The always-entertaining, occasionally insightful 24 Hour Party People told the story of Factory Records—which, by necessity, is the story of Joy Division and New Order—through the eyes of huckster impresario Tony Wilson. NewOrder Story, a documentary originally released in 1994, covers some of the same territory, and with a similarly cheeky eye, from the perspective of New Order themselves. For fans, both are essential. Originally released in the U.S. in a truncated 70-minute version, the restored 140-minute documentary allows the famously soft-spoken band members to flip through their own history via a casual dinner conversation and a silly game show (The N.O. Show). The band's massive success is amazing in light of its utter normalcy and seeming lack of ambition, but it makes strange cosmic sense, even when Bono and Quincy Jones show up to sing New Order's praises.
A Collection tells the same story, just without commentary: Available separately or in a box set (Item) with the documentary, the disc gathers every video New Order made, including alternate takes, a live track, and a pair of clips created just for this DVD. The range of directors is impressive, though some of the videos are dated. Jonathan Demme's "The Perfect Kiss" holds up nicely—it's just the band looking bored in their rehearsal space, though it supposedly cost a ridiculous amount of money—but "Confusion," with its narrative about a New York girl who goes from the pizza place to the dance club, is just silly. Elsewhere, William Wegman brings in some of his famous dogs for "Blue Monday '88," and Robert Longo gets heady on "Bizarre Love Triangle." The artistry of those videos is slightly canceled out by the soccer-themed "World In Motion" and the David Hasselhoff-enhanced, Baywatch-set version of "Regret," but that's the brilliance of New Order: The group seems game for anything, and it makes almost anything look, sound, and feel like nothing but New Order.