Review of Control (2004) by Quentin T — 05 Dec 2009

Ian Curtis, he is one of my favorite people since then. His music is so dark and so was his soul. He lived the life in success but in the music of life, did he make better harmonies?

"Control" is an independent British film directed by Anton Corbijn in 2007. The movie is basically about the life and death of Ian Curtis when he was 23. It was written by his wife Deborah Curtis.

The movie starts in the life of young Ian Kevin Curtis in Macclesfield, United Kingdom. His teenage life was exemplified with his great madness to music and other forms of art. He was described in the film as a fanatic of poetry and music. Writers such as Wordsworth and J. G. Ballard were referenced as his major influences. Musically, he was influenced greatly by David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Sex Pistols, and The Doors.

Ian got married at an early age. He lived with his wife Deborah and had a child with her. He was first employed in Job Centre, an employment agency in UK where he met a lot of different people every day. He got into the music business when he met his then band members and band manager. They were called collectively as Warsaw. Later they decided to change the band's name to Joy Division as reference to the name of Nazi Concentration camp which became a prostitution site for German soldiers. He was also described as a man of pure melancholy and he put into words with melodies all he feels.

Ian had cheated with his wife having had an affair with a fan named Annik Honore who later became the cause of a divorce. When he was diagnosed with being "epileptic" his life worsened and so as his relationship with people around him. Medications gave him much sufferings and pain as time passed by. In the end, he decided to conclude his life with hanging himself to death when he realized that he could not take it anymore.

This movie is an inspiration for fans and non-fans of the man. Actually, people who don't know him that much can adapt freely with the film without having to read his biography. Maybe one can relate to his life especially when you are purely or mostly melancholic by temperament.

Death and after death.

Is death an escape for all we are having right now? Ian Curtis I can say was a cowardly man who had an exodus from his miserable life. He ended his life when it was in climax. You'll love him, you'll hate him, and in the end you'll love him. Nobody lives the life in perfect harmony but you will decide whether to end the music or keep it playing. I cannot judge him by what he did. He had gone through a lot of suffering.

First movie I thought of while seeing this film was the 1980 Martin Scorsese's "Raging Bull". Control is in black and white. Cinematography is superb. I enjoyed every scene especially the stage performances of the band. Sam Riley is Ian Curtis. Actually, I often get confused if that performing on stage is the real Ian Curtis or Sam Riley the actor. Sam did really excellent in portraying Ian Curtis. Not only he looks like him in facial features, he also moves and talks like him. The lip-synching worked really fine. He is Ian Curtis. Very convincing was his acting. I would also like to commend the actors who played Joy Division band members in the film. Like Sam Riley to Ian Curtis, they do not just look like them, they move like them on stage. The playing of instruments is well synchronized with the pre-recorded music.

The movie made mention of several famous people in history and pop culture. It made reference to David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Jim Morrison, of The Doors, Sex Pistols, Wordsworth, J. G. Ballard, movies such as "The Sound of Music", and Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" as some of Curtis' major influences.

Worked very well for me. Very dark and melancholic.