Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris,
Tony Wilson, Peter Saville, Anton Corbijn, Annik Honore,
Genesis P Orridge, Paul Morley, Pete Shelley
Edited by Jerry Chater
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 93 minutes
Directed by Grant Gee
Everything, they say, is cyclical. In some respects — mullets, ra-ra skirts, wars in Iraq — that's a bad thing. In others, it's a good thing. And, in the case of Joy Division and Ian Curtis, it's a very good thing.
While never a fan at the time — I left that to my navel-gazing, bedroom-dwelling teenage peers while I went out and saw something called “daylight” — Joy Divison's influence is obvious. And with a few more years under the belt, a lot more experience and yes, to some extent, the knowledge of Curtis's suicide, returning to Joy Division now is a breathtaking experience. Moving, dark, sinister, poignant, it's music that demands to be heard. Hopefully Grant Gee's excellent biography of the band — and their city and the era — will help that cause considerably.
A collection of talking heads, period films and unseen footage, Joy Division — the movie — forms a fascinating sister piece to last year's Control, Anton Corbijn's remarkable fictional take on the rise, demise and intense problems of Ian Curtis. As well as proving how accurate Sam Riley's portrayal was, Gee's documentary opens the story out, assembling the three surviving members Hook, Sumner and Morris (although not, regrettably, together, thanks to the ongoing Hook and Sumner feud) to discuss their memories, giving the late Tony Wilson a suitable platform for what is, to some extent, his epitaph, allowing Corbijn himself to speak about his legendary photos of the band and, most interestingly of all, giving the real Annik the chance to discuss her relationship with Curtis.
Joy Division is a very fine piece of work and, for anyone with even the vaguest interest in music, it's a must-see.
• Official Site
• Joy Division at IMDb
• Read the Control review HERE