World Premiere
2:45 P.M.
Scotiabank 3
Years ago at at the Rivoli a representative from Factory Records in Manchester U.K. brought over footage - tv and raw live footage - that showed Joy Division in performance as well as New Order and the other Factory labelmates. 24 Hour Party People showed the Manchester scene
that started foremost with the advent of the Sex Pistols and that memorable performance in Manchester in 1976 seen by the future musicians and bands of the Mancunian scene including the Buzzcocks - and Warsaw was born out of the belief that if the Sex Pistols could do it, so could anybody else. Of course 24 Hour Party People was more the story of Granada television personality Tony Wilson and the rise and fall of the Factory scene and the rebirth of Manchester from industrial to modern to the the rave scene cut by the Happy Mondays.
On the other hand, this world premiere documentary is about Manchester and Joy Division itself - which is a good thing. Of course we are watching this with the eye of Joy Division being our favourite band of all time. The author of the movie set out to achieve that for at least 50 minutes that the suicide of Ian Curtis would not be mentioned. And once again the footage is revived, the stark 8 mm concert footage, the Granada tv performances, the two videos, and the music of Joy Division never sounded better than over the massive theatre speakers. All the correct names connected with Joy Division look back at Joy Division and Ian Curtis: the three members of New Order, singer/guitarist Bernard Sumners, bassist Peter Hook, drummer Stephen Morris, the writer Paul Morley who is the Melody Maker journalist and fan from day one; Peter Saville, the influential designer of Joy Division record covers Unknown Pleasures and Closer [ and ultimately become the designer for Manchester the city itself], Ian Curtis's Belgian girlfriend Annik Honore, photographer Anton Corbijn [whose film Control is in TIFF07 as well], P.Orridge from Throbbing Gristle, and others including the early Joy Division managers, and of course, the late Granada Television journalist and entrepreneur Tony Wilson who discovered Joy Division.
Shown singly on screen, the Joy Division mates recount the early stories, where the name came from, the various concert venues and shows, and you cannot talk about Joy Division without talking about the producer Martin Hannett, the smash effect of Unknown Pleasures, the literary influences upon Closer including JG Ballard's Atrocity Exhibition, what sweet Ian was like in the beginning, the epileptic fits that later came on, and those days in May 16th through 18th of 1979, on the eve of the tour of America in 1980 that would have brought Joy Division to The Edge in Toronto on the 25th of May ... and the influence of Joy Division lives on.
Debbie Curtis, Ian's wife is only quoted during the movie because her movie is Closer based upon her book Touching From A Distance, and Joy Division's documenter feels that Debbie did not know Joy Division at all.
Sun Ra Arkestra 22-Apr-80 Unrelated historical side note: this is the day that Joy Division had been scheduled to make their US debut (at Hurrah on W. 62nd St.). They had to cancel their trip because of Ian Curtis' suicide.
Even more keen is the April 25, 1980 show scheduled at The Edge here in Toronto.
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