| | Like This Store? Don't forget a Gift Card For Your Favorite Person ! | |
|
|
Control (The Miriam Collection) | 
 enlarge | Director: Anton Corbijn
Actors: Samantha Morton, Sam Riley (ii), Alexandra Maria Lara, Joe Anderson (vi), Toby Kebbell
Studio: The Weinstein Company
Category: DVD
List Price: $28.95
Buy New: $14.39
You Save: $14.56 (50%)
New (48) Used (14) from $12.48
Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 3748
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 122
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.7
MPN: 81025
UPC: 796019810258
EAN: 0796019810258
ASIN: B00104AYGU
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: June 3, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
In his elegiac debut, Anton Corbijn combines the music film with the social drama to stunning success. Based on Deborah Curtis's clear-eyed biography, Touching from a Distance, Control recounts the wrenching tale of a working-class lad about to hit the highest highs only to be waylaid by the lowest lows. Born and raised in Macclesfield, a suburban community outside Manchester, Ian Curtis (newcomer Sam Riley in a remarkable performance) dreams of fronting a band. Just out of high school in the mid-1970s, he finds three like minds with whom he forms post-punk quartet Warsaw--better known as Joy Division (Riley and castmates ably recreate their somber sound). All the while, he falls in love, marries, and fathers a child with Deborah (Samantha Morton, turning a thankless role into a triumph). While Curtis should be enjoying parenthood and newfound fame, he's plagued by seizures. A diagnosis of epilepsy leads to powerful medications with unpredictable side effects. Then, while on tour, he falls in love with another woman. His solution to these problems is a matter of public record, but Corbijn concentrates on Curtis's life rather than his death. Just as Control establishes a link between such disparate black and white works as fellow photographer Bruce Weber's Let's Get Lost and kitchen-sink classics like The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, the Dutch-born, UK-based director presents his subject not as some iconic T-shirt image, but as a deeply flawed--if massively talented--human being. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Description
Control tells the remarkable story of Ian Curtis, lead singer of the influential band Joy Division and one of the most enigmatic figures in all of rock music. Based on his wife's memoir, Control follows Curtis' humble Manchester origins and his rapid rise to fame, tormented battle with epilepsy, and struggles with love that led to his death at the age of 23.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
Excellent September 22, 2008
Good movie not only for the hard-core JD/NO fan, but for those who've heard the story and want the details.
From what has been published about the JD story, this movie seems dead-on accurate. And you get an eerie look at the breakdown and fall of Ian Curtis.
The Joy Division documentary fills in a couple of the gaps, and shows you what those around Ian felt about it all afterwards, so it's a good followup. But "Control" did a great job showing the story.
 CONTROL DVD September 22, 2008
Great movie, expressing beautifully the bleak urban landscape of Ian Curtis's life, and his vulnerability as a person. Bummer that the dialogue isn't quite synched to the video.
 Visually and Musically Striking Portrait of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. September 4, 2008
Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn made "Control" about the man and the band that brought him to England: Ian Curtis of Joy Division, which carried on as New Order after Curtis' death in 1980. "Control" follows Curtis' life from 1973-1980, starting with his high school days in Macclesfield with future wife Debbie (Samantha Morton), through joining a band with Bernard Sumner (James Anthony Pearson) and Peter Hook (Joe Anderson) in 1976, to Joy Division's success -having added drummer Stephen Morris (Harry Treadaway). All the while, Ian (Sam Riley) suffered increasingly from the crushing stress of the band and family, exacerbated by side effects from his medications for inadequately uncontrolled epilepsy. Anton Corbijn knew Curtis briefly, having photographed the band, so "Control" feels like a personal and heartfelt project.
The black-and-white photography, Sam Riley's resemblance to Ian Curtis, and the music are striking. The music is actually performed by the actors, whose instruments are plugged in and microphones turned on. Riley has limited experience as an actor; he is a singer, and a darned good one for Joy Division's post-punk sound. They sound good. The gig scenes are electric. "Control" is black-and-white, because the band's visual history is almost entirely black-and-white. It's beautiful. The film is longer than it needs to be but doesn't feel prolonged. It spends time establishing Ian Curtis' ambition, talent, temperament, and then his deteriorating state of mind. Sam Riley's performance is surprisingly charismatic and sympathetic without ever being sentimental. Toby Kebbell provides some comic relief as manager Rob Gretton. "Control" is the story of a modern poet and one of the most memorable music-themed films I've seen.
The DVD (Weinstein 2008): "The Making of Control" (23 min) interviews the director about his inspiration and decisions, the cast about playing real people, and writer Matt Greenhalgh about his process. "In Control: A Conversation with Anton Corbijn" (13 min) discusses the director's relationship with the band, his view of Curtis, and casting the film. "Extended Live Concert Performances from the Film" (9 min) offers 3 performances. "Music Videos" are "Transmission" from 1979 (3 1/2 min), "Atmosphere" (4 min) from 1988, and a cover of "Shadowplay" (4 min) by The Killers from 2007. There is a Still Gallery of 49 photos, and "Promotional Materials" include 2 theatrical trailers. The director's audio commentary is constant and informative, although Anton Corbijn mumbles a bit. He talks about locations, filming, actors, the real Ian Curtis, and the reasons behind his choices. Subtitles are available for the film in English SDH and Spanish. Dubbing available in French.
Spine Tingling September 3, 2008
I am an admitted Joy Division fan just to put that out there first off. And the true story is an easy dramatic starting point for a film to be based on for sure. But the directing, acting, editing, and cinematography quality from this pic simply blew me away. I was not expecting such care for detail and razor sharp precision yet artistic vision from a first time director (the famous photographer Anton Corbijn) and mostly unheard of cast. Yes at the least Mr. Sam Riley should have earned an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ian Curtis, no doubt about it. Samantha Riley is indescribably excellent as his wife Deborah, these two roles could not have been done better. The best complement I can give Control is that it captures the environment and 'atmosphere' of Ian Curtis's world like a dream.
Excellent composition August 29, 2008
Sam Riley's performance definately made this movie. He is entirely convincing as Ian Curtis. The atmosphere, mood, and composition is also dead on, creating a wonderful and moving look at the early post-punk movement. I find myself agreeing with other reviewers who say that the movie could have been better...though I'm not sure what that would entail. There is, however, a lot of emotional subtley I think, and in the places where people claim that the movie "drags on", I think there is a virtue in being inexplicit about the character's struggle. I agree that this struggle could have been cut shorter, but I think the way in which the events leading up to Ian's suicide "drag on" somehow echoes the very appeal of Joy Division's music. It's dark and brooding, and it maintains the distance that is so central to Ian's tragedy.
|
|
|
 | |
