These four unassuming friends from Manchester just at the cusp of their twenties set their punk sentiments to an eerie tune, inadvertently setting into motion one of the most inarguably dominant sounds of the last three decades.įor all the well-documented aural and thematic fragility of Joy Division, their greatest impact likely lies in the powerful catharsis of their music. While Peter Hook’s high bass lines lay out a kind of distorted lamentation for the cold staccato drumming of Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner painted electric broad strokes with riffs as heavy as metal and just as commanding.
Thankfully, Curtis’ immense vocal talent was accompanied by an equally talented band whose sense of atmosphere and damn near tangible dread made for the gloomiest of collaborations. For Joy Division, the spectacle started even before the death of Curtis, with critics and fans alike taking immediate notice of the vocalist’s onstage antics and his singularly haunting baritone.
It’s the kind of story the world of rock and roll readily mutates into lore, with the spectacle unfairly overshadowing the validity of the music itself. Perhaps the most profound and uncanny part of Joy Division’s story is found in the band’s vapor-like existence, spanning only two full-lengths and an EP. And while New Order’s acclaim and success is deserved and historic in its own right, the band’s clear distinction both in sound and in scope separate it from the overwhelming, albeit brief, presence of Joy Division. Though understandably seen as the unfortunate catalyst for what would become New Order, the death of Ian Curtis is no less tragic even when cast in the positive light of his unparalleled influence and courage. The lenses of celebrity often blur the cruel and unforgiving nature of reality, though, giving us a retrospective that too often ignores the context that, however small, was largely responsible for the art and music we were enjoying in the first place. Generations of fans old enough to have remembered the band’s breakthrough in 1979, and the countless more born well after the 1980 suicide of Ian Curtis, hold the mercurial vocalist in almost messianic esteem.
– The film ends on a sad note, like how Ian Curtis’ life ends, with hanging himself with a washing line in his kitchen on May 18th 1980, Joy Division ended immediately after his suicide and transformed into New Order.In the seemingly infinite discussion of influence, Joy Division’s place in the halls of music’s most revered is just as sure as the band’s equally esteemed mythos.
– Words cannot explain how great of a movie this is, it’s one of those films where you can’t watch it a second time just because it’s such a touching and intense film. – The film has numerous covers from the main actors who portray themselves as the band and accomplish this quite well. The film is assisted with the book “Touching From A Distance” from his wife Deborah Curtis whom he cheats on halfway into the film. – The story is driven by Ian Curtis’ developing epilepsy fits and consistent mood swings because of both his medication and his own thoughts. – The movie is in black and white to give the illusion that you’re looking at separate photos during Joy Division’s reign of popularity in the underground scene – Control is a movie based on the life and death of Joy Division vocalist, Ian Curtis. JED KERNAGHAN devised list of reasons why you should see Control. Come October it will be 10 years since the release of the landmark biopic on Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis, Control, directed by Anton Corbijn.