Control [2007]

Product Details

Director : Anton Corbijn
Actor : Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Craig Parkinson, Joe Anderson, James Anthony Pearson
Format : PAL
Binding : DVD
EAN : 5060116721324
Product Group : DVD
Region Code : 2
Release Date : 2008-02-11
Running Time : 122minutes
Studio : Momentum Pictures Home Ent

ASIN : B000VRVTCA

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Musicians have long proven to be a well of inspiration for film makers, and so it proves again with director Anton Corbjn’s telling of the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division, Control.

Based on the book of the same name, the first of Control’s many successes is to make prior knowledge of the subject matter unnecessary. And while music is an important part of the film, the movie ultimately focuses in on the relationship between Curtis and his wife, Deborah. It’s a moving and emotional rollercoaster, and one realised with exceptional skill and grace by Sam Riley and the ever-astonishing Samantha Morton in the lead acting roles. The former is someone very much to watch, the latter is surely long overdue an Oscar.

Credit too must go to director Corbjn, though, who builds up Control with diligence and discipline. He shapes a musical biopic that distinguishes itself from its numerous contemporaries, and while it perhaps doesn’t spend enough time with the Joy Division side of the story, it’s a film that’s otherwise hard to fault.

Control, ultimately, not only managed to sidestep many of the contrivances of the genre, but it also offers a raw, electric and emotional experience, and proved to be one of 2007’s finest films. Don’t miss it. --Jon Foster

Synopsis

Based on the memoir TOUCHING FROM A DISTANCE by Deborah Curtis, Anton Corbijn's CONTROL is as near perfect a filmic telling of the story of Joy Division and Ian Curtis as any fan could hope for. It's also a beautifully rendered piece of cinema about the crippling effects of love and regret, and the salvation we seek in art. Born out of England's post-Sex Pistols punk explosion, Joy Division played a dark, minimalist version of the nascent sound, and became cult heroes thanks in part to their brilliant yet disturbed frontman Ian Curtis (played by an eerily perfect Sam Riley). Corbijn does a wonderful job recreating the Manchester band's music and live show, cutting straight to the essence of Joy Division's unique appeal. Credit must also be given to the three actors who portray the rest of Joy Division. Playing all the instruments themselves, they perfectly capture the band's powerfully stoic presence, one that translates both live and on record into the sonic equivalent of an existential crisis.
CONTROL, however, is ultimately about Curtis' tumultuous marriage to his wife, Deborah (Samantha Morton), and the way that Joy Division became an aesthetic manifestation of his pain--one that was both physical (Curtis was an epileptic) and emotional. Corbijn evokes Curtis' hurt and isolation with both honesty and subtlety; a photographer originally, he frames each shot to look like a stark black-and-white photo from an album the audience was never meant to see, making Curtis' pain palpable and his eventual suicide that much more tragic. The overtones to the later suicide of Kurt Cobain are hard to avoid, but where Cobain's suicide has always been discussed in terms of the pressure he felt as a rock star, Curtis', as rendered by Corbijn, is a pain anyone could potentially be forced to suffer through.

Customer Reviews

The Killers? Interpol? The Walkmen? - Meet the original (2008-08-30)

I watched this for the second time last night and just wanted to write and say what a fantastic film it is. The wigs are a bit dubious and John Cooper Clarke looks about sixty whereas back then he would have been thirty, but these are mere trivialities. The difference between Sam Riley's Curtis and Sean Harris' depiction in 24 Hour Party People is marked (off stage and seizures apart). I have to confess Harris portrays Ian Curtis in the way I imagined him to be - quiet, intense and `deep'. Whereas in Control, off stage - until his descent into depression and despair, he is a jovial, sweet natured young man. Given that this film is based on Deborah Curtis' account of her husband's life, I take it that this is a truer representation.Anton Corbjin's direction is impeccable and interestingly, I cannot seem to find any site depicting goofs in this film, which means it's flawless, a rare thing. Even if you are not a Joy Division fan I would still recommend Control as at times it is nearer the kitchen sink drama of the 1960s than a rock star biopic.Five stars all the way.

You had to be there (2008-08-03)

Just to make an obvious point, when Joy Division were making music, we didn't know how it was going to end.Watching this film, you know it's going to be tragic and grim in the end.Enjoying Joy Division's music, though, at the time, was uplifting. It wasn't "post-punk" (whatever that's supposed to mean). And it wasn't Goth. After watching the film last night and listening to Still today, it's obvious that JD were well steeped in their punk time, not "post" at all. Ambitions bigger than their technical competence. On Still, Curtis is often out of tune. The rocker/crooner intention is there and that's what gets you. And the rest of the band. Not an accomplished Rock band like the enjoyable music in the film, but a raggedy and driven band.I'd never understood how New Order came out of the ashes of Joy Division. A completely different sensibility. But now I think I understand.A thoroughly bazzin film and fantastic work from all involved, but grim and bleak. The music wasn't bleak though. And that's why we're here.But I wonder how someone first coming to Joy Division through this film and the tragic story will really understand the appeal at the time. A punk band working hard in its own dark corner, discovering stuff.Ian Curtis was 23 when he died.

