Anton Corbijn’s Control, a biopic of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, is notable for its examination of Curtis’ life and myth. It also casts light on developments within the biopic as a whole. One of a recent slew of films depicting the lives of popular musicians (Ray, De-Lovely, Walk the Line, Last Days, La Vie en Rose, I’m Not There), Control is pulled between the traditional biographical urge to uncover the ‘true’ originating self behind a publicly performed persona and oeuvre, and more contemporary notions which propose that such a self is either chimerical or inaccessible to observers. This presentation discusses Control both as an addition to the burgeoning mythology of the late ‘70s/early ‘80s Manchester music scene and as a meditation on the attractions and limitations of the film biography.
Wednesday 5 March 2008, 4.30-5.30 pm
Hunter Building lecture theatre
PLEASE NOTE that the film Control will be screened in our Main Lecture Theatre at 5.15 on Thursday 6th March.
