Having lived through the events portrayed,followed the music press devotedly at the time...the story was a given...I had a good idea how it would look...."24 Hour Party People" gave the now dead Tony Wilson's perspective..Anton Corbijns photos from the NME were regulars on my bedroom wall,and as he has said, Joy Division's career was documented almost entirely in black and white..the film just had to be that way too,and it is brilliantly realised....I never did own a Joy Division record .I did admire the sheer heart-wrenching artistry ,but really found it too relentlessly melancholic. Maybe ,like Cobain a few years later,you could detect the creator remaning too immersed in the down side of the manic process of music making and performing.
"Control" as a piece of moviemaking is a triumph for Anton Corbijn and the actors, who were determined to perform the music live..and they are brilliant,at least as good as the real thing. In one sequence ,it seems that we are hearing the recorded version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" which segues seamlessly into a live performance by the actors!...Apart from Sam Riley, Samantha Morton is just wonderful , Toby Kebbell is hilarious as manager Rob Gretton(portrayed by Paddy Consadine in "24 Hour,..")and Craig Parkinson is a totally believable Tony Wilson..Sad but superb...