Control

2007 "He had the spirit, but lost the feeling."
7.6| 2h1m| R| en| More Info
Released: 10 October 2007 Released
Producted By: Becker International
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.controlthemovie.com
Synopsis

The story of Joy Division’s lead singer Ian Curtis, from his schoolboy days in 1973 to his suicide on the eve of the band's first American tour in 1980.

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Reviews

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting
KnotStronger This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
bramblebark I started listening to Joy Division very recently and after liking a lot of their songs and doing a lot of reading about the band and Ian Curtis, I thought it would be a good idea to give this movie a watch, since the band had such a low life span and Ian Curtis was a very interesting character.The movie described Ian Curtis as "sad", "quiet", and an "outcast", and I'm sure in real life he was, but in the movie Curtis just acts like a regular guy, it isn't really until he gets on stage and starts performing when Sam Riley starts to transform himself into Curtis with his strange dancing and awkward eye movements. I don't necessarily think this is Sam Riley's fault, maybe the director should take the blame for that, it would've been really nice to see him act more like an outsider that had a hard time fitting in with the rest of the band and society. Another glaring issue I had was that I felt absolutely no sympathy for Ian Curtis during this movie, he marries his brothers girlfriend, has a child with her, and then cheats on her, and then starts to get angry with her for wanting a divorce because he's having an affair. If anything I felt more sympathy for Debbie than Ian, she's constantly making tea for him and taking care of their child but Ian just acts like a total jackass and has a bunch of seizures. I don't know if this was on purpose? I don't remember hearing that Ian Curtis was a jerk in real life but maybe he was? This combined with him not really acting like a sad outcast at all just makes the movie feel kind of phony to me.The length of the movie is perfect, I usually feel like a lot of movies I watch go on for a bit too long, but the length wasn't an issue at all for me-- What was an issue was how they structured the movie within the running time, they should've focused a lot more on how Ian Curtis joined the band, and them growing together, but there's barely any of that in the movie which is a shame because a lot of the time that's the most interesting part of a rock band.The main things that I enjoyed were the visuals, there were a lot of great shots that mix in perfectly with the black and white, also I love the fact that the movie is in black and white since almost every image of the band and Ian Curtis that you can find is in black and white. A lot of the acting was great but like I said earlier I think the main issue might've been directing and writing. Another thing I enjoyed were the live performances, mainly since this is really the only time in the movie where I felt like Sam Riley was acting like Ian Curtis, and they definitely did a good job of mirroring the few live performances of Joy Division that are on video.In conclusion I was a bit underwhelmed with the movie, if you're a fan of Joy Division you've probably already watched it, and if you're not a fan of Joy Division then there's not really any reason to watch it.
Gian Luca Guaitoli Given the fact that I am a lover of the band Joy Division , there are things that are absolutely out for a deliberately "essay film" as this movie wanted to be:1)Disgusting scene of farts before one concert; 2)Apart from Ian Curtis, the rest of the band is portrayed as a mass of idiots and useless pricks; 3)It is very obvious the influence of Ian Curtis' widow who wrote the book on which is based the movie, in addition to being a co-producer . Everything takes place under the widow's point of view:it is symptomatic that none of the alive members of the band is involved in the production crew. 4)Anton Corbijn, the always sought-after director of many wonderful musical videos , with this film has lost his touch. Four points of view that add up to the vote that I expressed for this film. Thanks
Andy Steel Shot entirely in black and white I found this film very atmospheric and it also had a gritty realism about it. I thought all the performances were excellent with both Sam Riley and Samantha Morton taking top honours. I also have to give a mention to Toby Kebbell who totally stole a couple of scenes with some great over-the-top one-liners. The story is primarily told from Debbie's point of view and as such we get a very interesting look at the life of this enigmatic soul. This film inspired me to go out and buy a Joy Division greatest hits CD and it's music that's always been close to my heart. I should mention that all the live performances portrayed in the film were performed by the actors and so hat's off to them for making it real. Whether you were a fan of the band or not I'm sure you'll get something out of this one. Be warned though, it's quite a tough watch, even when you do know the outcome.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDEDMy score: 8.4/10You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.
