Joy Division: Grant Gee documentary (2007)

Beautiful and dark, both in tone and subject matter, Grant Gee's 2007 documentary Joy Division is a must see for rock fans and pop culture enthusiasts.

The film traces the group's development back to its roots in decaying, post-industrial Manchester and the punk scene that grew from its bleak, urban center.

Of course, as we now know, 1977 became 1978 and punk soon morphed into post-punk. Joy Division were at the vanguard of this new style and, following the death of lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980, have been forever ingrained as the leading light of the post-punk period.

As Tony Wilson explains:

"Punk had enabled you to say, "Fuck You." But somehow it couldn't go any further...

...Sooner or later, someone was going to want to say more than fuck you. Someone was going to want to say "I'm fucked". It was Joy Division who were the first band to do that."

Now in the early part of the 21st century, Joy Division are seen as one of the most influential and important groups since the Sex Pistols. This is the story of how they got there, and how the world we live in has changed since that time.