After Thanksgiving Dinner with the family I went to visit some
friends. We spent the evening browsing through their extensive vinyl record
collection. It was a curious investigation in the lost art form of album art
and a fun trip down memory lane.
The records that called loudest to me through the fog of
yesteryear were the music of my youth. I’d remembered rushing home with the
large cardboard and vinyl recording under my arm to the living-room record
player – I only had a cassette tape deck in my room. I’d examine the album art,
dissect the lyrics and immerse myself in the new sounds of 1980s modern rock.
At the best times the ritual became not solitary but a social event with my
childhood friends. We’d all gather around and absorb the familiar scratch, hiss
and popping exclusive to vinyl recordings buried beneath the latest and
greatest musical offerings.
There’s a moment early in 2007’s “Control” when Ian Curtis (Sam
Riley) brings home the latest David Bowie record that replicates my experiences
completely. Ian and two other friends sit quietly and listen to the new music
as if it’s divine directive. Their rapt attention is shot in somber black and
white. We see the smallness of their world giving way to a much greater
realization brought on by musical exploration. It’s an intimate scene very
close to my own youth. Unfortunately it’s about as close as the film ever comes
to emotional resonance.
This comes as an incredible disappointment for me. The film is
a biopic of Ian Curtis, frontman for one of my favorite bands of the early
‘80s, “Joy Division.” The lyrics, unique bass lines and Curtis’ haunting voice
all combined to make “Joy Division” an intensely emotional band. I couldn’t
help but feel not just the instrumentation but the ache and pull of the vocals
of each song.
Fans of the group will know that Ian Curtis didn’t make it long
in the music industry, having tragically taken his own life in May of 1980.
“Control” tells the story of Curtis in his early years and the formation of the
band and his eventual departure and it sadly does this in a way that lacks any
of the essence that made “Joy Division’s” music so influential.
The film is not a total loss. The music is thankfully not
recreated by the actors themselves but actual recordings of the band and it’s
every bit as powerful today as it was when I had first heard it.
Riley as Curtis is a dead-ringer – no pun intended – for his
real-life counterpart. His enigmatic stage antics and quiet yet forceful
personality provide the roadmap for every dark and brooding musical frontman
for years to follow. Riley handles his
performance incredibly well even coaxing sympathy from the viewer though the
script and story indicate he may not deserve any.
More credit should be given to Samantha Morton who plays
Curtis’ childhood love and later wife, Debbie Curtis. As Ian’s band rises in
success and the inevitable attraction of female groupies begin to threaten the
marriage Debbie remains a rock. Morton’s portrayal of someone hopelessly in
love yet tragically abandoned is immensely powerful. If this was not a true
story and Ian Curtis was not a famous artist I could easily see the focal point
of the story being Debbie as the jilted lover. It might make a better film.
Curtis’ band mates aren’t given much time to develop into
personalities or characters on their own – a strange sleight given that the
surviving members did move on to become “New Order” and have a much more
successful music career. We see really only enough of them to know they are
there as they try to cope with the spiraling downfall of their friend and
vocalist.
As an informative look into the history of one of my favorite
bands “Control” fills in the blanks, dots the “i”s and crosses the “t”s. The
music is as moving now as it was then but it’s not enough to elevate the film
to success. The final song in the film happened to be my favorite from the
band, “Atmosphere.” It’s an emotional ending that gave a taste of what the
whole fim could have been. Like “Joy Division” itself, “Control” has the
elements of greatness, but it falls tragically short.
Control (2007)
Director: Anton Corbijn
 |
2 and a half vinyl discs of memories out of 5
|
Starring: Sam Riley, Samantha Morton and Craig Parkinson
Runtime: 122 minutes
Rated R for language and brief sexuality
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