Rodrigo Amaro "Control" is one of my favorite contemporary musical cinebiographies ever made, ranking next to "The Doors" (1991) both going for an certain accuracy in terms of presentation of events, their great poetic sense in presenting their main characters and without surrendering to sensationalism, exaggerations (although Oliver Stone's film flies away with some imagination but it's good anyway) . Cinematically speaking, the film offers a view on things that are close to the object investigated, through an careful cinematography that recreates style, the period, the way we perceived the life and work of Ian Curtis and Joy Division. It's art in its great state. Most important, the man moving the whole show is Anton Corbijn, video clip director close to the Joy Division, he knew them all, and he makes of this work his film debut. He couldn't pick anything better and more appropriate for an promising beginning.For the challenging role of Curtis, Corbijn has on his side the newcomer Sam Riley, who is one of most amazing talents to rise in the last years. This marks his first screen credit after a few TV movies but he stands firm on the ground by singing, acting and being Ian Curtis, the late vocalist of Joy Division. There's no one like him, so impressive, so young and already acting like a veteran. His performances carries the whole film, going through so many different stages, depressed, angry, shattered, afraid of going to the stage, romantic. We follow Riley/Curtis (gotta make this association) from the moment of start of the band, the first meetings, then writing lyrics from the things he personally felt and seen (example, how he came up with "She's Lost Control" after seeing a girl having an seizure on the floor on the hospital he worked), the recognition and attention the band got from Tony Wilson (Craig Parkinson), the first gigs, the success and eventually his fall, and the band's dissolution (turning into New Order and the rest you can follow on "24 Hour Party People", which is blasé compared to "Control"). There's also room for Curtis love relationship with Deborah Curtis (played by Samantha Morton), life in family, and his love affair with journalist Annik Honoré (Alexandra Maria Lara), that seems to be used as an indicative of how things got messed for the man. From the beginning we know that he's man with many problems, suffered with depression and seizures that often ruined his performance on stage. His lyrics evoke and paint things in a darker, sad way. Just take a look at their most famous song "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Real artists who make genuine art must reflect themselves, in one way or the other. Curtis was all that. I'm wonder where did Riley took it all to compose his melancholic portrayal of the man."Control" shows the dimension of Ian's problems but just like like it leaves the real reasons for suicide to the perpetrator. Presure, difficult in dealing with fame, the problems at home, his medical condition, the depression, addiction, who knows? All we know is that on May 18, 1980 he listened to Iggy Pop's album "The Idiot", watched one of his favorite films Werner Herzog's "Stroszek" and hang himself, leaving everything behind, becoming an rock n'roll icon, eternally remembered by his fans. He's just control and end it all. It's not our task to judge him. A note I make to the film's great accomplish is by not showing this final moment. We see the ritual (and I want to know how all of this become a fact, with the album and the movie), he enters in the kitchen and the rest is seen through a distant shot of Deborah entering in the house. It would be too painful to see that, we like Curtis too much to see an shocking moment like this. With no lost moments in it, "Control" is full of so many great scenes that is difficult to select just one to say that this movie is special. Walking down the streets with an jacket that says "HATE", the confusion during an performance where Ian couldn't go to the stage, replaced by an uncharismatic lead singer singing "Disorder" and booed by the crowd (the song's inclusion is not an accident); the conversations between Ian and Annik; "Atmosphere" for the conclusion was perfect and the band concerts, amazingly played by the actors Joe Anderson, Harry Treadaway and James Anthony Pearson playing respectively Peter Hook, Stephen Morris and Bernard Sumner. Outstanding musical numbers!I don't know how much of it was legend or fact or condensation of both, but the true thing I've seen here was epic and it looks and sounds completely real and believable to me. Curtis would be proud of this. 10/10 RIP Ian.