Excellent production...................................................... (2008-07-15)

Filmed in black and white, this is an atmospheric film about Ian Curtis, frontman of the Joy division. I admit I had never heard of him before buying this DVD. A sufferer from epilepsy he appeared to be a victim of the side effects of the cocktail of prescription drugs he had to take. The poor lad was left totally confused and they did nothing for his condition.The film follows his short life to his death at twenty-three. The soundtrack is superb and the acting natural and spontaneous.It reminds me of the wonderful film noire of the sixties.Well worth a viewing.

Haunting and engrossing. (2008-06-02)

Control is the 'biopic' of Ian Curtis, the lead singer with the late 1970s rock/post-punk band Joy Division. Between 1977 and 1980 Joy Division were a number of bands who helped establish Manchester as a centre of musical excellence in the UK. They released two absolutely seminal albums - Unknown Pleasures and Closer - and a slew of hit singles and EPs, culminating in 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', which catapaulted them into the charts and set the scene for their first tour of the United States. But, on the eve of that tour in May 1980, Curtis committed suicide at the age of 23. A year later his bandmates reconvened, renamed themselves NewOrder, and went on to become one of the most successful bands of the 1980s. Control is Curtis' story.Control is the first full-length film to be directed by Anton Corbijn. This is somewhat surprising, as Corbijn has been directing music videos for a quarter of a century, working with bands such as Depeche Mode, U2, Nice Cave, Bryan Adams, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mercury Rev and Coldplay, not to mention directing the 1988 re-release of the Joy Division song 'Atmosphere'. He is also a highly acclaimed photographer, responsible for the sleeve design and photography for, among others,U2's The Joshua Tree.For this film, Corbijn chose to use his trademark black-and-white imagery. It may be a cliche - this is a dark and somewhat depressing film - but it works well, especially when compared to Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People which covers same of the same story in blazing technicolour. Still, I couldn't help wondering if perhaps Corbijn should have moved outside of his comfort zone and perhaps bled colour and black-and-white together as the film moves from the happy optimism of youth into darker and more suffocating territory.The film opens in 1973 with Curtis still at school, showing him as a massive fan of David Bowie and falling in love with his first girlfriend, Deborah, whom he marries shortly after leaving school before getting a job working for the local unemployment office. He dreams of being a writer and a rock star, and hears about a local band called Warsaw founded by guitarist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter 'Hooky' Hook, but they're lacking a singer. After catching a performance by the Sex Pistols, Curtis decides to join up, providing lyrics and taking over the microphone. A blazing trail of success follows: they change their name to the more successful Joy Division (the name of a brothel made up of Jewish women used by the SS in WWII, which immediately earns them the ire of some groups who accuse them of being Nazi sympathisers), get some performance slots on TV and record a successful debut album, Unknown Pleasures. Ian and Deborah also have a baby daughter. But, coming back from the band's first gig in London, Curtis is struck down by epilepsy. Unable to take the pressure of being in the band and in his job at the same time as suffering from his illness, he resigns from his job and Deborah has to bring in a living wage. During a foreign tour Ian meets and falls in love with a Belgian fanzine-writer, Annik, which complicates things even further.A film like this lives and dies based on its performances and they are universally excellent. Newcomer Sam Riley gives a stunning performance of the haunted, intense Curtis. The only major criticism I have is that Curtis' sense of humour doesn't come through in his performance, but that may be more the fault of the writer. 24 Hour Party People and Deborah Curtis' book, Touching from a Distance, both make it clear that Curtis wasn't constantly down and depressed, but from this movie you don't get that impression. Deborah Curtis is played by the much more well-known Samantha Morton, who gives a sympathetic performance as the wife who is left behind when her husband finds fame (but not fortune) as a rock star. Another stand-out is German actress Alexandra Maria Lara (who was excellent in the 2004 movie Downfall), who plays Annik. Also of note is Toby Kebbell, who plays the band's infamously acid-tongued manager Rob Gretton, who provides much of the film's humour.Control is a haunting movie consisting of stunning performances and a soundtrack to die for (the actors, impressively, actually play and sing all the Joy Division songs themselves). It makes for uncomfortable viewing at times, but is an engrossing piece of work.

EMOS MUST LEARN MORE ABOUT DEPRESSION! (2008-05-25)

While watching this fabulous ANTON CORBJIN's film I remembered each and every word I said while broadcasting my radio shows in Peru throughout all these past years and talking about IAN CURTIS's life to my audiences. Sadness is not only a word. Emos must know that before them there was IAN CURTIS & JOY DIVISION. HELENE RAMOS GALAGARZAperuvian journalist,radio host & producercyber dj,promoter,editor,designer,reviewer

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