The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle
| The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle | |
|---|---|
| File:Swindledvd.jpeg | |
| Directed by | Julien Temple |
| Written by | Julien Temple |
| Produced by | Don Boyd Jeremy Thomas |
| Starring | Malcolm McLaren Johnny Rotten Steve Jones Sid Vicious Paul Cook |
| Music by | The Sex Pistols |
| Distributed by | SBME |
Release dates | September 11, 1980 (Canada); August, 1990 (US) |
Running time | 103 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unknown |
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980) fictional "documentary" (a "mockumentary") film directed by Julien Temple about the seminal British punk band, The Sex Pistols. It starred the band: singer Johnny Rotten as "The Collaborator", guitarist Steve Jones as "The Crook", bassist Sid Vicious as "The Gimmick", drummer Paul Cook as "The Tea-Maker", and the band's infamous manager, Malcolm McLaren, as "The Embzzler". It also features original bassist Glen Matlock. Indeed, it was Matlock, not Vicious, who had actually played bass guitar on all the tracks on The Sex Pistols' only official album, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols" (1977), with the exception of their infamous song, "Anarchy in the U.K.". Steve Jones played bass on that track. In reality, Vicious (born John Ritchie), was a fan who was asked to join the band despite not being able to play the bass. Malcolm McLaren just liked his look. Matlock appears briefly in some live scenes.
British diva Marianne Faithfull was asked to appear as Sid Vicious' mother, but when she read that her character was to have a sex scene, she declined. However, Sting, bassist and lead singer of the band, The Police has a bit part.
The aim of the film, released after the band's breakup, was to explicitly present how Malcolm McLaren created and used the band to attain his stated goal of "making a million pounds". McLaren further implies that he created punk music, hence it was a swindle.
However, by the time filming on "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" had begun, Johnny Rotten left the band and began touring with his own band, Public Image Ltd., under his birth name, John Lydon. Reportedly, Lydon wanted nothing to do with the film.
Arguably, the film appeals mostly to hardcore Sex Pistols fans. Critics derided it as uneven (at best), base, and unentertaining, citing, in particular, a scene depicting an aging Nazi officer chasing the band (sans Lydon), and demanding they re-write their song, "Belsen Was a Gas". The film also features copious amounts of full-frontal nudity (both male and female).
Ironically, the screenplay began as a fictional work called "Who Killed Bambi", co-written by noted film critic Roger Ebert as a vehicle for controversial director Russ Meyer. After Meyer quit the project, Julien Temple rewrote it to focus on Malcolm McLaren's lofty goal of taking a horrible rock and roll band and making it successful, all the while proudly scamming the people and record label executives.
"The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" also contains Sid Vicious' rendition of Frank Sinatra's signature song, "My Way". Vicious' infamous girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, appears uncredited in the film.