Talking Heads came to prominence in late-1970s New York when, together with acts like Television and Patti Smith, they were at the forefront of the city’s art-rock scene. Stop Making Sense, rereleased in 4K digital to mark its fortieth anniversary, was filmed during their 1983 American tour, at the height of their critical and commercial appeal. The pairing of director Jonathan Demme and David Byrne proved inspired, culminating in what has often been hailed as the best concert movie ever made, that Pauline Kael called ‘a dose of happiness from beginning to end’. Demme’s refusal to show audience reaction until late in the performance creates an immersive experience for the viewer as both the stage set and the band are gradually constructed around Byrne following his shy opening announcement, ‘I’ve got a tape I wanna play’.

Notes by Kevin Coyne.

There will be Open Captioned screenings at 13.50 on Monday, October 2nd and 18.20 on Tuesday, October 3rd. Audio Description is available across all screenings; enquire at the IFI Box Office.