Joy Division (2007)
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91% of users liked it
(2,274 ratings)
Filmmaker Grant Gee speaks with now-deceased Factory Records founder Tony Wilson; legendary producer Martin Hannett; surviving Joy Division band members Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Peter Hook; and the late Ian Curtis's Belgian lover Annik Honoré in order to offer a vivid snapshot of the… More Filmmaker Grant Gee speaks with now-deceased Factory Records founder Tony Wilson; legendary producer Martin Hannett; surviving Joy Division band members Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, and Peter Hook; and the late Ian Curtis's Belgian lover Annik Honoré in order to offer a vivid snapshot of the fleeting moment in time when Manchester's Joy Division changed the face of modern music. Born in the bleak landscape of industrialized Manchester -- a city that once thrived as a center of 19th century manufacturing but was far removed from its halcyon days by the time the band was founded -- Joy Division combined the energy of punk rock with the anger and alienation of their generation to stunning effect. When he wasn't pouring every ounce of his personal energy into penning poetic lyrics for a band that seemed to thrive on chaos, volatile frontman Curtis supported his family by working in the civil service as an Assistant Disablement Resettlement Officer. In 1980, as the band was set to embark on their first-ever North American tour, Curtis took his own life at the age of 23. In addition to offering the remarkable story of Joy Division as told by the very people who were privileged enough to have been there at that crucial moment in musical history, Gee's film also offers a meditation on the city that was struggling to reinvent itself following a devastating collapse. While Curtis's widow Deborah does not appear onscreen, text from her biography Touching from a Distance appear as a constant reminder of her presence in the talented musician's brilliant but fleeting life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Rating, Runtime
- R, 1 hr. 34 min.
- Directed By
- Grant Gee
- Genres
- Musical & Performing Arts, Documentary
- In Theaters
- Sep 7, 2007 Wide
- On DVD
- Jun 17, 2008
- Studio
- The Weinstein Company
Critic Reviews
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Bill Gibron, PopMatters
Though it tends to wear it's artiness on its work shirted sleeve, Joy Division is still a wonderful first person tell-all.
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Anna Smith, Empire Magazine
A revealing portrait of a ground-breaking band.
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Tim Robey, Daily Telegraph
There will surely come a point when the mythology around Salford's most famous rock group will run dry, but it hasn't yet: this superbly made documentary by Grant Gee deserves to sit on DVD shelves everywhere as a companion piece to Control.
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Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
This doco, following the release of Control, the dramatised biopic of Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis, is a thorough and engaging work that unravels the story of Joy Division in chronological order.
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