Temple's 1980 film is definitely one of the most bizarre rockumentaries. A striking but extremely jumbled mess, Swindle is Malcolm McLaren's somewhat fictitious account of the Sex Pistols' infamous story told through a series of dishevelled surreal sketches and live footage. Shot without Johnny Rotten's participation, the film manages to succeed with its barrage of excellent stock footage and its desire to simply naff about with other media, inane storylines and overall creepiness. While the lucidity of the film is often eclipsed by its anarchic posture, Temple's commentary done in an interview style with rock critic Chris Salewicz gives the film much needed clarity through some great anecdotal history, like the fact that the studio refused to release the film unless he closed with a "Victorian moral ending." (Shout Factory/SMV)
Malcolm McLaren
The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle
BY Cam LindsayPublished Jul 1, 2005
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