Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 10, 1985)
Recycle This Paper <pb IMPACT A Resume from: 300 EMU 686-5511 V poppi/ GREEK TAVERNA Greek Peasant Food, Wine and Spirit 675 East 13th • Eugene, Oregon • 343 0846 Closed Tuesdays Tables outside Tables outside LIBRARY: PROJECT OC SENIOR CLASS GIVING The fourth annual fundraising ef fort continues its target on graduating seniors, in a senior class giving effort. The money collected goes into an endowment fund, used to buy periodicals and computerized catalogue and research system for the library. Seniors, you will be contacted Sunday, May 12 for your contributions. For more information on con tributing or volunteering for Library: Project ’85 contact Elissa Pankratz at 686-5555. emerald read the emerald read the emerald read the emerald this has been a subliminal suggestion od Tf'l_J_rJ.'x!_ CINEMA Flick depicts more than music The Talking Heads ’83-'84 tour was the ideal subject for a concert film. A ge nuine perfor mance that combined concept, showmanship and spectacle under the guiding hand of singer/songwriter David Byrne, it was more than merely a concert. Jonathan Demme has preserved the experience of the show in his concert film “Stop Making Sense,” an electric, exciting record of a fabulous tour. . Though pieced together from three different December ’83 shows in Hollywood, the film is a near seamless document of the Head’s show. Opening on the empty stage where David i The perfect gift comes with its own ribbon The Swintec Collegiate electronic portable • 46 characters of correction memory • Automatic paper feed for quick loading • Time-saving repeat capabilities on all character keys • LED margin-setting display • 100-character interchangeable daisy wheel • Choice of 10,12,15 pitch and 10 typefaces • Lightweight, molded carrying case >399 Ask about our rent-to-own $35/month OREGON TYPEWRITER CO. 30 E.11th 342-2463 Recycle This Paper Byrne walks out with a rhythm guitar and a tape deck and launches into an acoustic ver sion of “Psycho Killer,” the stage slowly fills as stage technicians push equipment out and band members wander on. By the seventh song the band is complete, the back cur tain drops and the second por tion of the concept concert begins, employing rear screen projection, bizarre choreography, interesting lighting and a few odd gim micks (those familiar with the previews will remember the big suit). Director Demme follows the antics and actions of band leader Byrne but doesn’t slight the rest of the band. On the contrary, the energy of the show comes largely from the rest of the Heads — a close-up of keyboardist Bernie Worrell concentrating over a solo, numerous cut-aways to the eternally animated bassist Tina Weymouth, and packed frames where back-up singers Edna Holt and Lynn Mabry add a steady stream of enthusiasm and fun. Byrne is the focus, but not to the exclusion of the band as a whole. “Stop Making Sense” tries to recreate the concert ex perience as a film experience. Demme gives the camera the audience’s roving eye and it looks everywhere (though it has a better vantage point than an audience member). The nuts and bolts of the concert aren’t avoided to play up the gloss and that is a plus, since the performance itself is a study in putting on performance. The kabuki-like technicians, dressed in black and pushing equipment around onstage dur ing the performances, are ac cepted as an integral part of the performance. When, near the end of the film, one of the techs walks on carrying a small spotlight to create the gargantuan shadows that fall on the backdrop the camera doesn’t avoid him, but simply places him in the mise-en scene just as if he belonged. It’s these details that make “Stop Making Sense” such a wonderful movie. The filmgo ing audience may not get the immediacy that the concert goers receive, but we get a privileged peek at the subtleties of the performance. The editing and cinematography are sharp but not flashy, stylish but not ob vious. Demme shows good sense in how to present a con cert without overwhelming it. The result is a marvelous, invigorating film that doesn’t pretend to be better than the concert. It’s exactly what a good concert film should be. Sean Axmaker Looking for work? Qr What’s better than a shot in the dark? A: A Resume from ODE Graphic Services! ;ai wi Htr