Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. I’m seeing this soon, and I am giddy at the prospect. It sounds excellent, and I’m a big Joy Division/New Order fan anyway from the old days. A review like this only makes the wait more agonizing for me:
Harry Just got in from a packed preview screening of the new Ian Curtis biopic Control in Manchester, England. I went to this film with a musician friend rather than the wife thinking this would concentrate on the music of Joy Division. However the focus on the film is on the strained relationship between Ian and Deborah Curtis which, combined with the direction of Anton Corbijn, powerful acting and accompanying music, left me wishing I'd brought her along. The film begins during Curtis's Bowie idolising teenage years, and onto the formation of punk band Warsaw, later to be known as Joy Division, culminating in the harrowing portrayal of the tolls of fame and adulation upon a young man from a small town struggling to provide for his family and hiding his worsening epilepsy from the world. The hitherto unknown Sam Riley is superb as the tortured poet laureate Ian Curtis, and fully deserves the accolades heading his way (coincidentally, he also had a brief role as fellow Mancunian legend Mark E Smith in 24 Hour Party People). Samantha Morton also turns in an accomplished performance as his wife Deborah. One small gripe is that she seemed a little old to be the same age as her husband, but I'm just splitting hairs here. The main actors are supported well and with humour by the characters of Rob Gretton, Peter Hook and Tony Wilson, who passed away recently giving this film added poignancy. The film is beautifully shot in black and white, with every frame worthy of being featured in an exhibition with the rest of Corbijns work. Corbijn of course made his name photographing the band in the early days, and the evidence shows in the care and attention to detail on screen at every moment. It's easy to compare and contrast Control with 24 Hour Party People, but whereas that was a self-indulgent look at thle life of Tony Wilson, this is at heart, the simple story of a young couple, ultimately driven to despair by the world around them. To paraphrase the classic song, love really can tear you apart. When the lights went up at the end, the audience sat in stunned silence, despite knowing the tragic outcome in advance. This is a powerful, moving story, worthy of both the critical acclaim and your cash in return for a ticket. If you use this, please refer to me as Mariachi.
