control

directed by uber-director anton corbijn
who's claim to fame from memory is the cover shot of the joshua tree
on the album of the same name from that big irish band from the 80's
he's gone back to the previous decade in this film
to tell the story of joy division and ian curtis in particular
i'm always a bit wary of biographical films
to me they can come from the same place as tribute bands
that is to milk a revered musician or group for the obvious reason
the reviews for this one seemed favourable
and a blast of j d music is never a bad thing
i was fortunate to see the film in a particularly good theatre
a big wide screen with a superb sound system and large comfortable seats
the director has used his photography background to great effect
technically the film is shot in black and white
but the sepia toning means it is quite easy on the eye
so the cinematography stunningly depicts the time and place
not to mention the entire mood of the film
there's quite a long preamble covering school days for ian curtis
and the eventual forming of the group comes quite naturally
at the same time as a teenager he falls in love for the first time
he marries his sweetheart as the group starts to find fame
thus embarking on a twin career of musician and husband/father
it is just so sad to see this good man struggle to be both
and in a strong way suggests the true meaning to love tearing us apart
we know where the film is heading but it's still a riveting story
there is very little offered to explain the source of the music
but there are plenty of scenes of the music played live
and totally convincingly by the actors
who all bear an uncanny resemblance to the actual group
but that is typical of the film in general
as there is amazing attention to detail
it's a long one at over 2 hours
totally absorbing