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Control - Limited Edition with Free 'Touching from a Distance' book (Exclusive to Amazon.co.uk) [DVD]

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Control - Limited Edition with Free 'Touching from a Distance' book (Exclusive to Amazon.co.uk) [DVD]

DVD ~ Anton Corbijn

4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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	65% buy Control [DVD] [2007] 3.8 out of 5 stars (57) �4.98
	10% buy Joy Division [DVD] [2008] 4.2 out of 5 stars (14) �4.88

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Product details

Directors: Anton Corbijn
Writers: Deborah Curtis, Matt Greenhalgh
Format: PAL
Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
Classification: 15
Studio: Momentum Pictures Home Ent
DVD Release Date: 11 Feb 2008

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

ASIN: B0011F1TGC
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 39,894 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Musicians have long proven to be a well of inspiration for film makers, and so it proves again with director Anton Corbjn’s telling of the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division, Control.

Based on the book of the same name, the first of Control's many successes is to make prior knowledge of the subject matter unnecessary. And while music is an important part of the film, the movie ultimately focuses in on the relationship between Curtis and his wife, Deborah. It’s a moving and emotional rollercoaster, and one realised with exceptional skill and grace by Sam Riley and the ever-astonishing Samantha Morton in the lead acting roles. The former is someone very much to watch, the latter is surely long overdue an Oscar.

Credit too must go to director Corbjn, though, who builds up Control with diligence and discipline. He shapes a musical biopic that distinguishes itself from its numerous contemporaries, and while it perhaps doesn’t spend enough time with the Joy Division side of the story, it’s a film that’s otherwise hard to fault.

Control, ultimately, not only managed to sidestep many of the contrivances of the genre, but it also offers a raw, electric and emotional experience, and proved to be one of 2007’s finest films. Don’t miss it. --Jon Foster

Synopsis

Based on the memoir TOUCHING FROM A DISTANCE by Deborah Curtis, Anton Corbijn's CONTROL is as near perfect a filmic telling of the story of Joy Division and Ian Curtis as any fan could hope for. It's also a beautifully rendered piece of cinema about the crippling effects of love and regret, and the salvation we seek in art. Born out of England's post-Sex Pistols punk explosion, Joy Division played a dark, minimalist version of the nascent sound, and became cult heroes thanks in part to their brilliant yet disturbed frontman Ian Curtis (played by an eerily perfect Sam Riley). Corbijn does a wonderful job recreating the Manchester band's music and live show, cutting straight to the essence of Joy Division's unique appeal. Credit must also be given to the three actors who portray the rest of Joy Division. Playing all the instruments themselves, they perfectly capture the band's powerfully stoic presence, one that translates both live and on record into the sonic equivalent of an existential crisis.

CONTROL, however, is ultimately about Curtis' tumultuous marriage to his wife, Deborah (Samantha Morton), and the way that Joy Division became an aesthetic manifestation of his pain--one that was both physical (Curtis was an epileptic) and emotional. Corbijn evokes Curtis' hurt and isolation with both honesty and subtlety; a photographer originally, he frames each shot to look like a stark black-and-white photo from an album the audience was never meant to see, making Curtis' pain palpable and his eventual suicide that much more tragic. The overtones to the later suicide of Kurt Cobain are hard to avoid, but where Cobain's suicide has always been discussed in terms of the pressure he felt as a rock star, Curtis', as rendered by Corbijn, is a pain anyone could potentially be forced to suffer through.

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

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4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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Average Customer Review

4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, 18 Jan 2008

By	simonpeggfan (Maidenhead UK) - See all my reviews

Corbijn is first and foremost a photographer - you may be aware of him from his work with Joy Division and Depeche Mode - and the style he brings to the film is self-evident. He and the cast also bring plenty of substance to the film as well.

Riley has the has the hardest role - the task of telling a very familiar story: on the eve of the band's first trip to America, Curtis hanged himself. But even if you don't know the story - if you don't know your Joy Division from your Cheeky Girls - that won't matter, it's still a great account of Curtis' short influential life, reclaiming the myths of him as a trench-coated visionary and reminding us that here, at 23, was a kid who died too young.
Making clear Curtis' humanity, Corbijn gives his tale a rich and unlikely seam of dry humour to counter the darkness of his moods.

The energy of this film when Joy Division finally perform is astounding - playing live rather than miming, the cast bring the band's sound vividly to life, but again Riley is the standout in his imitation of Curtis.

An excellent first film from Corbijn

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Closer, 14 Feb 2008

By	Paul McColm. "ROYALS FAN" (Reading ,England) - See all my reviews

After the hype,is Control really any good?The answer is an emphatic yes,and crucially the film attempts to cover the Ian Curtis story with a more detached approach than from its main source material[Deborah Curtis' "Touching From A Distance"] .This means that Curtis' relationship with Annik Honore is given credence amongst the twin pressures of Joy Division's rise to prominance,and the singers apparant physical and mental deterioration.

Anton Corbijn has drawn on his own experience of his time photographing and knowing Joy Division, to give a convincing and believable account of this extraordinary band,and the directors closeness to the story is obvious in his willingness to bring a sense of ordinariness to the myth of Joy Division,and their troubled singer.

The actors give pretty convincing performances of the musicians at the beginning of their careers,and most impressively manage to pull off several credible live performances during the film [and thankfully these are expanded as welcome dvd extras].Both lead actresses, Samantha Morton,and Alexandra Maria Lara give perfomances that suggest the story of Ian Curtis was a tragic one where everybody suffered an insurmountable loss

Ultimately, Control is not an Ian Curtis biopic[ Corbijn makes this very clear in the excellent 23 minute "making of" documentary],but a very human tragedy, that just happened to have some of the most astonishing rock music ever made as its background and context.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Peaks and pitfalls - lessons for all entertainers, 12 Feb 2008

By	Mr. K. C. Ballard "keith_ballard" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

An ego. A necessary evil in the world of entertainment. It's the thing that keeps you strong when you're first starting out, pushing you on when all the reviews tell you you're no good at what you do. But later on, when things start to grow and change, it may be the thing that makes you feel depressed because you're no longer in control. In the case of Ian Curtis, it was his illness, his relationships, and Joy Division's plan to tour America which made him feel out of control. Anton Corbijn's film covers all these things, and with clarity, with passion, and (most importantly) with a balanced view. Ian Curtis, like all humans, was flawed, and sometimes behaved in questionable ways. But his contribution to modern music cannot be denied, and this version of his story is just about the best and most accurate you will see. Don't miss it. And yes, there are lessons here for all modern entertainers.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars compelling
if your a true believer in love, passion, music, Manchester, a soul being eaten away or even just a true piece of art buy this movie!!! Read more

Published 19 months ago by C. B. Reed

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent
At first I was pleasantly surprised by this film, not being a fan of joy division. It has great cinematography and decent acting, the problem for me was the unpleasant characters... Read more

Published 20 months ago by P. Benson

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