Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #374 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-11
• Rating: To Be Announced
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 122 minutes

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

An outstanding drama
I found this film very easy to watch considering the grim subject matter.The film is beautifully shot and the black and white works.The performances of the main characters are excellent, Sam Riley and Samantha Morton are particularly good.Toby Kebbell's performace as Rob Gretton also deserves a mention.I feel this movie will appeal mostly to fans of the band but it is also worth a watch if you are not, as the film is an outstanding drama.I would also highly recommend Deborah Curtis' book Touching from a Distance,the inspiration for this film

Left out a lot of the important "facts"
I was really looking forward to seeing this film after reading some of the reviews on Amazon, but after watching it, I was left feeling disappointed (fortunately I rented it). The good points were the black and white film and, well, that's about it for me! Assuming this is meant to be the story of Ian Curtis, and assuming we are meant to be drawn into why he did himself in, it missed some important facts and those that it did show were poorly done. The film doesn't have the emotional impact it needs to put the story across well and let's face it, Anton is a photographer so he was probably more concerned about getting each shot looking good (and he did a good job in that respect).

It was a BIG mistake to let the guys play the music - they should have mimed and had the original songs playing.

So it's a big thumbs down from me.

The Killers? Interpol? The Walkmen? - Meet the original
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.