No Ordinary Fool

“There’s just the two albums. All the rest is the merchandising of memory.”

It was perhaps a bold decision of Grant Gee and Jon Savage to include this remark of Peter Saville, the band’s album sleeve designer, in their rockumentary on the continued phenomenon that is the story of Ian Curtis, Joy Division, and, indeed, Factory Records.

However, this film is told exclusively through the words of those who were there at the time, including the other band members Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris, the one-and-only Tony Wilson, Curtis’ lover Annik Honoré, Buzzcocks’ guitarist Pete Shelley, and photographer Anton Corbijn. Curtis’ wife Deborah is represented by frequent on-screen excerpts from her book, Touching From A Distance.

Moreover, the film purposefully seeks to make the story bigger than just Ian Curtis and the band, both by bookending it within the context of Manchester as a city, recalling the music scene at the time, as well as the subsequent founding and success of New Order.

Indeed, there is a quasi-religious experience at the end. Having very touchingly explored the last few days of Curtis’ life, there is then a palpable sense of resurrection, as New Order is presented “1,300 Mondays later” as one of the best-selling UK bands of all time, while Manchester has been transformed from a grim, industrial town into a modern cosmopolitan city.

The three surviving band members provide the backbone of the film’s linear narrative. Morris is the most emotionally candid and there still seems to be pain behind his nervous, gentle smile. Hook recalls many of the small and typically humorous incidents that happened to the band along the way, whilst Sumner is the one who typically gives the story its overall shape.

More poignant, though, are the scenes of Tony Wilson, which would have been filmed not long before his sad passing last year, as well as those of Annik Honoré, who was speaking for the first time in public about events that still clearly affect her.

The most fascinating aspect of these interviews for me was the gap that exists between the band’s frank admission that they had not a clue what they were doing half the time and the reverence with which their music is still held in to this day. Equally, when it comes to speaking about what happened to Curtis, they speak openly of their immaturity at the time when it came to recognizing what he must have been going through. Even the normally gregarious Wilson is at a loss to explain it properly. Indeed, Hook speaks of his ongoing regret that he chose not to attend the wake and say a proper goodbye.

Having seen Corbijn’s excellent but bleak biopic Control last year, there was a definite sense of déjà vu in watching this film. For me, the former is the superior offering. However, this film provides a sense of closure to the story. Tony has since left us, his beloved city is thriving once more, and Annick and the band have told their side of the story. Most of all, though, we are left with the music. Such incredibly desolate yet inspirational music. The true legacy of this iconic band.