Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Stop Making Sense Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 3, 2024

The sight of David Byrne wearing a comically oversized white suit in Stop Making Sense has become so iconic that some people who haven't seen this concert film mistakenly believe the Talking Heads frontman is clad that way for the entire performance (he isn't). But the image of Byrne garbed that way has also so matriculated into the general cultural zeitgeist that none other than Nicolas Cage dons a similar outfit (albeit gray this time) in the gonzo finale of Dream Scenario, a film which perhaps not so coincidentally was, like this latest release of this film, put out by those weird and wacky folks at A24.

Remember Palm Pictures? Yeah, neither do I, but they evidently put out Stop Making Sense on Blu-ray way back in 2009, and for those wanting an enjoyable reaction to that release, I recommend reading Casey Broadwater's Stop Making Sense Blu-ray review. Casey's review also offers a track list, for those interested.

Stop Making Sense Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Stop Making Sense is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of A24 with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Sourced from a negative once thought to be lost (those interested should do a bit of internet sleuthing vis a vis the "snark hunt" to find both video and audio elements for this release) and finished at 4K for this new version, this release easily bests the old Palm Pictures release (though I was evidently assigned to it at the time, Cinedigm never provided a screener for their release of Stop Making Sense, so I can't compare, though my hunch is it replicates the Palm Pictures release). The first upgrade is in the general saturation of the palette, which may be most noticeable in some of the lurid lighting choices, notably some quasi-hellish reds, but also the blue tinged backdrop that ultimately shows up. The entire Palm Pictures release struck me as rather wan, with color timing that made Byrne's white suit look a bit grimy and gray, and that anomaly has been largely ameliorated with this release. Detail levels are understandably best in close-ups, which are relatively frequent, but there's still some all encompassing softness in some midrange and wide shots, though, again, clarity and sharpness are definitely improved from the old Palm Pictures release. While this doesn't suffer from outright crush the way the Palm Pictures release did, there is still some minor ebb and flow to shadow detail.

Stop Making Sense Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While this release offers a nice sounding Dolby Atmos remix, the one place where some may feel this release is a relative "fail" is the fact that its so-called "original stereo mix" offering is in Dolby Digital 2.0, whereas the older Blu-ray release offered an LPCM 2.0 track. The Atmos track may take a little while to fully "announce" its immersive capabilities, due simply to the fact that Byrne starts the concert alone, and any "surround activity" is largely relegated to audience reaction and hall ambience, and in that regard it is interesting to note that the crowd sounds are more inclined to be placed in the side and especially rear channels than blasting up and out of the Atmos speakers, and this is another Atmos mix that may in fact not be substantially different from a "traditional" surround mix, even though this disc doesn't offer a standard 5.1 or 7.1 choice. While the Atmos engagement may be intermittent, "surround activity" in its usual sense becomes more consistent by the time the entire band is on stage and things have kicked into high gear. The slight sync issues Casey noted on tunes like "Thank You For Sending Me An Angel" can still be spotted, if barely. One final potential "fail" for audiophiles here may be the fact that the Palm Pictures release offered not just that aforementioned lossless stereo version, it offered two different 5.1 mixes.

Stop Making Sense Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As with the unusual size of this release, there's a good news / bad news component to the supplements. The bad news is that not all of the supplements from old Palm Pictures release have made it to this one. The good news is, what's here is excellent.

• Extended Cuts

  Stop Making Sense: Talking Heads Extended Cut (2023) (HD; 1:39:43) includes "Cities and "Big Business / I Zimbra", and includes "previously unseen / newly restored negative".

  
  

  Stop Making Sense: Jonathan Demme Extended Cut (1985) (SD; 1:38:55) also includes "Cities" and "Big Business / I Zimbra", and is sourced from the 1989 LaserDisc and in 1.33:1.

• Jonathan Demme Director Commentary was recorded in 1999 and remixed in 2023, and features previously unreleased archival material.


• Does Anybody Have Any Questions: Making Stop Making Sense (HD; 25:50) may be worth it solely for the extremely and perhaps hilariously awkward American Bandstand interview with Dick Clark from 1979, but also includes a really enjoyable roundtable discussion.


• 26 Minutes of David Byrne Dancing in Silence (HD; 25:33)


• Bonus Songs

  Cities (HD; 4:04) is sourced from the 2023 Talking Heads Edit.

  
  

  Cities (HD; 3:51) is sourced from the 1985 Jonathan Demme Edit and the 1999 DigiBeta.

  
  

  Big Business / I Zimbra (HD; 7:41) are sourced from the 2023 Talking Heads Edit.

  
  

  Big Business / I Zimbra (HD; 7:47) are sourced from the 1985 Jonathan Demme Edit and the 1999 DigiBeta.

This is another rather extravagantly packaged specialty release from A24, and there's either good news or bad news in that regard, depending on your prior purchasing habits. If this is the first A24 exclusive you've bought, get ready to find some unusually sized space to store it in. If you've already sprung for other A24 exclusives like either the 1080 or 4K versions of Lamb, The Lighthouse, Midsommar and/or Everything Everywhere All At Once, you have probably already figured out where to shelve these items, since they're oversized. Once again as with several of those aforementioned A 24 exclusives, this release comes housed in a fabric covered slipbox that measures approximately 9 1/4" high by 6 1/4" wide by 3/4" deep, with the enclosed DigiBook being just slightly smaller. The DigiBook offers another fabric cover and features a ton of photographs along with a 2024 foreword by Jerry Harrison and various credits.

Stop Making Sense Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Talking Heads is/are completely sui generis, and their weird and wild proclivities are brought wonderfully to life in this iconic concert performance. Technical merits are generally solid and I frankly wouldn't be surprised if some prefer this 1080 release to A24's 4K UHD version, since a very thick grain field is even more pronounced in 2160. That said, I'm sure some will find the lack of a lossless stereo track and the omission of different surround mixes a disappointment. Otherwise, though, this is another handsomely packaged effort from A24 that includes outstanding supplements. Highly recommended.