If there’s an early, tragic death in the story, there will always be room for another rock-and-roll biopic. And so welcome “Control” to the club of doomed pop star movies — although this one goes in the art-flick division, rather than the mainstream ranks.
“Control” is the story of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of Joy Division, a band that broke out of the stew of Manchester music in the mid-1970s. For a brief moment, Joy Division was poised to be the next big thing, but Curtis’ health problems and personal demons ended that.
Shot in handsome black and white, “Control” is officially adapted from a memoir by Curtis’ widow, Deborah, played in the film by the superb Samantha Morton (lately seen in “Elizabeth: The Golden Years”). Curtis is played by a little-known actor, Sam Riley.
In the early scenes, Curtis is a disaffected teenager, buying the new David Bowie album on its day of release and listening to it obsessively. Married at a young age, he takes a normal job at the unemployment office.
Had it not been for an encounter with some musicians at a 1976 Sex Pistols concert, perhaps Curtis would have noodled away at his poetry and left it at that. But soon he’s the lead singer of a band, with the usual toll taken on his marriage and his privacy.
The film has one advantage, dramatically speaking, over many music biopics, which is that Curtis’ music career was concentrated into a short amount of time.
Refreshingly, the movie has no ax to grind, and treats its various players with fairness: Curtis’ mistress (Alexandra Maria Lara), the band’s hustling manager (Tony Kebbell), and Manchester music impresario Tony Wilson (Craig Parkinson), whose story was told in “24 Hour Party People,” a film that somewhat overlaps with this one.
The other band members play second fiddle to Curtis’ story, but the actors do play their own instruments. They include Joe Anderson, who made an excellent impression in “Across the Universe” earlier this fall.
Director Anton Corbijn, a famous rock-and-roll photographer, actually knew Joy Division during the band’s heyday, so he has a personal stake in things. It’s a respectable job all around, but without too much excitement.
“Control” has a mesmerizing turn from Sam Riley, who uncannily mimics Curtis’ vocal and physical performances. He’s more than a mimic, though: This kind of gloom is a total immersion in character.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
