Control
"When you look at your life, in a strange new room, maybe drowning soon, is this the start of it all?"
‘Control’ is the story of Ian Curtis, lead singer of the 80’s new wave/post punk band Joy Division, who committed suicide at the age of 23 after a difficult battle with depression and epilepsy. As much as this is the story of a brilliant poet dying young…and it is just that…very intimate and very engaging…it is also just a very cool, hip film about rock and roll in the vein of ‘The Doors’ or ’24 Hour Party People’ with a little ‘Last Days’ thrown in for good measure. It doesn't force you to feel sorry for Curtis...it just shows you the history (and some of the myth) and lets you watch.
In directing his first feature film, world famous photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn (who actually met and worked with Joy Division back in the day) clearly uses his photographer’s eye to fantastic effect when it comes the look and ‘mood’ of the film. There were actually a number of things that really impressed me about ‘Control’. The black and white cinematography was just brilliant. Having been to England a number of times (I lived there for a year back in '04), the b&w really captures what it must have been like during the late 70’s early 80’s in the UK…with tenement buildings and dirty working class towns littering the landscape…with the promise of bigger and better things nothing more than a pipe dream for many. Also, the actors in the film actually learned to play their specific instruments, therefore all the music and live performances in the film are just that…actual live performances…and the similarity to the real band is just uncanny. I also thought Sam Riley, the actor playing Ian Curtis, did a fantastic job. He really WAS Ian Curtis...without it feeling like he was trying too hard to BE Curtis. Riley, a singer in real life, never seemed to ‘milk’ any moment more than he needed to, and like Michael Pitt in ‘Last Days’, you could tell there was a very deep connection between the actor and the real life artist he was playing. There were a few moments where, if I had not known any better, I would have sworn they had inserted real footage of Curtis and the band on stage…he even nailed Curtis’ wild, flailing dancing style…without it looking forced at all. Just amazing.
If there was a bone to pick with the film, I really didn’t think it dug deep enough in the psyche of Curtis. But that is understandable given that not much is really known about the singer…he was extremely shy and hesitant to speak his mind to the press…and the band was only really popular for about a year or two before he killed himself, most of their material having been released posthumously…so there’s limited source material. Then again...I kind of liked how it didn't force too much on you...it didn't paint Curtis as this saint-like tortured artist...he was very human, and I guess this was a human story more than it was a rock and roll story. I just thought his relationships with his wife, mistress and the band could have maybe been explored a little further…but nevertheless, the movie never really felt like it was dragging…and was felt so intimate and was so eye catching that its only a mild complaint…if that.
Anyway, this film is probably only for fans of the band, fans of rock and roll bio films, and/or ‘high brow’ films. You’ll like it a lot more if you’re a fan of the band, or are at least somewhat familiar with their work…and if you’re a big fan (I’m sort of in between casual fan and ‘big’ fan) then you’ll love it.
****
‘Control’ is the story of Ian Curtis, lead singer of the 80’s new wave/post punk band Joy Division, who committed suicide at the age of 23 after a difficult battle with depression and epilepsy. As much as this is the story of a brilliant poet dying young…and it is just that…very intimate and very engaging…it is also just a very cool, hip film about rock and roll in the vein of ‘The Doors’ or ’24 Hour Party People’ with a little ‘Last Days’ thrown in for good measure. It doesn't force you to feel sorry for Curtis...it just shows you the history (and some of the myth) and lets you watch.
In directing his first feature film, world famous photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn (who actually met and worked with Joy Division back in the day) clearly uses his photographer’s eye to fantastic effect when it comes the look and ‘mood’ of the film. There were actually a number of things that really impressed me about ‘Control’. The black and white cinematography was just brilliant. Having been to England a number of times (I lived there for a year back in '04), the b&w really captures what it must have been like during the late 70’s early 80’s in the UK…with tenement buildings and dirty working class towns littering the landscape…with the promise of bigger and better things nothing more than a pipe dream for many. Also, the actors in the film actually learned to play their specific instruments, therefore all the music and live performances in the film are just that…actual live performances…and the similarity to the real band is just uncanny. I also thought Sam Riley, the actor playing Ian Curtis, did a fantastic job. He really WAS Ian Curtis...without it feeling like he was trying too hard to BE Curtis. Riley, a singer in real life, never seemed to ‘milk’ any moment more than he needed to, and like Michael Pitt in ‘Last Days’, you could tell there was a very deep connection between the actor and the real life artist he was playing. There were a few moments where, if I had not known any better, I would have sworn they had inserted real footage of Curtis and the band on stage…he even nailed Curtis’ wild, flailing dancing style…without it looking forced at all. Just amazing.
If there was a bone to pick with the film, I really didn’t think it dug deep enough in the psyche of Curtis. But that is understandable given that not much is really known about the singer…he was extremely shy and hesitant to speak his mind to the press…and the band was only really popular for about a year or two before he killed himself, most of their material having been released posthumously…so there’s limited source material. Then again...I kind of liked how it didn't force too much on you...it didn't paint Curtis as this saint-like tortured artist...he was very human, and I guess this was a human story more than it was a rock and roll story. I just thought his relationships with his wife, mistress and the band could have maybe been explored a little further…but nevertheless, the movie never really felt like it was dragging…and was felt so intimate and was so eye catching that its only a mild complaint…if that.
Anyway, this film is probably only for fans of the band, fans of rock and roll bio films, and/or ‘high brow’ films. You’ll like it a lot more if you’re a fan of the band, or are at least somewhat familiar with their work…and if you’re a big fan (I’m sort of in between casual fan and ‘big’ fan) then you’ll love it.
Great flick!
posted by neil at 12:56 AM
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