BRIAN WILSON Showtime to air film on 'Smile'

ZAP2IT.COM
Fans have waited decades for Brian Wilson's "Smile," one of music's most legendary unreleased albums. Showtime viewers won't have to wait nearly as long for the documentary "Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and The Story of 'Smile,"' which will air just days after the album finally hits record stores.
"Smile" will become available Sept. 28 and Showtime's documentary will premiere Oct. 5.
Described by the artist as "a teenage symphony to God," "Smile" was supposed to be a follow-up to the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds." Instead, in 1967, Wilson stopped production on the album in the midst of depression.
He began work on the project again in 2003, and this February, "Smile" was performed in its entirety at London's Royal Festival Hall.
The Showtime documentary, which was directed by David Leaf, features dozens of interviews with dozens of people involved with "Smile," including a rare sit-down with Wilson himself. The preparations for the Royal Festival Hall concert as well as the show itself will also be seen.
"'Smile' is among history's great unfinished works and this extraordinary documentary will explain why," says Showtime Entertainment President Robert Greenblatt. "Music fans, as well as the average viewer, will all be able to relate to the story of this remarkable record's birth, demise and triumphant return to life."