The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Julien Temple
Produced by	Don Boyd Jeremy Thomas
Written by	Julien Temple
Starring	Malcolm McLaren Steve Jones Paul Cook Sid Vicious Johnny Rotten Mary Millington Irene Handl
Narrated by	Malcolm McLaren
Music by	Sex Pistols
Release date	15 May 1980
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle is a 1980 British mockumentary film directed by Julien Temple and produced by Don Boyd and Jeremy Thomas. It centres on the British punk rock band Sex Pistols and, most prominently, their manager Malcolm McLaren.

Guitarist Steve Jones plays a shady private detective who - through a series of set piece acts - uncovers the truth about the band. Drummer Paul Cook and bass guitarist Sid Vicious play smaller roles, and the band's manager, Malcolm McLaren, is featured as "The Embezzler", the man who manipulates the Sex Pistols. Fugitive train robber Ronnie Biggs, performer Edward Tudor-Pole, sex film star Mary Millington, and actresses Irene Handl and Liz Fraser also make appearances.

The movie tells a stylised fictional account of the formation, rise and subsequent breakup of the band, from the point of view of their then-manager Malcolm McLaren. In the film, McLaren claims to create the Sex Pistols and manipulate them to the top of the music business, using them as puppets to both further his own agenda (in his own words: "Cash for chaos"), and to claim the financial rewards from the various record labels the band were signed to during their brief history – EMI, A&M, Virgin, and Warner Bros. Records.

In addition, the film also includes appearances by musician Dave Dee and reporter Alan Jones as themselves.