Stop Making Sense: Difference between revisions

← Older edit

Stop Making Sense (view source)

Revision as of 00:37, 13 April 2022

144 bytes added , 2 years ago

no edit summary

VisualWikitext

DemonDuckofDoom

869

edits

Revision as of 05:22, 31 January 2014 (view source) Dai-Guard (talk \| contribs) m (trope=>work) ← Older edit		Latest revision as of 00:37, 13 April 2022 (view source) DemonDuckofDoom (talk \| contribs) No edit summary
(6 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown)
Line 2: [[File:71JV1TJ9SRL__SL500_AA300__gif_6156.jpg\|frame]] {{quote\|''Hi. I've got a tape I want to play.''\|David Byrne, frontman of [[Talking Heads (~~Music~~band)\|Talking Heads]], opening the concert}} '''''Stop Making Sense''''' is a concert film featuring [[Talking Heads (~~Music~~band)\|Talking Heads]], and is often regarded by critics as the finest example of the genre. It was directed by [[Silence of the Lambs\|Jonathan Demme]] and released in 1984, and documents three separate concerts filmed in Los Angeles in December 1983, with all the footage spliced together. Even though the film contains footage from all three concerts, it plays as a unified whole, and our attention is always on the performers onstage as they progress through their set. There are no cutaways to the audience until the very last number; there are no features on the band and their musical evolution; there are no [[Talking Heads\|interviews with the musicians]] backstage as they prepare for the concert. The camerawork is extremely understated and naturalistic, with [[The Oner\|very long takes]] and no quick cuts. Line 10: All of these qualities are extremely rare among concert films, then and now, especially in contrast to the music videos that were changing the shape of the industry at the time. The great appeal and staying power of the movie is the single-minded simplicity. The viewer watches the band perform, and judges them on their own merits as musicians and entertainers, just like a real concert audience. And so we see Talking Heads unleashing their unique creativity, but at the same time we see their camaraderie with each other. Nearly everyone gets a chance to shine and show off their personalities. And then there's the music itself, which is, broadly speaking, [[~~New Wave (Music)\|~~New Wave]], but with a host of other influences, especially [[Funk]]. About half the songs are from the ''Speaking in Tongues'' album, which their tour was supporting, but they also play several of their older numbers. It's an eclectic playlist with something for almost everyone. Definitely one of the definitive concert film experiences, and a [[Gateway Series\|perfect introduction]] to the genre, not to mention the band itself, ''Stop Making Sense'' was added to the [[National Film Registry]] in 2021.▼ ▲Definitely one of the definitive concert film experiences, and a [[Gateway Series\|perfect introduction]] to the genre, not to mention the band itself. ---- {{tropelist}} ~~=== This film contains examples of: ===~~ * [[Chiaroscuro]]: The primary lighting style used throughout the film. * [[Control Freak]]: David Byrne wouldn't allow cups of water on the stage, according to Tina Weymouth. Line 27 ⟶ 28: * [[Lyrical Dissonance]]: A trademark of the band, and in full evidence here. * [[The Oner]]: There are quite a few of these. * [[Shout -Out]]: David Byrne's dance with a lamp is a reference to Fred Astaire's film dances. ** So is his "staggering" dance during "Psycho Killer." * [[Silly Love Songs]]: Spectacularly [[Averted Trope\|averted]]; only one song ("This Must Be the Place") is a love song, and it is sung ''[[Cloudcuckoolander\|to a lamp]]''. On the other hand, you could make the case that they're going for quality over quantity. * (Don't) [[Spell My Name ~~With~~with a "The"]]: It's not "The Talking Heads", ''Chris Frantz, drummer for the band Talking Heads''. * [[Something Something Leonard Bernstein]]: Byrne deliberately sings in a very obtuse style, so those of you who want to sing along might need a lyric sheet. * [[Talking Heads]]: Averted. Ironically, there are no [[Talking Heads]] in a movie about [[Talking Heads (~~Music~~band)\|Talking Heads]]. * [[Title Drop]]: Of the film itself, during the song "Girlfriend Is Better". Many of the songs are also have their titles dropped, of course. Line 38 ⟶ 39: [[Category:Films of the 1980s]] [[Category:Stop Making Sense]] [[Category:Film]] [[Category:National Film Registry]] [[Category:Concert Movies]] [[Category:Cult Classic]]