Film Night: Control

Thursday 28 November, 7.30pm

​

To coincide with the Vox Phantom VI Special guitar, owned by Ian Curtis and played in the video for Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart going on display in the museum, we're hosting a screening of Control - the 2007 biographical film about the life of Ian Curtis, singer of post-punk band Joy Division.  The guitar will be available to view before and after the screening.

 

Samantha Morton and Sam Riley star as Deborah and Ian Curtis, and the film portrays the events of the couple's lives from 1973 to 1980, focusing on their marriage, the formation and career of Joy Division, Ian's struggle with epilepsy, his extramarital affair with Belgian journalist Annik Honoré, and culminates with Ian's suicide in May, 1980.

 

Control is the first feature film directed by Anton Corbijn, who worked with Joy Division as a photographer. The screenplay by Matt Greenhalgh is based on the biography Touching from a Distance by Curtis's widow Deborah, who served as a co-producer on the film. Tony Wilson, who released Joy Division's records through his Factory Records label, also served as a co-producer. Curtis' bandmates Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris provided incidental music for the soundtrack via New Order.

 

The film won five British Independent Film Awards including Best Film, Best Director for Corbijn, Most Promising Newcomer for Riley, and Best Supporting Actor for Toby Kebbell. It was named Best Film at the 2007 Evening Standard British Film Awards, and Greenhalgh was given the Carl Foreman Award for outstanding achievement in his first feature film at the 61st British Academy Film Awards.

​

Tickets £8 adult / £7 BME Annual Pass holder (pass required).  On sale Friday 18 October.

 

Running time: 2 hours 2 minutes

Director: Anton Corbijn

Certificate: 15

 

Please note, our museum galleries are closed during film screenings.  There are no ads or trailers, the film starts at 7.30pm.

​

​

​