Control (2007)

Director:

Anton Corbijn

Writers:

Deborah Curtis (autobiography "Touching from a Distance")
Matt Greenhalgh (writer)

Release Date:

12 September 2007 (Belgium)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music

Plot:

A profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.

Plot Keywords:

Band | Singer | Suicide | Musician | Kitchen Sink Realism

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 25 wins & 20 nominations

Cast

Sam Riley	...	Ian Curtis
Samantha Morton	...	Deborah Curtis
Alexandra Maria Lara	...	Annik Honoré
Joe Anderson	...	Peter Hook
James Anthony Pearson	...	Bernard Sumner
Harry Treadaway	...	Stephen Morris
Craig Parkinson	...	Tony Wilson
Toby Kebbell	...	Rob Gretton
Andrew Sheridan	...	Terry Mason
Robert Shelly	...	Twinny
Richard Bremmer	...	Ian's Father
Tanya Myers	...	Ian's Mother
Martha Myers Lowe	...	Ian's Sister (as Martha Myers-Lowe)
Matthew McNulty	...	Nick Jackson
David Whittington	...	Chemistry Teacher
Margaret Jackman	...	Mrs. Brady
Mary Jo Randle	...	Debbie's Mother (as Mary-Jo Randle)
Ben Naylor	...	Martin Hannett
John Cooper Clarke	...	Himself
James Fortune	...	MC
Angus Addenbrooke	...	Colin
Nicola Harrison	...	Corrine Lewis
June Alliss	...	Corrine's Mother
George Newton	...	Studio Owner
Mark Jardine	...	Other Band Manager
Herbert Grönemeyer	...	Local GP
Paul Arlington	...	Hospital Doctor
Tim Plester	...	Earnest Richards
Joanna Swain	...	Maternity Nurse
Joseph Marshall	...	Alan from Crispy Ambulance
Laura Chambers	...	Claire
Eliot Otis Brown Walters	...	Footballing Kid (as Elliot Brown-Walters)
Monica Axelsson	...	Tony Wilson's Girlfriend
Lotti Closs	...	Gillian Gilbert
Eady Williams	...	Baby Natalie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Nigel Harris	...	Tramp (uncredited)

Directed by
Anton Corbijn

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Deborah Curtis		autobiography "Touching from a Distance"
Matt Greenhalgh		writer

Produced by
Iain Canning	....	executive producer
Anton Corbijn	....	producer
Deborah Curtis	....	co-producer
Todd Eckert	....	producer
Lizzie Francke	....	executive producer
Megumi Fukasawa	....	co-producer
Peter Heslop	....	co-producer
Satoru Iseki	....	co-producer
Akira Ishii	....	executive producer
Korda Marshall	....	executive producer
Orian Williams	....	producer
Tony Wilson	....	co-producer

Cinematography by
Martin Ruhe

Film Editing by
Andrew Hulme

Casting by
Shaheen Baig

Production Design by
Chris Roope

Art Direction by
Philip Elton

Costume Design by
Julian Day

Makeup Department
Barbara Taylor	....	hair assistant
Barbara Taylor	....	makeup assistant
Jeremy Woodhead	....	hair designer
Jeremy Woodhead	....	makeup designer
Andy Seston	....	makeup daily (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew Foster	....	second assistant director
Toni Staples	....	first assistant director
Katy Stenson	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Josh Fifarek	....	set designer
Cassie Leedham	....	graphic designer
Chris Richmond	....	stand-by art director
Tim Stevenson	....	set constructor
Matt Wells	....	props

Sound Department
Iain Anderson	....	adr recordist
Nick Baldock	....	assistant sound editor
Peter Baldock	....	supervising sound editor: UK
Grant Bridgeman	....	sound assistant
Ben Carr	....	adr recordist
Daniel Crowley	....	boom operator
Carl Edström	....	sound effects editor
Adele Fletcher	....	adr editor
Linda Forsén	....	sound coordinator
Thomas Huhn	....	sound re-recording mixer
Thomas Huhn	....	supervising sound editor
John Midgley	....	production sound mixer
Lucas Nilsson	....	foley artist
Jamie Roden	....	adr mixer
Jonas Jansson	....	sound effects editor (uncredited?)

Visual Effects by
Mats Holmgren	....	digital colourist
Fredrik Nord	....	digital effects artist

Stunts
Riky Ash	....	stunt coordinator
Riky Ash	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Tim Battersby	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Robert Binnall	....	camera operator
Andy Clarke	....	best boy rigging gaffer
Rachel Clark	....	camera trainee
Warwick Drucker	....	key grip
Brian Fawcett	....	electrician
Dean Rogers	....	still photographer
Christopher Ross	....	camera operator
Basil Smith	....	daily focus puller
Barry Squires	....	camera assistant
Owen Tooth	....	video tape operator
Julian White	....	gaffer
Sophie Wilson	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera

Casting Department
Vanessa Baker	....	adr voice casting
Brendan Donnison	....	adr voice casting
Benjamin Till	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Fiona MacKinnon	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Maria Dahlin	....	post-production coordinator
Barry Moen	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Peter Clarke	....	music editor
Ian Neil	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
John Oxborough	....	unit driver
Rod Patterson	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Lorraine Bagshaw	....	stand-in
Andrew Brand	....	floor runner
Neil Calder	....	completion guarantor: Film Finances Inc.
Vicky Chapman	....	location assistant
Mel Churcher	....	dialect coach
Lee Clyne	....	unit medic
Helen de Winter	....	delivery coordinator
Paul Dray	....	laboratory contact
Zoe Flower	....	unit publicist
Dan Hodgett	....	location services
Rob Jones	....	location manager
Simon Jones	....	tranport coordinator: London
Hakan Kousetta	....	production legal advisor
Alastair Mackay	....	location assistant
Louise Melzack	....	additional floor runner
Keeley Naylor	....	unit publicist
Tina Pawlik	....	assistant production coordinator
Rachel Robey	....	production coordinator
Val White	....	script supervisor
Emma Yeomans	....	assistant location manager

