The movie
David Byrne’s American Utopia
Spike Lee’s gorgeously visual rendition of the performance as Byrne and an army of back-up singers and dancers perform some 20 songs, including old Talking Heads favourites like ‘Burning Down the House’.
Length: 105 min
Country: United States
Language spoken: English
Language subtitles: None
Cast:
Director: Spike Lee
Release date: 10/06/2021
Description
When David Byrne turned his 2018 album ‘American Utopia’ into a Broadway show, it received rapturous reviews and sold-out houses. Now you can see (and hear!) Spike Lee’s gorgeously visual rendition of the performance as Byrne and an army of back-up singers and dancers perform some 20 songs, including old Talking Heads favourites like ‘Burning Down the House’, ‘Road to Nowhere’ and ‘Once in a Lifetime’. And be prepared to be surprised: during his between-song chatter, Byrne reveals himself to be a very funny guy! Who knew?
‘Spike Lee joins forces with David Byrne for a joyous concert movie that rocks and delights, sending you high and then higher… It’s a handsome, intelligently visual entertainment — you want to watch and not just listen — [and] it has a comforting intimacy… Some filmed stage shows die on the screen from a sheer lack of visual energy and invention. Lee, a master of the art, uses cinema’s plasticity to complement this production, making it come alive in two dimensions… “American Utopia” flows beautifully…’—Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
‘Spike Lee joins forces with David Byrne for a joyous concert movie that rocks and delights, sending you high and then higher… It’s a handsome, intelligently visual entertainment — you want to watch and not just listen — [and] it has a comforting intimacy… Some filmed stage shows die on the screen from a sheer lack of visual energy and invention. Lee, a master of the art, uses cinema’s plasticity to complement this production, making it come alive in two dimensions… “American Utopia” flows beautifully…’—Manohla Dargis, The New York Times
