Control

I caught the new film "Control" on Friday night. "Control" is a biopic of the late Joy Division front man Ian Curtis who committed suicide on the eve of the band's first American tour in 1980, Curtis was only 23 years old. It was an excellent flick to say the least. Directed by famed rock photographer Anton Corbijn who has done videos for Depeche Mode and albums covers for U2. "Control" is Corbijn's first foray into cinema and was shot in his signature black & white style. The film was intense and quite sad, given the nature of the story and how young and afflicted Curtis was. My favorite scenes were those that depicted JD shows in the early years. The ensemble put together to play the band was fantastic. I was looking at pictures and videos of the real group afterwards and was astonished at the similarity. New Order, the famed 80s techno-new wave band which consisted of the rest of JD after Curtis' death, performed the score. First time actor Sam Riley who played Curtis actually did the vocal tracks and did a very respectable job.

The movie is based on a book written by Debbie Curtis, the rock star's widow, and focuses on the turmoil Ian experienced during his short Joy Division years. Debbie and Ian married quite young -18 I think?- and produced a baby in 1979. Quickly after becoming the front man for JD Curtis developed epilepsy which plagued him on stage and off. The movie indicates that Curtis was prescribed an array of medication to curb his fits; yet they may have also altered his brain chemistry in dangerous ways (not to mention the late nights and indulgences associated with living the rock life).

A good friend of mine was nice enough to loan me "Heart and Soul," a four disc box set that came out a couple years ago and which features both JD albums plus a host of alternate tracks and live tunes.