Panic in your DVD player
This 90-minute documentary follows a linear biography of The Smiths’ career, sprinkled with snippets of videos, live footage and copious interviews with journalists, producers and Smiths fifth-wheel guitarist Craig Gannon. As with any unauthorized feature, these conversations focus more on the band’s greatness than on any details of its recordings, songwriting or disputes; historical interviews with Morrissey and Marr are sadly underused. And rather than full versions of the live footage, the DVD’s extras include interviews (with the same journalists and producers) about Morrissey’s and Marr’s solo careers and the so-called “Hardest Smiths Interactive Quiz In the World Ever.” The content isn’t bad, considering it’s the only available Smiths documentary but, sadly, it never delves very deep.