The Short Life of Ian Curtis-Joy Division's Tortured Genius

Reviews:  
24 Hour Party People (2002, Michael Winterbottom)
Joy Division (2007, Grant Gee)
Control (2007, Anton Corbijn)


​Last week I ticked off a bucket list item by seeing New Order in concert in Chicago.  In what was perhaps the best live show I've ever seen, I was struck by how much of a "Joy Division" vibe they threw off throughout the show. For those who may not be fans of either band, Joy Division became New Order in 1980.  I'd always been a Joy Division fan, but beyond knowing that their lead singer, Ian Curtis, died by suicide, I had left most of my interest purely on the music.  The Friday night concert vibe changed that, however, and I wanted to learn more.  It didn't take long to remember a 2001 film called 24 Hour Party People, which is essentially a biopic of Tony Wilson, who singlehandedly created the Manchester music renaissance in the late 70's and 80's, which included Joy Division and New Order, along with The Happy Mondays, The Buzzcocks, and several others.  Starring the wonderful Steve Coogan, and shot in a whimsical fashion that allows Wilson to occasionally break the 4th wall to make a point, the film tells the wild ups and down of Wilson, who essentially creating the Rave culture that swept the world during the 80's & 90's.  His story is incredibly interesting and touches on Joy Division's demise, so I watched the film again and was fully entertained.

Of course that wasn't enough, so I searched out and found 2 films from 2007 that filled in the remainder of the Joy Division and Ian Curtis story.  The first is a documentary simply called Joy Division (2007) that features archival performances going back to when the band was called Warsaw and 2006 interviews with the living bandmates and associates.  What first struck me about the film was the absolutely hypnotic performance style of Curtis, which is wholly unique in his herky-jerky dance movements and the intensity in which he sang.  Imagine a loose combination of David Bryne and Jim Morrison, with lyrics that burrow their way into your soul. The overwhelming take away from the film, however, was the absolute regret everyone had about not understanding the pain Curtis was going through and the emotional, physical and psychic toll each performance took on him.  He suffered from epilepsy, which furthered his isolation, and the medication to control his seizures, added to mood swings and depression.  The film is a fantastic chronicle of the band, putting Curtis front and center, just as he was when alive.

​Finally, Control (2007), based on Curtis' widow Deborah's biography Touching From a Distance, delves deeply into Curtis' life, his struggles and his process.  Sam Riley stars as Curtis and Samantha Morton plays his wife, with both actors offering captivating performances.  Deborah is a devoted wife, the couple married in their teens, even in the face of Curtis' infidelity, betrayal and ultimate abandonment before his death.  Riley captures Curtis' physicality, his isolation and torment, but also his deeply caring work as a social worker and his confusion over loving another woman.  While the actors perform the Joy Division songs, there is an honesty in the attempt that rings true. 
If I were to recommend one of these 3 films, based solely on quality, it would be Control, because after seeing all three, it distilled down all the emotion, the intensity and the purity of Curtis in its 2 hour runtime.  Watch 24 Hour Party People for the spectacle and Joy Division for the history, but Control for the real story.
Control (7.6 IMDB rating) can be streamed on Apple TV & Amazon for a fee or free with ads on Hooppla, Tubi or Pluto TV.
24 Hour Party People (7.3 IMDB) can be streamed on Apple TV & Amazon for a fee or free with ads on Hooppla, Tubi or Pluto TV.
Joy Division (7.7 IMDB)  can be streamed on Apple TV & Amazon for a fee or free with ads on Hooppla and Plex.

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