Reviewed by Alexis Madden
(July 2008)
Director: Grant Gee
Starring: Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Annik Honore, Tony Wilson, Richard Boon, Paul Morley, Peter Saville Joy - to - Division. Somewhere in between the start and the end, in the dashes, was what mattered most and where the truth was being told. Unfortunately, people weren't listening to what was actually being said and Britain lost one of its most seminal post-punk bands after only three short years. Grant Gee, known for his profound Radiohead pic (Meeting People is Easy, 1998), creates a portrayal of the band's tragic journey in his rock documentary, Joy Division. Gee's innovative weaving of the band's story through live performances, audiotapes, interviews, photos and footage of a 1970s Manchester provides an unbiased, fascinating exposé. Through the film's opening, with grim images of a decaying Manchester, Gee reveals the city's loss of its industrial revolution identity and the necessity for its transformation. The remaining members of the group - Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris - supplement these images with firsthand accounts of the birth and life of their revolutionary band amongst the rubble. Joy Division was born in that time when Manchester's music scene needed something more. As legendary Factory Records founder Tony Wilson recalls, "It was Joy Division who was the first band to do that, to use the energy and simplicity of punk to express more complex emotions." The film follows the progression of the band as they formed a sound, an image and a message unlike anything people of that time had known -- and manages to dig deep into the subtle complexities of lead singer, Ian Curtis, who mesmerized the audience as he lost himself in trance-like dances while performing. "He just started dancing away, and he'd go into another world," explains Bernard Sumner. As Joy Division gathered more popularity, Curtis became more isolated and withdrawn. In hindsight, it seems his songs were saying it all and that, despite the loudness of his lyrical screams, no one wanted to hear or admit to hearing the pain behind the performer's private tug-of-war. Curtis found out firsthand that being completely lost in your art comes with its own price... not being able to find your way out. After Curtis took his life, the remaining band members acknowledged the loss without acknowledging the sentiment behind the loss. They went on with their lives, forming a new band, aptly called New Order, and repeated Joy Division's success. |
