Control // DVD
Control is not a happy film (no surprises there). It is however a very well managed juxtaposition of Joy Division’s rapid rise and their lead singer’s swift demise; events that happened on the intimate stage of Ian Curtis’ personal life and in the larger arena of popular culture. Mr. Corbijn, to his credit, sticks to the former, rather than banging out yet another hollow biopic.
The overall tone and style is very intimate, while the enigma of Ian Curtis remains intact. It’s testament to the sombre elegance of Corbijn’s film, his expert direction (particularly in capturing Riley/Curtis on stage) and Sam Riley’s stunning portrayal, that this doesn’t detract from the films success. Control shows us Ian Curtis, but from a distance, which is probably about as close as anyone ever got.
Brilliant.
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I would urge you to acquire the eponymous Jon Savage scripted documentary on Joy Division, which is quite superb, not sure if it’s on DVD yet, but I imagine it will be soon.