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I was at the première of "Control" last night, the new film about Joy Division's lead singer, Ian Curtis - as a punter, not a performer. Apparently, there was some bash or other in Manchester, too, but as it was shot in and around my home town and and was about the place, we all thought ours was the real one. Especially as there were people there who knew and possibly even understood him, rather than showbiz wannabes strutting for the cameras. My link? I played football with him in the street as a kid when he lived round the corner from my Gran's.

Kurt Cobain once said it was listening to "Unknown Pleasures" that made him want to form a band. Countless others cite Joy Division as a major influence. Even Elton John's a fan. They had 8 records in John Peel's Festive 50 in 1980, and have been a major feature of the list ever since, even topping the all time list in 2000. And yet, beyond "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and a few moody pictures, what's left? Factory is gone, New Order are gone, Tony Wilson is gone, but Curtis went way before the party ever got going. This is a film about why.

I've seen a few biopics and I didn't think the guy playing Ian Curtis looked like him until he really "let go" on stage. God, it was eerie. There are a couple of passages that I think we all felt dragged a few minutes too long, covering the dichotomy of choosing between Debbie and Anike, but now I think I understand something of the pressure he was under when he realised he couldn't go on. Bleak, personal and revealing, it's an interesting film that holds your attention and doesn't sanitise the story for the mass market, and it's quite faithful to the original book, "Touching From A Distance", by his widow Debbie. Plus it features what I consider to be some of the best music of the 20th century.

I saw control last night.

Sam Riley who played Ian was, i thought outstanding. Looked and sounded the part. There was one scene in particular i thought he acted really well, where "Ian" comes home and finds his wife rooting through his records and asks him "who's Anike?" and literally backs him into a corner.

As a Joy Division fan, I think you hit the nail on the head about this film helping you understand the pressure that man felt.
The film itself was great, the choice to shoot it entirely in black and white and it's heavy use of silence created a bleak, almost doomed feel to it.

Beautifully shot and great supporting cast. Recommended

Some sick animal has stolen Curtis' memorial stone from West Park Cemetery in Macclesfield http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manc ... 486280.stm

If anyone's interested, Control is on Film 4 tonight at 9pm.

I missed it.. And i really wanted to watch it too, particually as i caught 24 hour party people the other night.
Thankfully, Fil4, being film4, It'l be on again some time this week