Being a long time Joy Division fan (no, loving the band and its music has never made me wear black, or consider killing myself), the news that famed photographer/video director Anton Corbijn was to direct a film based on the book by his wife Deborah has intrigued me. The good news is that his eagerly awaited film will be shown at Cannes next month, with wide release apparently sometime in the fall.
I still cannot underestimate the importance of hearing Joy Division as a teenager though; after the fury of punk had died down, the intensely personal music of JD hit me in a palpable way, my introduction to the band being that a friend of mine, late in 1979, had bought the Transmission single, based solely on it cover. Hearing that incredible opening (the throbbing bass of Peter Hook, the clattering drums of Stephen Morris, the stinging guitar of Bernard Sumner, and then the vocals of Ian Curtis, all blended superbly by Martin Hannett)left me wanting more.....immediately. Of course, the band was not to exist for much longer, there wasn't much information to be had in this area in the pre-internet era, and when I finally was able to track down a copy of the New Musical Express, in June of 1980, the cover featured Corbijn's iconic photo of the band in the subway, the band facing forward, with Curtis looking back toward the photographer, and the headline announcing the suicide of Curtis to those in the world who weren't in the area where JD had made their rounds.
Deborah's book showed the all-too human side of Ian, something that was not quite in step with the darkly imaginative lyrics he would pen, especially as JD developed their sound and style. As mentioned before, my love of JD didn't make me go and harm myself or anybody (honestly, I have no reason to really complain about anything...), but that book, entitled Touching From A Distance gave me an insight on how the demands of fame could place on the artist and their respective families, things I'd never considered before. Sure, I love my favourite artists a lot, but not at the expense of them harming themselves or anybody else for that matter. Touching gave me an idea on how to relate to people whose work I admire, hopefully this film will give a wider audience that same feeling.
STORY
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