DVD: Joy Division
Submitted by The Evil Dr San... on Sun, 2008-08-17 09:23.
Keywords:
DVD Reviewed by The Evil Dr Sanchez, Esq.
Starring: Joy Division
English band Joy Division did produce urban music. No, if you want to be a purist they are not hip-hop, rap or R&B but their music was informed by (and later helped shape) a city that was (please note I said WAS) stark, ugly, grey, post industrial and factory-plagued. That city would be Manchester.
Director Alan Gee also brought us the very excellent 2006 Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, about the titular enigmatic musician. If you are a music trainspotter with a focus on knowing everything possible about all genres, Gee may be the documentary maker of your dreams. His approach is methodical, thorough and as well as the usual suspects (band members etc) he manages to pull out all the stops in gaining new information and interviews.
If you are not into independent or particularly English music this may not be the documentary for you. BUT, if did read my review about the biopic of Joy Division’s lead singer Ian Curtis (you didn’t? I am terribly hurt) you will know that their story is an intriguing one.
Born of the punk era, Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion) went on to form the kind of band name checked by any indie music hipsters worth their salt (yes I’m looking at you Interpol).
Although that in itself may not draw you in, the fact that Curtis, an epileptic on a myriad of physical and mind-altering medication was, to complicate matters, having a serious affair whilst his wife stayed home with their young child might be of interest.
Under intense media and personal pressure whilst trying to live up to both his own and fan expectations (not to mention the gravity of his condition), Curtis took his own life on the eve of the band’s first American tour at the tender age of 23. Of course, to reduce the sum of his life down to those few sentences I have just written would be negligent. That is perhaps why, over 20 years after his death and thus the band’s, people are still intrigued to know what happened.
It must be remembered also that despite what I have just said Joy Division’s story was not only Ian Curtis’s, although in some instances it has become so. Alan Gee manages to convey Curtis’s important role in the band’s brief and shining history without neglecting the other members or the major and minor player’s involved.
So, if you are interested in music in general, this DVD is great. It’s detailed, has some great anecdotes and there are some genuinely funny and touching moments. OR if you do know any indie music pedantics, get this one to add to their collection, they will thank you and be impressed by your savvy taste. I have a copy obviously so you’ll have to find something else for my birthday.