Thanks
Monica Axelsson	....	special thanks
Rebecca Boulton	....	special thanks
David Bowie	....	special thanks
Bart Chabot	....	special thanks
Natalie Curtis	....	special thanks
Paul Dray	....	special thanks
Steve Ellis	....	special thanks
Josh Fifarek	....	special thanks
Brandon Flowers	....	special thanks
Martin Gore	....	special thanks (as Martin L. Gore)
Herbert Grönemeyer	....	special thanks
Charles Hannah	....	special thanks
Annik Honoré	....	special thanks
Laura Kanerick	....	special thanks
Henric Larsson	....	special thanks
Alexandra McGuinness	....	special thanks
Paul Morley	....	special thanks
New Order	....	special thanks
Kate Ogborn	....	special thanks
Iggy Pop	....	special thanks
Tracey Pryor	....	special thanks
Lou Reed	....	special thanks
Mick Rock	....	special thanks
Peter Saville	....	special thanks
Siouxsie and the Banshees	....	special thanks
Dr. Torben Smith	....	thanks
David Sultan	....	special thanks
Robert Walak	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• 3 Dogs and a Pony
• Becker Films
• Claraflora
• EM Media (executive production)
• NorthSee
• Three Dogs and a Pony
• Warner Music

Distributors

• Alliance (2007) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2008) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Capelight Pictures (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinema Without Frontiers (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2007) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Paradiso Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Style Jam (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Weinstein Company, The (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Weinstein Company, The (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Atlantic Film (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Barbar Film (2008) (Turkey) (all media)
• Daylight Films (2008) (Brazil) (all media)
• Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• La Fabrique de Films (2007) (France) (all media)
• Momentum Pictures (2007) (UK) (all media)
• Paradiso Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Weinstein Company, The (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Chimney Pot, The

Other Companies

• Arion Facilities  dailies telecine transfers
• Art4noise  ADR recording
• Art4noise  dialogue editing
• Art4noise  sound post-production
• Cinema Investment  funding
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Ljudligan  sound post-production
• Offline Editing Company, The  post-production facilities
• Panavision UK  camera equipment provided by
• Sapex Scripts  post-production services
• Warner Bros. Records  soundtrack

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

122 min

Country:

UK | USA | Australia | Japan

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Canada:14A | USA:R | Netherlands:6 | France:Unrated | Australia:MA | Portugal:M/16 | Finland:K-13 | Germany:12 | Sweden:7 | Japan:PG-12 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Norway:15 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, UK

Company:

3 Dogs and a Pony

Trivia:

According to Samantha Morton, the director mortgaged his house to raise finance for the film.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Ian is recording the vocals for "Isolation," he appears to be using a modern Shure KSM27 studio condenser microphone.

Quotes:

Ian Curtis: I wish I were a Warhol silk screen hanging on the wall. Or little Joe or maybe Lou. I'd love to be them all. All New York's broken hearts and secrets would be mine. I'd put you on a movie reel, and that would be just fine.

Movie Connections:

References The Sound of Music (1965)

Soundtrack:

The Jean Genie

An extremely moving experience

Days away from embarking on a long dreamed about tour of the United States, Ian Curtis, the lead singer of the band Joy Division, hanged himself on May 23, 1980 from a rope in the kitchen of his apartment. His suicide not only ended his promising young life but also the dreams of a generation. Twenty seven years after his death, the eulogizing continues. Last year saw a documentary by Christian Davies: Joy Division: Under Review and this year has brought two more films: Joy Division: The Last True Story In Pop by Grant Gee and Control, the winner of the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Based on the 1996 memoir "Touching From a Distance" by Ian's widow Deborah Curtis, the film follows Curtis' life from his teenage years to his tragic death at age twenty three.

Unlike conventional bio-pics like Ray and Walk the Line with their star glamorizing propensities, Control delivers a three-dimensional portrait of a real human being and how his troubles affected the people closest to him. The film is directed by photographer and video director Anton Corbijn, a celebrated photographer who took some of the most recognized photos of Joy Division. Because he knew and worked with the band, the emotional connection to its subject is palpable. The film is shot in black and white and the choice underscores the grayness of Curtis' home town of Macclesfield, England and the grim mood of much of the work.

The major reason for the film's success, however, rests with lead actor Sam Riley who eerily recreates Curtis in appearance and voice. He performs all of the band's iconic songs such as Atmosphere, Love Will Tear Us Apart, and Twenty-Four Hours himself, using Curtis' robotic hand motions on stage to great effect. Another outstanding performance is that of Samantha Morton who plays Deborah Curtis, Ian's loving and patient wife who is overwhelmed by her husband's success and her new responsibilities as a mother of their daughter. Married at a very young age, both husband and wife lack the strength to make a go of it especially with the pressure of Curtis' epileptic seizures growing worse, and Ian's on again off again affair with Belgian journalist Annik (Alexandra Maria Lara).

Though the subject matter is melancholy, Matt Greenhalgh's script provides a light touch filled with trenchant one-liners from the group's manager Rob Gretton (Tony Kebbell) and witty remarks from band members Joe Anderson, James Anthony Pearson and Harry Treadaway. Although Curtis has become one of rock's most mythologized figures, Riley plays him simply as a very innocent, down to earth young man whose talent was much greater than his ability to handle it. Control is an extremely moving experience whether or not you have foreknowledge of the events of Curtis' life. It is a film that has the power to touch and leave memories that are indelible.