Home / The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle

Year:

1981

Duration:

USA:103 min

Genres:

Comedy | Music | Musical

IMDB rate:

6.6

Director:

Julien Temple

Details

Country: UK

Release Date: 1981-03-12

Filming Locations: 430 Kings Road, Chelsea, London, England, UK

Cast

Actor

Character

Jess Conrad

Malcolm McLaren

The Embezzler

Steve Jones

The Crook

Paul Cook

The Tea-Maker

Sid Vicious

The Gimmick

John Lydon

The Collaborator (as Johnny Rotten)

Ronald Biggs

The Exile (as Ronnie Biggs)

Liz Fraser

Woman in Cinema

Mary Millington

Mary, The Crook's girlfriend

James Aubrey

B.J

Julian Holloway

Man

Johnny Shannon

Man in Prison Cage

Helen Wellington-Lloyd

Helen (as Helen of Troy)

Edward Tudor-Pole

Tadpole (kiosk attendant) (as Tenpole Tudor)

Faye Hart

Secretary

Alan Jones

Record Executive

Irene Handl

Cinema Usherette

Judy Croll

Catwoman

Peter Dean

Nightclub Bouncer (uncredited)

Dave Dee

Record Executive (uncredited)

Norman Gay

Audience member (uncredited)

Jerzimy

French singer on the street (uncredited)

James Jeter

Martin Bormann

Jordan

Girl wearing 'only anarchists are pretty shirt' (archive footage) (uncredited)

Debbie Juvenile

Girl in the chorus on the opening track

Glen Matlock

Ex-Pistol (archive footage) (uncredited)

Ralph Morse

Punk (uncredited)

Terrance Mustdoo

Audience member (uncredited)

Sophie Richmond

McLaren's secretary (uncredited)

John Snagge

Cinema Newsreel Announcer (voice) (uncredited)

Nancy Spungen

Nancy (uncredited)

Jean Warren

A & R Director - woman with ants on face (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

Sting appeared in a brief scene as the leader of a gay band The Blow Waves who attempt to kidnap Paul Cook but the footage was cut from the film. It later reappeared in the documentary The Filth and the Fury (2000).

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Julien Temple replaced original director Russ Meyer and original writer Roger Ebert as a result of creative differences.

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Contrary to popular belief the woman shot by Sid Vicious during his performance of "My Way" was not his mother Anne Beverley. She later stated in an interview that she was approached by Malcolm McLaren to play the role but turned him down, saying that "They used someone else in the end, an actress that didn't look like me at all, but because no one had seen me they all believed that it was me".

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Goofs

Towards the end of Sid Vicious' Punk rendition of Paul Anka/Frank Sinatra's "My Way", he pulls a revolver out of his pocket and starts shooting at the audience. He fires eight shots, which is more bullets than a revolver can hold.

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Quotes

The Gimmick: We're better than anyone, ain't we? Except for The Eagles; The Eagles are better than us.

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The Gimmick: Ok, ready to rock!

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The Embezzler: (How to Manufacture Your Group) "Find yourself four kids. Make sure they hate eachother. Make sure they can't play."

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