Somber, sad and compelling, Ian Curtis biopic "Control," about the lead singer of the '80s post-punk Blighty band Joy Division, is a riveting, visually arresting portrait of a tormented soul. Sam Riley gives a winning perf in the central role and is surrounded by a strong ensemble of thesps. First feature helming bow by photographer Anton Corbijn manages to present working-class Northern England in a wide range of appealing grays that make the description "black-and-white film" inadequate. Widely anticipated by the band's legion of fans, pic is assured a warm welcome and a successful worldwide tour.
Pic spans from 1973, when Curtis was a teenager, to his suicide in 1980, just prior to what was expected to be a successful U.S. tour. Auds familiar with Michael Winterbottom's "24 Hour Party People" will recognize overlapping events covered in that biopic of Manchester music entrepreneur Tony Wilson (here played by Craig Parkinson, but thesped by Steve Coogan in the earlier pic).
Despite some amusing moments, the tone of this pic is considerably less lighthearted. It makes a fitting eulogy not just for Curtis, but for his ill-fated marriage to Deborah Curtis, whose memoir is the chief source for this heartfelt, anguished film.
At pic's beginning, Hamlet-like teenager Ian Curtis, curled up in his bedroom, is already contemplating reasons for existence. Experimenting with pharmaceutical drugs and possessed by a desire to write poetry and song lyrics, Curtis lives in a David Bowie-lined cocoon, isolated from his family and the world. Something about a friend's g.f. Debbie (Samantha Morton), however, reveals the butterfly within, and Ian quickly makes a play for her, with a devotion that rapidly leads to wedding bells.
Between love at first sight and marriage, Curtis attends (with Debbie glued to his side) a historic, sparsely attended Sex Pistols gig and inveigles himself into the position of lead vocalist of a singerless band that later will be called Joy Division.
Pic follows the well-known arc of rising pop stars outgrowing the conventional life of those around them, but Corbijn never loses sight of, or becomes indifferent to, Debbie's pain in being deceived or left behind.
The tug of war between husband and wife is depicted fairly, but (unsurprisingly given the source material), the distress of the often monosyllabic, and frequently epileptic Ian is occasionally eclipsed by Morton's astonishing, sympathetic performance as his suffering wife.
Nevertheless, Riley is likewise stunning. Except for the film's opening and final reels, which grant him a voiceover, Riley's portrayal is like a series of snapshots of different people: gentle, selfish, uncaring, ambitious. Riley is able to fashion these disparate personalities into a psychologically fractured but dramatically cohesive whole.
Supporting cast is strong, with Tony Kebbell standing out as Joy Division manager Rob Gretton, who provides comic relief and ruthless business acumen at the same time. In an indication of the script's fairness, Alexandra Maria Lara is allowed a sympathetic turn as Curtis' Belgian lover Annik.
Corbijn's helming presents a visual rhapsody of grays and largely abstains from the artiness that plagues most snappers-cum-directors. Use of Joy Division songs (some re-performed by thesps playing the band) to illustrate the drama is well-informed and well-executed. Sound quality is excellent throughout, from musical concerts to Debbie's shrill screams.
Camera (B&W), Martin Ruhe; editor, Andrew Hulme; music, New Order; production designer, Chris Richmond; sound (Dolby Digital) Peter Baldock. Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Directors' Fortnight -- opener), May 17, 2007. Running time: 121 MIN.
Ciao,
Pro-B
Last edited by pro-bassoonist; 08-07-2009 at 03:21 AM.
anyone know if this is region free ? or region coded ?
Cheers,
bluray.liesinc.net lists it as region free, but with a note "no English subs". The Amazon.de listing says DTS HD English & German. Anyone pick this up yet, I've been thinking of getting a copy. Weinstein has the US rights, so it will be eons if not longer before a US blu-ray release.
bluray.liesinc.net lists it as region free, but with a note "no English subs". The Amazon.de listing says DTS HD English & German. Anyone pick this up yet, I've been thinking of getting a copy. Weinstein has the US rights, so it will be eons if not longer before a US blu-ray release.
Good evening,
I have the disc and have been planning to put up a review for quite some time now, but there is always something else to cover first. To make a long story short, it is a lovely package. Not a top-notch one, but very, very good.
For more, once I am done with my backlog (very soon), I would post a review.
It gave me chills seeing this in the theater. Excellent film. I may have to import this because I can't see North America rushing to put a version out.
I got a copy of it today. I am in the USA using a Panasonic BD-60K player (which is not a region free player). I am thrilled to say that Control plays perfectly!!!! I was worried because this site along with many other say it is region coded, but that doesn't seem to be the case!
I got a copy of it today. I am in the USA using a Panasonic BD-60K player (which is not a region free player). I am thrilled to say that Control plays perfectly!!!! I was worried because this site along with many other say it is region coded, but that doesn't seem to be the case!
I think I need to order this badly. Never was a fan of extras but for this movie I am curious what I am missing. JD and NO are one of favorite bands.
Also if anyone can recommend some other movies that are region free that are unavailable in the US that would be great. Want to maximize my shipping.
Special features from the DVD include:
Commentary by Anton Corbijn
The making of Control
A conversation with Anton Corbijn
Still gallery
Extended live performances from the film
3 music videos from Joy Division and The Killers
2 theatrical trailers
After reading this and several other forums I decided to spring for importing it from Germany via amazon.de (luckily my parents speak German and could translate the buttons that google was skipping). The preview for The Fall (another great film) works fine, and then a few other previews etc don't show video but the menu (top and popup) works and the film looks great and sounds amazing. The contrast and cinematography are superb, resolution is great most of the time. If you like the film and want to appreciate it the closest to it's first screening in Cannes (which was ear-splitting volume) this is a MUST buy and well worth the extra money!
I guess I'll add it to my high priority wishlist. It is relatively cheap on Amazon.de and eBay.de (only around €18 with shipping to Estonia). Reviews I've seen have been positive and the screenshots at DVDBeaver look good, but low bitrate VC1 encodes always make me sceptical.
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