has become one of the band's visual trademarks.

The version broadcast by Sky Arte is the 4K restoration made for the fortieth anniversary of the film's theatrical release. Following an initial restoration carried out in 1999, the new one was supervised by James Mockoski of American Zoetrope, while the soundtrack was completely remastered under the supervision of Jerry Harrison. The new edition, distributed in Italy through a collaboration between Nexo Studios and A24, was also presented at the Rome Film Fest.
Acclaimed since its release and now a benchmark for the genre, "Stop Making Sense" manages to capture the energy of Talking Heads without resorting to the conventions of the music documentary. Demme's camera doesn't interrupt the show, but gradually becomes part of it, highlighting Byrne's physicality, the band's chemistry, and a setlist that runs through some of the group's essential songs. "Stop Making Sense" remains a singular work, able to fuse music, cinema, performance and theatricality. Over forty years on, it retains intact the force that led The Village Voice to call it "the best concert movie ever" and The New Yorker to describe it as "a dose of happiness from start to finish".

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