Official Synopsis:
Control -

The Tragic Tale of the Singer of Joy Division. "Perfectly attuned to the raw pulse of late -70's post-punk" (Troy Patterson, Spin Magazine), Control tells the remarkable story of Ian Curtis, lead singer of the influential band Joy Division and one of the most enigmatic figures in all of rock music. Based on his wife's memoir, Control follows Curtis's humble Manchester origins, his rapid rise to fame, tormented battle with epilepsy, and struggles with love that led to his death at the age of 23. Starring Sam Riley in an acclaimed breakout performance and Samantha Morton as his teenage bride, Control is "a stunning look at the head-spinning, tragic world of a gifted musician" (Pete Hammond, Maxim).

Joy Division –

Fans of the gloomy Manchester-based band from the late 1970s will have less to feel down about with the release of this rockumentary. JOY DIVISION follows the unlikely rise of these working class lads up to Ian Curtis's suicide which tore the band apart until it was reborn as New Order. Included here is rare footage of the group as well as their moody and starkly photographed videos capturing the essence of what made Joy Division so special and so tragic.

Our Take:
Joy Division and Control are both beautiful films in a visual sense. Joy Division is a documentary about the post-punk band that would go on to become New Order after the death of lead singer Ian Curtis at the age of 23. Control is a biopic of Curtis (and ostensibly the band, although Curtis remains the main subject matter throughout.) Both films look amazing. Joy Division uses not just interviews and performance footage, but colorful graphics, lyrics and quotes on screen, and multiple visual tricks to really make the film pop. Control is shot in stark black & white by famed music video director/photographer Anton Corbijn. The cinematography is top-notch, and the movie is filmed with a crispness that is emphasized by the black & white.

However, while both movies look terrific, only one actually is. Joy Division is the best kind of documentary; the kind that can make you interested in a subject matter you have no interest in. I’m not a Joy Division or a New Order fan at all, but I had heard some really good things about both of these films, so I thought I’d give them a look. Control, on the other hand, suffers as a movie. It’s a bloated, slow, dull piece of work. Is that because Ian Curtis’s life wasn’t very interesting or is it simply the film that’s uninteresting? I’m not really sure, but it’s incredibly plodding and I had a hard time getting through it.

The DVDs are released as part of Genius Entertainment’s Miriam Collection, and fittingly they both come with a nice array of extra features.

Control -

* Feature Commentary by Producer/Director Anton Corbijn.
* The Making of Control.
* A Conversation with Anton Corbijn.
* Still Gallery.
* Extended Live Performances from the Film.
* Three Music Videos from Joy Division and The Killers.
* Two Theatrical Trailers.

Joy Division -

* Additional Interviews (75 minutes) – More interviews with the subjects from the film that were edited out.

* Performance Video – “Transmission.”

Fans of the band Joy Division will certainly enjoy the film Joy Division, and I imagine some of them will really get a lot out of Curtis’s life story in Control. However, if you’re only slightly interested, go with the documentary and skip the overlong dramatic film.

Overall Picture:
Movie:

Joy Division: B+

Control: C-
DVD:

Joy Division: A-

Control: A-

- Mike Spring

Editor