Episode 37 – 'Swing Shift' Theatrical Cut v. Director's Workprint - a podcast by Phi Phenonenon

I’m joined today by esteemed editor Julia Bloch to discuss the 1984 film directed by Jonathan Demme that history has often forgotten in lieu of his celebrated Talking Heads concert documentary shot and released around the same time, Stop Making Sense. But that reputation was questioned when a 1990 Sight & Sound article by Steve Vineberg called a bootleg of the surviving director’s cut “one of the best movies made by an American in the ’80s.” On today’s episode two editors discuss all the myriad differences that can happen between two cuts of a film, speculation on all the reasons the film was recut or taken away from Demme in the first place, star/producer Goldie Hawn’s involvement, the career-best performance left on the cutting room floor, and whether or not the film deserves Vineberg’s high praise (spoiler alert: yes).

The theatrical cut of Swing Shift is available on VOD. While its director’s cut is not commercially available, digital bootlegs of a VHS from the director’s workprint are available for those able to make a judicious internet search.

Julia Bloch has worked in editing rooms for directors such as Lars von Trier and Terrence Malick, edited features for Doug Liman, the Mulleavay Sisters, and Jeremy Saulnier, including the films Blue Ruin, Green Room, and Hold the Dark. Her latest film as editor, His House, was just released on Netflix in September.

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