Movie Review

The movie 24 Hour People by the director Michael Winterbottom is interesting and the film is a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumors,urban legends, and the imagination of the scriptwriter. I think the scriptwriter, Frank Cottrell knew what he was talking about because in the movie he clearly explains events about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It begins with the punk rock era, and moves through the 1980's and early 1990's. The main character is Tony Wilson a news reporter from Granada Television and the head of Factory Records. The story opens in the late 1970's in the Pennines where Tony Wilson reporter for Granada Television is dissatisfied with his job as a television news reporter, then Wilson attended to a concert in June 1976 at Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall by the Sex Pistols. Despite only being attended by 42 people, Wilson cites the concert as a great historical event that would inspire attendees to "go out and perform wondrous deeds". Wilson now the host of a music show, So It Goes, decides to move beyond just putting bands on television and get into promoting concerts. Wilson continues in the music business and with some friends starts Factory Records, singing Joy Division, led by the erratic, brooding lead singer Ian Curtis. The success is short-lived, however, when, just before Joy Division is to tour the United States, Curtis commits suicide  by hanging himself. Despite all the success, Factory Records is losing vast amounts of money, both on The Hacienda nightclub they owned and on recording its bands. Hannett one of Wilson's friend has a falling out with Factory Records over finances, and spirals into decline due to alcohol and drug abuse, he dies at 42. Meanwhile, various aspects of Wilson's life are glossed over, and Wilson takes a moment to acknowledge this, quickly skimming over his divorce from his first wife, Lindsay his second marriage and children. His own drug problems and professional difficulties are also glossed over. "I'm a minor character in my own story," Wilson explains, saying that the stories about the music, as well as Manchester itself, are more important.