# Jonathan Demme dies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 26, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298 "2017-04-26T16:13:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/1 "2017-04-26T16:13:22Z")
[Jonathan Demme dies of cancer at 73.](http://variety.com/2017/film/news/jonathan-demme-dead-silence-of-the-lambs-1202399122/) I think the guy who gave us Silence of the Lambs deserves a thread. Not a great director by any means but he did turn out a few memorable films. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/2 "2017-04-26T16:25:11Z")
He directed the single-greatest “live concert” film ever: “Stop Making Sense” featuring David Byrne and Talking Heads, so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/3 "2017-04-26T16:49:50Z")
The Silence of the Lambs Stop Making Sense Swimming to Cambodia Something Wild Married to the Mob Philadelphia He’s great in my book. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/4 "2017-04-26T17:33:07Z")
That’s a shame. I remember I was once watching the movie _Philadelphia_, not knowing much about it, and I suddenly said “This movie was directed by the same guy who did _Silence Of The Lambs_”, just based on the look of the film and how certain scenes were set up. He certainly had a unique style. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/5 "2017-04-26T17:51:28Z")
I was just watching **Something Wild** recently. A very interesting film in terms of structure. First half fairly light comedy, second half dark thriller and the break is precise and instantaneous, with a perfect musical cue\* and one menacing line ( at the end of this [clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_9Vlh1OtB8) ). A talented man - RIP. - The opening notes of _Loveless Love_ performed live by the **Feelies** , another band Demme was fond of and directed a [straightforward video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI4m0PZF1kw) for. ---
**Author:** ![Meltdown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/6 "2017-04-26T18:25:23Z")
Yes! There was also that scene at the beginning of “Married to the Mob” where Alec Baldwin kills the guy on the train, and when he pulls his head back to reveal that he’s dead, the beginning of “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order kicks in. That remains to this day one of my favorite uses of a pop song in a movie. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/7 "2017-04-26T19:08:28Z")
He made 3 of my favourite movies. I honestly had no idea he was that old. I thought he was in his mid 60s at most. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/8 "2017-04-26T19:13:21Z")
> [@Meltdown](#): > > Yes! There was also that scene at the beginning of “Married to the Mob” where Alec Baldwin kills the guy on the train, and when he pulls his head back to reveal that he’s dead, the beginning of “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order kicks in. That remains to this day one of my favorite uses of a pop song in a movie. Demme made the official video for New Order’s _The Perfect Kiss_ It's so simple - it's just the band in the studio - yet so beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/9 "2017-04-26T19:51:15Z")
Damn that sucks. ☹ **Silence of the Lambs** is one of my favorite movies ever. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/10 "2017-04-26T19:55:49Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > He directed the single-greatest “live concert” film ever: “Stop Making Sense” featuring David Byrne and Talking Heads, so there’s that. I was going to write almost this exact same post. RIP Jonathan. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/11 "2017-04-26T19:56:51Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > He directed the single-greatest “live concert” film ever: “Stop Making Sense” featuring David Byrne and Talking Heads, so there’s that. Agreed! He was a master of economy for this show. [This entire song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxDG4xGcna0) essentially only consists of two shots–one of which is perhaps my favorite shot from any of his films. RIP. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/12 "2017-04-27T13:29:42Z")
Will Bernard Shakey make another great concert film? ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/13 "2017-04-27T14:45:25Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > He directed the single-greatest “live concert” film ever: “Stop Making Sense” featuring David Byrne and Talking Heads, so there’s that. Best concert film ever and high on my “wish I had been there” lists. Hell, he even made Justin Timberlake look good! ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/14 "2017-04-27T16:26:05Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > I honestly had no idea he was that old. I thought he was in his mid 60s at most. I wasn’t even thinking he was that old! Very sorry to hear it. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2017, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/15 "2017-04-28T01:11:53Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Demme made the official video for New Order’s _The Perfect Kiss_ > > It's so simple - it's just the band in the studio - yet so beautiful. My favorite New Order song. Just love Hooky’s bass. They look so young. Just saw them at Coachella and they looked not so young. Still great though. Demme was obviously a fan. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2017, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonathan-demme-dies/785298/16 "2017-04-28T01:39:36Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I was just watching **Something Wild** recently. A very interesting film in terms of structure. First half fairly light comedy, second half dark thriller and the break is precise and instantaneous, with a perfect musical cue\* and one menacing line ( at the end of this [clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_9Vlh1OtB8) ). A talented man - RIP. > > - The opening notes of _Loveless Love_ performed live by the **Feelies** , another band Demme was fond of and directed a [straightforward video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI4m0PZF1kw) for. If he never made anything but _Something Wild_ he would still be a great director. I think he got the best performances out of Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith that they ever gave. And maybe Ray Liotta too. I saw a lot of bad films waiting for Melanie Griffith to do something that good again. I go to films for the director a lot, and Demme was on my list, along with Erich Rohmer, Jim Jarmusch, John Sayles, Peter Greenaway, Akira Kurusawa, Warner Herzog, Pedro Almadovar, David Lynch and Spike Lee. Rohmer and Kurosawa are gone too, and Jarmusch is getting up there, so is Sayles, and many of the others. My other favorite directors are Fritz Lang, Michael Curtiz, Frank Capra, King Vidor DW Griffith, and so on. I need to find some good, YOUNG directors to follow.