Sunday 16 March 2008

Get Knitted

‘Control’ is a film that has been much acclaimed in the past few months. It is about the gifted but tormented lead singer of a band called Joy Division who hanged himself at the age of 23. (Did I conjucate ‘hanged’ correctly? )

This is a miserable film about a miserable band in the miserable end of the 70's, in a miserable England. The director (who I presume is young and very ‘street’) films in black and white which, given that Macclesfield where the woeful story is set is already grimly grey (with touches of rust and urine yellow), I feel is an unnesscesary affectation and a tad pretentious. The lead actor is wonderful but we learn nothing about the character apart from the fact he was tormented and miserable and hanged himself at 23. This was an extraordinary man-child but perhaps all we can really know of him is in his music. I felt the film too 'crafted' and therefore soulless and I learnt nothing about him or anyone else ..apart from the director of course… (very ‘street’..did I mention that…)

At the end of the film I looked down and found I had knitted an entire front left side when I should have knitted an entire right side. As this is the same sodding waistcoat I have been trying to knit since Christmas I had an episode of knitting rage. This is quite dangerous as one is holding knitting needles whilst jumping up and down and swearing . I managed to puncture my pilates blow up ball. I wonder about perhaps learning another craft…something simpler. I do like the smell of play dough…..
Man!! Friday nights just don’t get better then that….

To make up for being a knit (did ya see what I did there?!) I end the weekend at an exceptionally interesting lunch with a fascinating Dutch historian who is currently involved in helping to clean up and resurrect the Zambian National Archive. We talk about this remarkable work for a few minutes then spend the rest of the three hours discussing the bizarre dating habits of the English. She is as baffled as I and she has a doctorate, so there.

2 comments:

Suzie said...

Dang British men are all silly sods that wouldn't know a good thing if it smashed into their noggins. You're one hell of a catch my cuz and a catch that can knit too. Screw em all if they don't know a good thing (well maybe not all but some would be fun).
On another note I havent seen the film but I do love Joy Divison's Music I love the lines
"Mother I've tried Please forgive me
I'm doing the best that I can
I'm ashamed of the things I've been put through
I'm ashamed of the person I am"
Who sings with that much shame these days I ask you?

Amrita said...

I actually really loved the film, although I do agree with your comment about not really understand the source of his angst other than his epilepsy maybe.

When I read about the knitting, first I thought you were in a theatre and I thought - Jesus, people must've thought you were bonkers and I wondered why you took your Pilate ball to the theatre...

My experience dating British men is limited but certainly did not impress me. The Office is not entirely fictional in my opinion. Aussie men, however,...ahem!