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New Order and Joy Division’s Maxonian drummer Stephen Morris
Town in world spotlight as Curtis film premieres
Chris Hudson10/10/2007
THE STARS turned out in force at the glittering Manchester premiere of the Ian Curtis biopic – Control – and paid tribute to the people of Macclesfield.
Current members of New Order, the band Joy Division became after the front man’s death, as well as celebrities from stage and screen attended the red carpet event for the film at the Cornerhouse on Oxford Road and all were quick to compliment Silk Town and its residents.
And the crowds also packed out Cinemac in the Heritage Centre at the town’s very own premiere.
First-time director, Anton Corbijn, had some kind words for the residents of Barton Street, Curtis’ former home, many of whom lived there at the same time as the rock icon.
A number of scenes were filmed in the town both inside Curtis’ home and in the surrounding streets, just off Park Lane.
Speaking at Cornerhouse, Corbjin told the Express: "The people of Barton Street were incredibly helpful. We had to change their doors and windows and bring cars from the period in. I’m very thankful for the people in Barton Street – it was a great experience being there."
Anton who took several photographs of Joy Division and has worked with U2 for 25 years said that he tried to capture the bleak image of the town he remembers from the early Eighties.
He said: "The view Ian could see from his window is quite poetic. Macclesfield is quite mundane, but even beauty can grow in those bleak circumstances."
Writer Matt Greenhalgh, who went for a long walk around Curtis’ old haunts with the lead singer’s widow, Deborah, to capture a flavour of the town also spoke about Macclesfield in reverential tones.
He said: "Walking through the centre of the town, Macclesfield strikes me as quite an intelligent town. It was very important to him and Steve (Morris, the band’s drummer and a Maxonian) – there was an affinity between the two because of their Macclesfield links.
"Ian ends up being torn between the two worlds of Macclesfield and the new world that music has offered."
The writer, currently working on a John Lennon biopic, said he tried to pen the film in a "Macc’ accent" after listening to old BBC Lancashire interview tapes of Curtis, whereas the rest of the cast had a voice coach on set.
Nottingham was used for a lot of the Macclesfield scenes and Curtis’ house was rebuilt on a sound stage in the city – the Peak District surrounding Sheffield doubles up as the rolling hills of the town.
After the Express reported that Harry Treadaway, who played drummer Stephen Morris, perfected his Macclesfield twang by taping two Maxonians in Bike’s on Park Lane, the New Order stalwart was quick to comment.
He said: "The four lines Harry has are said with a conviction that shows this lad has a bright future, but his real talent lies in his drumming which is excellent."
Stephen, who lives in Rainow and often frequents The Highwayman whose food he thinks is "delicious", added: "The Macc’ accent isn’t really in the film, and any ‘Ooh arghing’ is missing so as not to alienate the American audience."
The film has been released in 71 UK cinemas and has already opened in the USA. It has made the top ten films in Britain and is set to catapult Macclesfield into the forefront of filmgoers and music lovers minds over the coming weeks.
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Its lyrical storyline and heartbeat perhaps also represent the most accurate chronology of Ian Curtis's emotive and psychological path through the latter period of his life. The screenplay of Control maps on to this in a very interesting way, and offers a slightly different dimension. From a film making sense it is an extraordinary effort.
As a canvass for a picture of Curtis, however, it does not attempt, perhaps wisely, to explore his perspective. It also strays slightly from the first party map, 'Closer' itself. If the suicide note to Debbie did indeed quote the track 'Twenty-Four hours', for example, as shown in the film, then the closing track should surely have been 'Eternal', rather than 'Atmosphere'. On the album, Twenty-four hours depicts the ultimate and final moment of crisis and inner conflict: the point at which the mind makes the decision. If he went back to that point of the album with the note, which is entirely appropriate, then the next step would have to be what was the next track, Eternal. This of course is a (his) self-penned funeral march.
It is easy to see why this film has been so highly acclaimed. There are superb performances, outstanding camera work, and stunning representation of the era, and the locality (Macc). It will be one of those films that will still be spoken of in glowing terms in several generations.
11/10/2007 at 21:45