Post by BIGFANBOY on Nov 2, 2007 5:50:57 GMT -5
CONTROL
Review by Gary Dean Murray
Joy Division was a band that had almost no impact on the US. This English unit was just starting to become a name in their homeland when lead singer and driving force Ian Curtis took his own life at 23. From the ashes of this group rose New Order, one of the brightest flames from the post-punk era. The movie Control is the story of Ian Curtis, from beginning to fall.
The film opens with a very young Ian (Sam Riley) listening to Bowie records and smoking, all the while dreaming of being something. He keeps journals of lyrics, poems and story ideas. His close friend has a girl Debbie (Samantha Morton). Ian secretly fancies her and they eventually become a couple, marrying too young and eventually having a daughter. Ian lands a government job, helping people find jobs.
Everything changes though when the young couple goes and sees the Sex Pistols in concert. Like so many of English youth, Ian becomes a convert and pushes forward with the band, Joy Division. He now has two directions in his life, family against fame, rock and roll versus middle class existence.
As Joy Division develops a following, we are a part of the rock star trappings of management and record contracts. (This part of the film feels like a cross between Almost Famous and Spinal Tap.) It seems that everyone wants a piece of Joy Division, seeing the potential in Ian Curtis. This puts much unwanted pressure on Joy Division. Down this glamorous path is a female rock journalist that Ian falls for. She is everything that his wife is not. Again his world is being pulled in two different directions.
Added to all of these complications is the diagnosis that Ian has epilepsy. Finding the right mixture of drugs to keep the fits down and Ian’s mind balanced but as a consequence it drives the lead singer into depression. All of the elements on this fragile young man seal his demise.
The aspect that makes this movie work better than most rock biographies are the total presentation. Shot in black and white, there is a dark and timeless feel to the production. One gets the feeling that this world is exactly right in its shades of gray, without the bloom of color. Stark and dank, the world of Joy Division has little joy. Director Anton Corbijn captures the club concert experience with harsh beauty. The songs he films are a loving tribute to the group. He is a chronicler of the tale, never passing judgment on his subject.
I am starting to believe that Samantha Morton cannot deliver a bad performance. Like she has recently done in Elizabeth, The Golden Age Samantha takes what is a supporting performance and delivers an Oscar worthy work. Here, she is a woman who loves a man, not the rock legend. Her life is filled with equal parts bliss and heartbreak. Debbie, like her husband, is trapped in a world she cannot understand or control.
One has to give the highest marks for Sam Riley in playing Ian Curtis. He could have come across as the rock god, but instead he puts on a softness of someone driven to be something he doesn’t truly understand. He captures the duplicity of the extremes with a measured balance. Also, his dance moves are exact in showing Ian Curtis on stage.
Control is a good movie, not a great one. The film at two hours runs too long. It slightly drags throughout. A tighter edit would have made the flow better. The other problem is that one never feels that anything is learned about Ian Curtis. It tells of his life, but not of the man. At the end, there still are more questions of a life cut short than there are answers.
For fans of Joy Division this film is a must see. But, even with its flaws of pace, it is still an interesting journey with some great music along the way.
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