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This is another retrospective of a band where no one actually left from the band is interviewed. The closest this feature gets is the ex-wife of Tony Wilson, the man who started Factory Records, and put out the music of Joy Division. Otherwise, we hear from journalists and folks who have written books about music. They do the classic ‘talking head’ routine, describing in sometimes histrionic detail the impact of Joy Division, and especially the lead singer, Ian Curtis. Despite not hearing a peep from anyone left in the band (which, after the singer’s suicide, went on to form New Order), this was an interesting overview of the band’s history. You don’t get to hear any full songs from the band, which is a bit disappointing, and they also throw in clips from other singers, like Frank Sinatra, that go on for a little too long. You get the feeling they were trying desperately to make this stretch into sixty minutes. The menu is minimalist at best. There is unfortunately no sub-title feature, which would have helped me understand some of the thicker British accents. The special features include the full interview that the ‘review’ takes several clips from. It’s under ten minutes, and luckily has the text go along with Ian Curtis’ words. There are also biographies, and some kind of trivia game, which, since I’m not all that familiar with Joy Division, I didn’t play. The packaging has a cardboard slip cover to go over the case, but the inside has only the disc. There are no extra pictures, or anything, which I think fans of the band would have appreciated. I had to watch the DVD twice. The first run through I wasn’t able to sit down and concentrate on it. I ended up having it be background sound, and only looked up when music clips played. While some of those clips did go too long, all of them were pertinent, and added depth to this overview. It helped highlight the influence of The Sex Pistols and The Clash on Joy Division. Siouxie and The Banshees had a clip early on which really drove home to me how much Joy Division influenced all of the ‘new wave’ music I was so into in the 80’s. There are also tons of clips from a movie called Twenty Four Hour People, which apparently is based on the history of Joy Division. I thought the program could have done just as well without the movie clips, but it’s the closest they could get to having actual band members make an appearance. The second time I watched this, I sat down and really paid attention, and that’s when things gelled. This is a band that pushed limits, and truly broke new ground. The bass became a major player, and not just rhythm. The synthesizer and electronic sounds were both haunting, and striking. Even hearing the songs now, they seem fresh and timeless. Ian Curtis’ lyrics were poignant, and made even more so as this program talked about his struggle with epilepsy. This was a short lived career, and sadly it probably secured Ian’s place in history only because he died young, and didn’t have a chance to fade into obscurity. If you are interested in the history of music, this is a must see. Despite no input from the actual band, the program is well-researched, and put together so that it flows well. This could have been a very dry piece, but with the music spliced in, and the graphics done so well, it kept my attention even the second time through. There are a lot of close ups of Ian Curtis’ haunted eyes, but it doesn’t come off as cheesy, like it easily could have. You need to have that visual to allow the music and lyrics to hit you like a splash of ice water. Like most rock and roll history, this doesn’t have a happy ending for the main player. However, knowing that the remaining members were able to pick up and move on, and become even more successful and influential as New Order, there’s at least a positive spin to it all.
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