Customer Reviews

Swing Shift [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Swing Shift" has proven to be a marvelous nostalgia trip for those who remember the '40s, and for those self-proclaimed nostalgia buffs like myself who enjoy the music of the era.
Goldie Hawn has a childlike innocence as a housewife to Ed Harris in a working class neighborhood in 1941 California. Jack and Kay Walsh deal with Jack's having to work on Saturdays, a rather vampy neighbor at whom they make derogatory remarks when they see her going to work, and enjoy time at the roller rink.
While they are at the roller rink, the attack on Pearl Harbor is announced and their world changes. Jack enlists in the Navy and Kay decides to work as riveter, who helps to build airplanes at a local munitions plant.
She develops an antagonistic relationship with her neighbor, Hazel(Christine Lahti), the singer-turned riveter, whom she and her husband used to taunt, and an even closer relationship with a plant worker named Lucky (Kurt Russell)who repeatedly invites her out to hear him play his trumpet at club leading to gossip and speculation about their relationship among their co-workers.
During the course of the film, we see the reluctance of the women's male co-workers to accept them as equals in the workplace, and one of the male instructors gets a little too familiar with Hazel while instructing her on how to drill.
The unspoken problem in all this is the women's inability to defend themselves against sexual harrassment in the workplace at that time. In modern times, Lucky never would have been able to make the kind of advances that he made towards her in this film, at least not without Kay filing a complaint. This film suggests that such situations may have been common back then, largely because of this fact.It leads a viewer to wonder how many affairs between the female swingshifters and their male counterparts took place at that time, regardless of the marital status of either of them.
But we share the triumphs as well as the tragedies of the swing shifters; Holly Hunter, as Jeanne Sherman, receives her husband's death notice while at work, but later gives the audience a lesson in how life can go on afterwards.
Jack discovers his wife's affair when he comes home on furlough, and is heartbroken. As Kay tries to figure out how best to resolve the situation, Hazel and Lucky begin a dallience of their own after Hazel's relationship with her former boss appears to be over.
After the inevitable fight between the two women, they avoid each other at work. Lucky gets his big break as a musician, and leaves the plant, which makes it easier for Hazel and Kay to eventually make peace with each other.
I found this film--a counterpart to that other portrayal of life in World War II California, "Racing With the Moon", which was released the same year--to be a fine tribute the the women who helped win World War II--to their endurance of heartache and sacrifice, demeaning treatment, the realism of the marginalized treatment of the African American women at the plant, and the support that women in general can give each other in times of crisis. When Kay is promoted after saving a co-worker's life, we see how the men begin to respect their female co-workers for their intelligence. Interestingly, these themes were later echoed in the 1992 film, "A League of Their Own".
Sadly, these women had to give up their jobs once the men returned home from the war. But those who see this film should come to appreciate the way the women of this era paved the way for equality in the workplace.

This is a wonderful WW11 story about a woman(Hawn) whos husband(Harris)signs up to be sent overseas. While her husband is away, Hawn befriends her neighbor(Lahti) and they both get swing shift jobs building planes for the war. While working, Hawn meets Russell(who is 4F) and they begin an elicit affair that blooms until Harris returns unexpectedly. Lahti gives an emotional stand out performance and Hawn and Russells offscrean romance brings believable life to their onscreen affair.This is a wonderful movie about seperation, deception, friendship and forgivness. A must see for everyone!

I was not expecting much more than typical Hollywood schlock from this one, but director Jonathan Demme delivers much more than that. Produced in 1984, SWING SHIFT tells the story of a young woman (Goldie Hawn), who begins working in an airplane factory soon after her husband (Ed Harris) joins the U.S. Navy in December of 1941. She is tempted to indulge in an illicit affair with her foreman at the factory (Kurt Russell), while knowing full well that this would be wrong and inexcusable behavior. I won't reveal the plot for you, in case you have a chance to see this interesting film, but the acting is believable, the dialogue sounds natural, and the period detail is convincing. These characters seem like real people. I enjoyed it very much and found funny girl Goldie Hawn to be a talented and likeable dramatic actress. So, too, is Christine Lahti, who plays the role of her best friend. The whole film is nostalgic, evoking the Los Angeles of WWII very well indeed, and the editing keeps the story line moving. The critiques for SWING SHIFT were decidedly mixed, but I can recommend it with enthusiasm. Worth seeing.

Excellent underrated film depicting the unique issues and trials faced by American women during World War II. There were production troubles/script rewrites and critics had a field day, but with charismatic big names adding weight it ranks as one of the most touching and memorable WWII films that I have seen in recent years.

I love this movie it is fun loving and heart warming it is a great movie that brings back a time when every thing was simple even in war time. It makes you want to laugh and cry with the characters and it shows that women can take up the reins and be just as capable as men

This is Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell at their best. While the men are off to war (WWII), the woman are called to help their country by working for an airplane manufacturing factory. It's a woman's coming of age story in many ways with some great music and a few love stories thrown in for good measure. Christine Lahti is a stand out in her co-starring role.

Swing shift was one of my favorite movies about WWII because it was
mostly about what was happening on the home front during that time. Most
WWII movies were about the military battles or what was happening
in Europe or in the far east.

This is a great movie and the DVD arrived in excellent condition (new).

You may have heard how the original cut of this film was considered great until Goldie Hawn demanded re-shooting to further elevate her character's story. Regardless, it still is a fun movie to watch.

Jonathan Demme re-creates a very believable 1940's Santa Monica, CA and the lives of the women who worked in the war factories. Everyone in this film delivers the goods - including Hawn, but Christine Lahti literally steals the show (despite Goldie's re-takes) as the dance hall singer turned riveter. I loved all the scenes inside the airplane factory where they work. Not only do we have Hawn, Lahti and Kurt Russell, but a great supporting cast including Holly Hunter, Ed Harris, Sudie Bond and Fred Ward.

Concerning separation and personal sacrifice caused by war.

When Goldie Hawn's husband goes off to war, she gets a job in a defense plant. A ex-nightclub singer (Christine Lahti) also works at the plant and the two become friends.

Kurt Russell is a lead man at the plant and soon finds himself in love with Goldie. The nostalgia of the era is all around--a time when ordinary people bonded to accomplish extraordinary things.

Love flourishes until wars end, then the men come home and interestingly things return to normal--but never the same.

Holly Hunter plays a small role as one of the defense plant workers.