"Control"

I first posted about Anton Corbijn's forthcoming biopic "Control" about the life of Ian Curtis at the end of last month on "The Endless Note"

 

This week it picked up a major award at the Cannes Film Festival but it will still be a long wait for many until it's scheduled release in September.

 

 

The film was based on Ian Curtis's widow's in depth biographical account of her husbands life both before and during Joy Division, Corbijn is keen to emphasis that this is Curtis's story and not Joy Division as much of the footage covers Curtis's formulative years before he joined the band.

 

I have had the book on my shelf for many a year, it was first published in 1995, but have now finally started to read it as I was keen to develop my own perception of the man and his inner self which from an early stage materialised in a obsession with an early death before seeing the film.

 

The music is almost incidental yet vital in conduiting his inner feelings to the outside world,  in doing so he left behind a legacy of deep rooted highly charged, yet dark, music from deep in the soul.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The musical timeline for Joy Division does not extend far beyond two years, yet in that time they produced two landmark albums in "Unknown Pleasures" and "Closer" plus the non album commercially successfull single "Love Will Tear Us Apart".

 

Ian Curtis died by his own hand on 18th May 1980, leaving his wife, child and the inevitiable international acclaim which was just around the corner following the single's success.

 

Ian Rankine wraps up the story well with his comments on the book "An extraordinary book, a steely=eyed look at the pitfalls of fame and a fascinating insight into one man's heart and soul written by the only person qualified for the job. Most books about rock and roll cling greedily to the myths of the subject; this one tears them apart"

 

How this translates to screen remains to be seen and you can view for yourself the trailer below.

 

The soundtrack worries me as highlighted below by The Killers cover of "Shadowplay" as there hopefully hasn't been a desire to "sell" the film on the back of novelty covers, the originals would have been fine for me, perhaps there is a desire to find a new audience for the Curtis and Joy Division legacy via the bands they have influenced.

It worked for the old bluesman in the 60's and 70's so who knows, but as usual the original normally remains the best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The final track above "Means To An End" perhaps sums it all up perfectly.