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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Stop Making Sense

David Byrne in the 1984 film Stop Making Sense.

Streaming on Theaters

If the Eras Tour documentary just isn’t doing it for you, you’ll be glad to know that A24 has decided to re-release Jonathan Demme’s Stop Making Sense, in theaters on September 29. The Talking Heads concert film, which was first released 40 years ago this month, is a surreal blend of minimalism and maximalism that has the look of an art school year-end project but the finesse of a world tour. David Byrne moves with the loose energy of a drunk teenager at a bar mitzvah, his strobe-like dance moves miraculously falling into place at just the right moments. The 88-minute, 19-song hit parade works its way up to a rolling boil, and by the end you’ll have all sorts of questions. Why isn’t Byrne sweating more? How can anyone sing that well while moving like a jackhammer? Why is this a third as long as Barbie but three times the fun? And most of all: Where do I get myself a giant suit? None of it makes sense, but it feels right. —Nathan King

Photo: Jordan Cronenweth/courtesy of A24