What happened when Bernardo Bertolucci went to see Stop Making Sense in Florence? Well, as he confessed to director Jonathan Demme, he not only loved the film but was also stunned by (and even a little envious of) the response it got from the audience, who were dancing in the theater and even applauding between numbers. He also met the concert movie’s star, Talking Heads’ David Byrne, with whom he began discussions on what would become the unique blended score for his epic The Last Emperor. Byrne recounts these origins, and the collaborative process with the director and his fellow composers Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su, in this excerpt from an interview included with the four-disc special edition and Blu-ray release of the film (the latter just out), in which you can hear part of the magical musical results, which garnered an Oscar for best original score.
1987
160 min
2.00:1
Categories: Video
6 Comments
Mon 12 Jan at 10:16 PM
Chalkie
Maybe Peter O’Toole should have worn the big suit in ‘Emperor’.
Tue 13 Jan at 03:57 PM
kazu
Thanks for sharing this!
Tue 13 Jan at 10:36 PM
xoconostle
This clip of Mr. Byrne’s endearing anecdotes certainly makes me want to revisit “The Last Emperor.” It also makes me wish that “Stop Making Sense” were a Criterion title.
Wed 14 Jan at 07:41 AM
Craig J. Clark
I always wondered how this film wound up with multiple composers. I’m glad Byrne was able to shed light on that. (Of course, I’d like to hear Ryuichi Sakamoto’s thoughts on his process as well.)
Also, while it would be great to have “Stop Making Sense” in the Collection, the current DVD that is out is pretty comprehensive. I’m not sure what could really be added to it.
Sat 29 Aug at 07:40 PM
Kun Chang
I have own the laser disc of the Last Emperor
and later on I purchased the DVD verson
I just bought the blue ray copy of the Last Emperor the other day
I have to say I am very disappointed that the longer TV version 219 minutes is not included
A respectable company like Criterion should not limit the viewer’s option
Any chance the longer TV version may be included in the near future
Thank you
Fri 23 Oct at 01:05 AM
Jeffrey Chastain
Stop Making Sense would be a fantastic addition to the Criterion Collection. I have the DVD, and would love to see a Criterion “treatment” of this great concert. Come on Mr Byrne, lets BURN DOWN THE HOUSE!
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