I Caught an advance screening of Control -- prolific rock photographer Anton Corbijn's directorial debut feature about the rise and fall of Ian Curtis, vocalist for Joy Division, perhaps modern rock's most influential band. It's a great film and I eagerly await whatever Corbjin follows this up with.
I had read Touching From a Distance, the book which the film is based and Deborah Curtis' heartbreaking and downright depressing account of life with Ian long ago and while not all made it to the movie, I felt that film captured the essence of the book.
Control begins documenting Curtis' early life; idolizing musical heroes such as David Bowie and Iggy Pop (look for visual hints of Todd Hayne's Velvet Goldmine!). Musical ambitions drive him to join a local band in the thriving Manchester scene but soon everyday fears and strong emotions that fuel his passion music begin to eat away his psyche. He marries young and with a newborn daughter in tow he is distracted by infidelity and inability to handle the pressures of touring. When Ian is diagnosed with epilepsy, guilt and depression kick in the strain, and ultimately desperation -- literally -- take hold. Ian surrenders to these pressures and is in the end, consumed by them.
Corbijn's approach in directing spoken scenes is kept subtle, recreating a drab and dreary mid-70's era England. It is during the musical numbers that Control takes hold of the viewer. Sam Riley's interpretation of Ian Curtis in performance is spot on while the rest of the band cast as Joy Division must be given credit for having learned to play the songs and sounding (and looking) just like the real thing. The sound mix explodes out of the screen with intensity as the band play early gigs on screen. Surprisingly Corbjin didn't serve as cinematographer but his visual style is present throughout the film and is perhaps it's best asset.
Since this blog is about movie posters I have to mention that no studio-issued images (that I know of) have surfaced on this film yet. The attached visual comes from the movie's underdeveloped website but I do think it captures the mood of the film. Hopefully something will be issued soon. I am specially looking forward to see if any additional images surface from Corbjin's initial Joy Division shoot, which happened the day after the band's London debut. We'll have to wait and see. Control opens in limited release on October 10.
