Some time back I posted a cover version of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart (By Sussana & The Magical Orchestra). That bit of blogging not only elicited great response but also alerted me to the movie bout the late Ian Curtis (lead vocals & tortured soul). (Sorry la, I'm a bit out of touch & thanx Wei Yin fer the heads up on the movie news & have you seen it?)Weirdly enough, a couple of days after that post Joy Division was featured on BBCE's Sound of The 70s with an absolutely blistering rendition of Transmission. It was fooking intense. (Vid of that performance is below - please, please do take the time to watch it.)
That was enough fer me to dust down me 4-disc box set Heart & Soul featuring the band's entire output plus rarities, live recordings as well as demo versions (if you see it in a shop, just fooking buy it - its well worth the money!). As I slowly got reacquainted with this classic band, I also did a bit of research regarding the movie.
Well, what do you know, the film is world-renowned rock photographer Anton Corbijn's directorial debut. Fer those who don't recognise the name, this Dutch pixman's work has graced thousands of album & magazine covers, not least the iconic b&w shots on U2's Joshua Tree opus. Joy Division happened to be one of his fave bands & he left his native Holland to seek out this Mancunian outfit. The beautiful picture above is considered the defining image of the band. Creepily, only Ian turns to face Anton as he snaps & weeks later, he was dead . . . and the rest went on to form New Order.
Hence, this film has been a on-going project fer Corbijn as he seeks to bring closure to an important chapter in his life as well as to give Ian a fitting tribute to his short & troubled life. The film, Control, was chosen to open this year's Cannes festival.
Have included an interview/footage vid fer yer viewing pleasure below. Please do check it out & if anyone sees this movie at yer local DVD mart, please give me a holler.
To Ian - Only the good die young . . .
