Anton Corbijn
Control

Finally, after months of waiting and agony, thanks to an online petition on the myspace iancurtisfilm, fantastic news arrives: the film will be released in Italian theaters!!! All good, I just have to wait a few more months but... then I read a flyer which stated that Control was to be screened for the first time with Italian subtitles in a venue in Valdarno, just half an hour from my house!!! What a stroke of luck, in all of Italy right at Gravanella (a venue in Pian Di Scò).
I wait a week and finally, the big day arrives: December 23, 2007. After a bit more than half an hour of winding roads, I arrive with my group of friends at the venue, and after an excellent dinner at a good price, we take our positions in the front row, ready for the start. Here it begins... Control opens with the splendid voiceover of Sam Riley, the actor playing Curtis, who makes a splendid reflection on existence. Right after, the film begins retracing his life starting from as far back as 1973 during the "school" period when he met his wife Deborah and was filling himself with pills stolen from old neighbors. After a few minutes (this is the only thing that didn't fully convince me about the film), skipping many important moments of Ian's life such as the first overdose and perhaps the only one and various others, Ian more frequently dates the girl, takes her to a Bowie concert, and they marry. A few minutes later they go to a Sex Pistols concert, and Ian, as soon as he hears that his friends need a singer, joins the Warsaw (the original nucleus of Joy Division).
At this point, the film shows us the first gigs with Warsaw and important moments of his work, particularly when he meets and sees for the first time a girl having an epileptic seizure in front of him. After various adventures that you will know, the Joy Division is aired live at Granada TV and signs the contract with Factory. With the start of the tour, Ian has a first epileptic seizure, the illness that will disturb him and contribute to his suicide. He is taken to the hospital, and as soon as he's discharged, he calls the epileptic girl he had met, but her mother announces her daughter's death to him, and he dedicates "She's Lost Control" to her. Ian's daughter Natalie is born, who will never have her father's affection, as he doesn't feel he can hold her because he is always afraid of having a sudden seizure and dropping her (he explains this in the book "Touching from a Distance" from which the film is derived). The Joy Division undertakes a European tour during which Ian meets Annik, the girl who will divide and tear apart Ian's love with his wife Deborah. This is the most tragic part of the film; indeed, we see all the moments that will lead to the breaking of Ian's balance and his subsequent death.
I won't reveal the final part to you as it is the film's central core and is shot so well, with Ian's voiceover resuming the initial discourses on existence, that it would be a shame to spoil it for you. The film concludes with the heartbreaking, Oscar-worthy scene where, after seeing the preparation of the noose, the screen darkens, there's a thud, Deborah steps into the house, we see the house exterior, and we only hear "Atmosphere" and the wife's cries of agony. An excellently shot scene.

The film is an incredible masterpiece, splendidly shot by the director, who was very meticulous and faithful to Deborah Curtis's book mentioned earlier. Control is shot entirely in black and white, making the film absolutely splendid; the songs have been rearranged to the letter, which is an excellent thing. Even the live scenes and the appearance on Granada were perfectly reshot like the original. The choice of the cast is excellent; Sam Riley bears an astonishing resemblance to Curtis and perfectly replicates the singer's movements. Peter Hook is identical, and the drummer and the Granada presenter are also very similar. Samantha Morton, who plays the wife, is an excellent actress, as are all the other actors. Master Corbijn's photography is outstanding, with brilliant shots. The Italian-subtitled film is beautiful because the original voices convey the emotions wonderfully and make it more real.

I could have written ten more pages, so many are the emotions this film has left me, but I prefer you to see the film and have your own; I strongly advise you to read the book first so you can fully understand the film. This is truly an immense masterpiece and one of the best films of this decade.

At this point, I must thank all those who fought and suffered as much and more than I did for the film's release in Italy, especially the myspace.com/iancurtisfilm petition and the Valdarno cinema association, which made the screening possible right near my home!!! And now I just wish you watch the film soon.