Product Details

• Actors: Talking Heads
• Directors: Jonathan Demme
• Format: Color, Widescreen, DTS Surround Sound
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Palm Pictures
• DVD Release Date: October 13, 2009
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (213 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002FE5XVK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,150 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #11 in Music > Alternative Rock > New Wave & Post-Punk > New Wave
  • #39 in Music > Pop > Dance Pop > General AAS
  • #48 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Music Videos & Concerts

Editorial Reviews

The GREATEST CONCERT MOVIE OF ALL TIME... Rolling Stone Magazine
Talking Heads WILDLY ENTERTAINING concert SPECTACULAR is among the GREATEST music films EVER MADE... Entertainment Weekly
The movie rates with Woodstock as the GREATEST ROCK CONCERT FILM one that can be watched as frequently as an aerobics tape. - USA Today
Palm Pictures is proud to present the Blu-ray premiere of the groundbreaking Talking Heads concert film STOP MAKING SENSE directed by Academy Award ® Winner Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs). Entertainment Weekly described, the DVD s generous extras go a long way toward explaining the film s visual appeal: David Byrne and director Jonathan Demme contribute a smart audio commentary. The film has been remastered from the original 35mm source, allowing the brilliance of the visuals to take full advantage of Blu-ray technology.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

98 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was NOT a Talking Heads fan. But I am now., January 8, 2003

By 

Benjamin (ATLANTA, Gabon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stop Making Sense (DVD)

Director Jonathan Demme's STOP MAKING SENSE, listed by Entertainment Weekly as one of the Essential Independent Films when they produced that list years ago, has been called, by others, the greatest rock concert films of all time. Better than THE LAST WALTZ. Better than WOODSTOCK.

After seeing it, not really knowing much about the quirky, catchy pop music of David Byrne and his brood, the band and the film won me over. The film starts, like the concert, with a bare stage. David Byrne walks out, alone, with his guitar and a radio. Within moments of beginning "Psycho Killer," Byrne's tripping all over the stage, falling all over himself, stumbling into the edges of the film frame. With that, he begins to show some individual, I-am-not-a-rock-star personality. When the staging does come, when the band joins in the fun, that personality expands.

And when it comes time for the giant suit, this film's more than just a concert. It's become a story. The story of the band, the story in the lyrics and a commentary on how abstract visual art and obscure, obtuse music can interact.

Demme never shows the audience through the film, though you can hear them, for the film is just about the band, the stage. It's not about the reaction they get.

It's fascinating, and you'll find yourself a fan of Byrne's music, as a result.

73 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost there..., December 21, 1999

By 

Kevin O'Conner - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stop Making Sense (DVD)

This is undoubtedly the Talking Heads at both their creative and commercial peaks. 'Speaking In Tongues'was their best album to date, and the live performances captured here imbue the music with a sense of unrestrained fun that was only hinted at on record.

The sound quality of the DVD edition is excellent (especially the bass), as is the picture quality (colors are crisp and the contrast is excellent) - plus it's nice to finally have an edition of the video presented in widescreen.

There's some interesting stuff among the extras, especially the storyboards (which can be viewed either alone, with notes, or in split screen with stills from the completed film). The David Byrne 'self-interview' is artful in its awkwardness, with one David Byrne in a number of different costumes interviewing a David Byrne wearing the big suit. There's a funky montage that works slightly better than the theatrical trailer that is also included; otherwise, they're almost interchangeable.

My only complaint with this re-mastered edition is that the three songs (Cities, Big Business, and I Zimbra) that were included in the original video release have been relegated to bonus tracks, rather than integrated into the film. Not only that, but they are presented in fullscreen/pan & scan format rather than in the widescreen format of the film, and in little more than a straight transfer. The improvements in image and sound quality of the film proper are sadly lacking here. The colors and contrast are dull in comparison, as is the quality of the soundtrack.

Well worth repeated viewings. Fix up them bonus tracks, and you've got a 5-star presentation...

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blu-ray version no better than regular DVD, November 13, 2009

By 

Eee Tee (Brooklyn Park, MN USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stop Making Sense [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)

This review is primarily a comparison of the standard DVD to the blu-ray. See other reviews for more discussion of the performance itself.

First, to be clear, I love the Talking Heads of this era (and earlier) and this concert. As many have said before, Stop Making Sense is one of the best concert performances ever captured on film. Poorly captured, unfortunately.

I've owned the standard DVD for years, and have viewed it on my Oppo 970 upscaling player at least 50 times. I know (and love) the content very well, warts and all. I eagerly awaited the release on blu-ray to improve the blurry, soft, artifact-laden DVD.

Sadly, on my 106" screen (fed by a Pioneer BPD-51FD blu-ray player though an Epson 1080UB), the video on blu-ray is so similar (poor) to the DVD that I consider it a wasted purchase. What makes it even WORSE than the DVD, is that all the grain, scratches, and film defects are greatly enhanced by the sharpness of blu-ray. When a scratch comes along, it's presented in high definition, making it leap out even more than it does on DVD. The sharp detail of the defects screams out how bad the source really is. Monty Python's Life of Brian was similarly horrific on DVD, but the restoration processing used for the blu-ray transformed it astonishingly to near perfect. I had hoped for SOME similar improvements on Stop Making Sense, but this blu-ray is a dud in my opinion. I see only moments of improved detail, but so little as to be of no consequence. Some reviewers feel that this is part of the films' charm and artistic intent. I respectfully disagree - strongly. The bad video quality just looks like sloppy, inept film making. The concept, direction and performances are wonderful, but the images look like a 4th generation VHS tape. Sadly, apparently all the existing copies of the original film used to master the DVDs and blu-rays are apparently equally awful.

Audio IS improved on the blu-ray, however. Notably, audio lip-sync problems are much better than the standard DVD (particularly on 'What a Day That Was') . Yet this also helps to emphasize how bad the image quality is. Great audio combined with high-def film grain/defects make the soft, crappy images seem worse than ever by comparison.

I wish I'd never bothered to upgrade to this blu-ray, my old DVD is essentially equivalent on a good upscaling player.

Ultimately, Stop Making Sense is an essential, desert-island DVD, although poorly-filmed (picture quality-wise). I adore the content, but wish that there would be an attempt at restoration, even if some purists might object. Until then, the added resolution of blu-ray is a waste, at best. If you own this on DVD, don't bother with the blu-ray version.

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