CONTROL

By Ray DeRousse / July 1, 2011

Directed by Anton Corbijn Written by Matt Greenhalgh Based on the autobiography by Deborah Curtis Starring Sam Riley,Samantha Morton,Joe Anderson, Alexandra Maria Lara,Toby Kebbell, Craig Parkinson, James Anthony Pearson, Harry Treadaway, Matthew McNultyAvailable at Amazon for $16.99 Review by Ray DeRousse FILM:

rating:2.5

DVD:

rating:2.5

I'm not a fan of the late seventies British band JOY DIVISION. While some of my distaste stems from the droning repetitions of their music, I have a particular dislike for late frontman IAN CURTIS. He always struck me as a self-absorbed weirdo with a JIM MORRISON fetish ... and that flat barking he referred to as "singing" didn't help matters at all. I liked the band after Curtis' death when they later became NEW ORDER. However, the time period from which Joy Division sprang is one of the most fertile times in music history, sandwiched uneasily between disco and Europop. Those few years in the late seventies produced some lasting rock icons of particularly dubious and short-lived nature: THE CLASH, SID VICIOUS and THE SEX PISTOLS, and the "doomed" lead singer Curtis. They lived hard and fast, and often paid high prices for their excess. This is the world director ANTON CORBIJN captures in the highly acclaimed CONTROL. The film moves chronologically as a young Curtis, poetic and disaffected in middle-class Britain, accidentally falls into a band which swiftly names itself Joy Division and develops a following. Curtis, however, has twin dilemmas brewing - he has epilepsy, as well as a romantic triangle of his own making between the mother of his little daughter and a Belgian journalist. He drinks too much. He never rests. Finally, at the age of 23, he hangs himself. Shot in a high-contrast black and white, the film distills the gritty, nihilistic atmosphere of the late seventies music scene into a potent visual cocktail. It might be one of the best-looking films of 2007, attributable in large part to the work of Corbijn, a former music video director (responsible for videos by DEPECHE MODE and NIRVANA) who specializes in raw cinematography. It's a shame this stunning style is in service to a story and lead figure so unpleasantly bleak. Nearly every character in the film is a navel-gazing twat with the energy level of wet dogshit. There are lots of artfully-composed shots of people staring, shuffling around, and mumbling. Oh, and silence ... lots of that. Add to that the fact that nearly every character is sketchily written; we almost know nothing about any other member of the band save Curtis, and even he seems more like a ghost than a real person. Helping the film's cause is the magnetic SAM RILEY as the tragic lead singer. He manages to utilize both mimicry and subtle charisma to convey the magnetism of Curtis onstage, which energizes this fairly lifeless film. Also good is SAMANTHA MORTON as Curtis' girlfriend Debbie, who does express the confusion of a woman who has sold her whole life for a dream. While in the clubs and bars early in the film, the movie manages to retain some dramatic steam. We see the rough and tumble circumstances from which this band sprang, and their hungry scrapping for attention is endearing. Later, when the band has supposedly become much bigger, the film loses some focus. The moping takes center stage instead, and the film is weaker for it. Of course, I have no idea how one makes a film ending in suicide and avoid the self-absorption, but it becomes overwhelming. Rather than feel tragedy at the loss, we feel relief ... not a particularly good way to end your picture. Fans of the band will love the (misguidedly) heroic way Curtis is portrayed here, and likely feel some catharsis at the end. As a non-fan, I found it to be a visually-stunning, occasionally annoying worship piece about an overrated rock star. Take it for what it's worth. EXTRAS Besides an enlightening director's commentary (Corbijn really knows his stuff), we have the following: THE MAKING OF CONTROL - Excellent doc, which gives additional material about the band and the time period. Corbijn reveals some of his inspirations behind the movie, which I found interesting. A CONVERSATION WITH ANTON CORBIJN - Corbijn and his wondrous camera are the true heroes of this film. EXTENDED LIVE PERFORMANCE - The band played these songs for real, and this gives you another, longer look at their terrific portrayal. THREE JOY DIVISION VIDEOS - Could have done without these ... again, not a fan. OVERALL I think music fans in general, and Joy Division fans in particular, will love the look at this important and turbulent time in music history. However, anyone looking for a touching, insightful, or even emotionally-moving drama will be slightly disappointed. Visually-stunning, this film is as cold as one of their songs.