The Smiths: Under Review

This documentary traces the Smiths' rise and music by assembling interviews with band members and people who worked with them, including producer Stephen Street. It mixes recollections and analysis, weaving studio anecdotes with commentary from critics and associates. Archival performance clips and television appearances are used to illustrate the songs and context, while the film pauses to highlight key recording sessions and broadcast moments. The approach is chronological yet conversational, giving room for musical detail alongside personal memory. The result is a survey meant for fans and newcomers who want a brisk, insider-oriented look at how the band's sound and public profile developed across their brief but influential career. Viewers get context as well as music, history, and testimony too.

Released in 2006, the film was directed by Chris Davies and draws on interviews with band members, producers and journalists. As a documentary it uses primary footage and archival clips rather than adapting a specific book or script, for context.

The Smiths: Under Review did not register as a mainstream box office title, its screenings limited to festivals, specialty venues and home video markets. It was aimed primarily at fans and music documentary audiences rather than wide commercial release overall.

By compiling insider testimony and performance footage, the film reinforces how the Smiths' sound and Morrissey's lyrics reverberated through indie music scenes. It provides examples of their televised exposure and live presence, helping newer listeners appreciate the band's ongoing influence on guitar-based alternative music and cultural conversations across decades worldwide.

Critics and viewers interested in music history will find the documentary informative, though reactions vary depending on expectations for depth. Major themes include creative collaboration, media representation and the pressures of fame, with an emphasis on studio craft, song construction and how public perception shaped the group's short, intense career.