The 2 movies
Show notes
Chris Klimek convenes a battle of the bands between two of the most acclaimed concert films ever made: Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense and Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz . One is a lean, propulsive document of Talking Heads at the height of their powers, transforming a live performance into something theatrical and strangely transcendent. The other is a star-studded farewell to The Band that expands beyond a single concert into a sweeping elegy for an era of rock and roll itself. Arguing for The Last Waltz is Steven Hyden ( Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of The Strokes and Rock and Roll ), who contends that Scorsese's film is more than a concert movie: it's the definitive cinematic statement on rock music and its mythology. Representing Stop Making Sense is Elizabeth Cantwell ( Bright Wall/Dark Room ), who makes the case that Demme's film remains the more immersive, inventive, and enduring work of cinema. Is the greatest concert film about a band, or about rock and roll itself? Which movie best captures the power of live music on screen? Choose your winner at moviedeathmatch.com . CHAPTERS Intro / Meet the Advocates (00:00:00-00:00:00) Rd. 1 The Movies in Their Time (00:00:00-00:00:00) Rd. 2 The Movies in Our Time (00:00:00-00:00:00) Rd. 3 The Movies for All Time (00:00:00-00:00:00) The Verdict / Credits (00:00:00-00:00:00) More From Elizabeth: - One Must Imagine Talking Heads Happy https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2025/07/11/stop-making-sense-one-must-imagine-talking-heads-happy/ - Bright Wall/Dark Room Podcast https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/podcast/ - Assault on Precinct 13 and Schrödinger's Cat https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2026/06/15/assault-on-precinct-13-john-carpenter-schrodingers-cat/ More From Steven: - Indiecast https://art19.com/shows/indiecast - Evil Speakers | Substack https://stevenhyden.substack.com/ - There Was Nothing You Could Do https://www.dacapopress.com/titles/steven-hyden/there-was-nothing-you-could-do/97803068
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