Control (2007)

Director:

Anton Corbijn

Writers:

Deborah Curtis (autobiography "Touching from a Distance")
Matt Greenhalgh (writer)

Release Date:

12 September 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Plot:

A profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.

Plot Keywords:

Band | Singer | Suicide | Musician | Kitchen Sink Realism

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 25 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Sam Riley	...	Ian Curtis
Samantha Morton	...	Deborah Curtis
Alexandra Maria Lara	...	Annik Honoré
Joe Anderson	...	Peter Hook
James Anthony Pearson	...	Bernard Sumner
Harry Treadaway	...	Stephen Morris
Craig Parkinson	...	Tony Wilson
Toby Kebbell	...	Rob Gretton
Andrew Sheridan	...	Terry Mason
Robert Shelly	...	Twinny
Richard Bremmer	...	Ian's Father
Tanya Myers	...	Ian's Mother
Martha Myers Lowe	...	Ian's Sister (as Martha Myers-Lowe)
Matthew McNulty	...	Nick Jackson
David Whittington	...	Chemistry Teacher

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

UK | USA | Australia | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Canada:14A | USA:R | Netherlands:6 | France:Unrated | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-13 | Germany:12 | Sweden:7 | Japan:PG-12 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Norway:15 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, UK

Company:

3 Dogs and a Pony

Trivia:

The introduction that Tony Wilson gives the band as they're about to perform on Granada television is almost word for word taken from the actual broadcast. The song they play in the film is "Transmission", when in actuality they performed "Shadowplay" on Granada. They did perform "Transmission" live on TV but it was on the BBC without an introduction by Wilson, but instead a toned-down version of the poem used to introduce them at a gig in the film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Ian is recording the vocals for "Isolation," he appears to be using a modern Shure KSM27 studio condenser microphone.

Quotes:

Ian Curtis: When you look at your life, in a strange new room, maybe drowning soon, is this the start of it all?

Movie Connections:

References On the Waterfront (1954)

Soundtrack:

Candidate

stunning piece of work.......

Anton Corbin has created a film that perfectly showcases both the music of Joy Division and the short but fruitful life of Ian Curtis. The choice to film in black and white was the right one. It sets the tone perfectly for Ian Curtis' gray and lifeless hometown of Macclesfield in 1973.

Corbin as a first time director excels utilizing his visual and technical skills from his previous life as a music video director. Thankfully Control is not just a beautiful looking movie but a perfectly pitched study of the rise and tragic fall of the tortured Ian Curtis. The intensity of the live music performances in the film are as visceral as those of the real band. It is a credit to the actors that they played everything live on screen, it serves to create memorable performances.

Sam Riley delivers a towering performance as Curtis. The first time actor is a name to watch. He is surrounded by a great cast but the film is carried on Riley's shoulders.His inner turmoil is conveyed with great humanity and realism. The audience was still and quiet for quite some time after the credits rolled at the screening I attended.

There are some very clever and touching uses of the music in the film. Corbin uses the intensity of Curtis' lyrics to help paint a biographical picture of the man. The use of 'Love will tear us apart' in the movie was particularly inspired giving the context of the scene it was played in. I hope you will go see this powerful and moving film to see what I am talking about.