Swing Shift

Swing Shift

When America marched off to war the women marched into the factory. From then on...nothing was the same.

PG 1984 · 100 min · ★ 5.6 · Drama, Romance, War

In 1941 America, Kay and her husband are happy enough until he enlists after Pearl Harbor. Against his wishes, she takes a job at the local aircraft plant where she meets Hazel, the singer from across the way. The two soon become firm friends and with the other girls become increasingly expert workers. As the war drags on, Kay finally dates her trumpet-playing foreman and life gets more complicated.

Directed by Jonathan Demme · Written by Nancy Dowd

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Howdy Amazon Channel

Rent or Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTubeFandango At Home

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 8m together

Swing Shift

Stop Making Sense

Both from Jonathan Demme.

More from Jonathan DemmeSee all →

The Silence of the LambsThe Silence of the Lambs · 1991
The Silence of the Lambs
★ 8.31991
MovieCrimeThriller
Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.
Stop Making SenseStop Making Sense · 1984
Stop Making Sense
★ 8.31984
MovieDocumentaryMusic
A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.
ColumboColumbo · 1971
Columbo
★ 8.11971
SeriesCrimeDrama
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.
OzOz · 1997
Oz
★ 8.01997
SeriesCrimeDrama
The daily lives of prisoners in Emerald City, an experimental unit of the Oswald Maximum Security Prison where ingroups - Muslims, Latinos, Italians, Aryans - stick close to their mutual friends and terrorize their mutual enemies.
The KillingThe Killing · 2011
The Killing
★ 7.82011
SeriesDramaCrime
The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.
PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia · 1993
Philadelphia
★ 7.71993
MovieDrama
Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.
Adaptation.Adaptation. · 2002
Adaptation.
★ 7.32002
MovieComedyCrime
Charlie Kaufman is a confused L.A. screenwriter overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy, sexual frustration, self-loathing, and by the screenwriting ambitions of his freeloading twin brother Donald. While struggling to adapt "The Orchid Thief," by Susan Orlean, Kaufman's life spins from pathetic to bizarre. The lives of Kaufman and Orlean's book become strangely intertwined as each one's search for passion collides with the other's.
Phantom ThreadPhantom Thread · 2017
Phantom Thread
★ 7.32017
MovieDramaRomance
In 1950s London, a renowned dressmaker's meticulous lifestyle begins drastically changing as his relationship with his young muse intensifies.
Seven SecondsSeven Seconds · 2018
Seven Seconds
★ 7.32018
SeriesCrimeDrama
Tensions run high between African American citizens and Caucasian cops in Jersey City when a teenage African American boy is critically injured by a cop.
EnlightenedEnlightened · 2011
Enlightened
★ 7.02011
SeriesComedyDrama
After a very public breakdown and a subsequent philosophical awakening in rehabilitation, Amy tries to get her life back together.
SuspiriaSuspiria · 2018
Suspiria
★ 6.92018
MovieHorrorMystery
A darkness swirls at the center of a world-renowned dance company, one that will engulf the artistic director, an ambitious young dancer, and a grieving psychotherapist. Some will succumb to the nightmare. Others will finally wake up.
POVPOV · 1988
POV
★ 6.91988
SeriesDocumentary
The home for the world's boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action.
That Thing You Do!That Thing You Do! · 1996
That Thing You Do!
★ 6.91996
MovieComedyDrama
A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager. But behind the scenes, the group’s sudden fame tests their strength, their maturity and responsibility, and their ability to resist the temptations that money and notoriety always make possible.
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live · 1975
Saturday Night Live
★ 6.91975
SeriesComedyNews
A late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels. The show's comedy sketches, which parody contemporary culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers an opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, and features performances by a musical guest.
The New Yorker PresentsThe New Yorker Presents · 2016
The New Yorker Presents
★ 6.82016
SeriesDocumentary
A groundbreaking series that brings America's most award-winning magazine, The New Yorker, to the screen with documentaries, short narrative films, comedy, poetry, animation, and cartoons from the hands of acclaimed filmmakers and artists.
Cousin BobbyCousin Bobby · 1992
Cousin Bobby
★ 6.71992
MovieDocumentary
Robert Castle is the idealistic pastor of St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Harlem, and also the cousin of filmmaker Jonathan Demme. Demme's affectionate portrait of his cousin traces Castle's story, beginning with his first parish assignment, in New Jersey in the early 1960s, in an increasingly African-American-populated neighborhood rocked by violence and civil rights protests. The film raises intimate discussions of race, faith and family, while also showing Castle's daily routine as a pastor.

More Like This

The Tin DrumThe Tin Drum · 1979
The Tin Drum
★ 7.01979
MovieDramaHistory
In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.
The Marriage of Maria BraunThe Marriage of Maria Braun · 1979
The Marriage of Maria Braun
★ 7.41979
MovieDrama
Maria marries a young soldier in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. She must rely on her beauty and ambition to navigate the difficult post-war years alone.
Judgment at NurembergJudgment at Nuremberg · 1961
Judgment at Nuremberg
★ 8.01961
MovieDramaHistory
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.
NurembergNuremberg · 2025
Nuremberg
★ 7.62025
MovieHistoryDrama
In postwar Germany, an American psychiatrist must determine whether Nazi prisoners are fit to go on trial for war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of intellect and ethics with Hermann Göring, Hitler's right-hand man.
Pearl HarborPearl Harbor · 2001
Pearl Harbor
★ 6.92001
MovieDramaWar
The lifelong friendship between Rafe McCawley and Danny Walker is put to the ultimate test when the two ace fighter pilots become entangled in a love triangle with beautiful Naval nurse Evelyn Johnson. But the rivalry between the friends-turned-foes is immediately put on hold when they find themselves at the center of Japan's devastating attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Freud's Last SessionFreud's Last Session · 2023
Freud's Last Session
★ 6.62023
MovieDrama
On the eve of the Second World War, two of the greatest minds of the twentieth century, C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud converge for their own personal battle over the existence of God. The film interweaves the lives of Freud and Lewis, past, present, and through fantasy, bursting from the confines of Freud’s study on a dynamic journey.
GandhiGandhi · 1982
Gandhi
★ 7.61982
MovieDramaHistory
In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.
Closely Watched TrainsClosely Watched Trains · 1966
Closely Watched Trains
★ 7.21966
MovieComedyDrama
At a village railway station in occupied Czechoslovakia, a bumbling dispatcher’s apprentice longs to liberate himself from his virginity. Oblivious to the war and the resistance that surrounds him, this young man embarks on a journey of sexual awakening and self-discovery, encountering a universe of frustration, eroticism, and adventure within his sleepy backwater depot.
Enemy at the GatesEnemy at the Gates · 2001
Enemy at the Gates
★ 7.42001
MovieWarHistory
A Russian and a German sniper play a game of cat-and-mouse during the Battle of Stalingrad in WWII.
Saving Private RyanSaving Private Ryan · 1998
Saving Private Ryan
★ 8.21998
MovieWarDrama
As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller and seven men are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.
The Great DictatorThe Great Dictator · 1940
The Great Dictator
★ 8.31940
MovieComedyWar
Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.
Letters from Iwo JimaLetters from Iwo Jima · 2006
Letters from Iwo Jima
★ 7.52006
MovieActionDrama
The story of the battle of Iwo Jima between the United States and Imperial Japan during World War II, as told from the perspective of the Japanese who fought it.
The Bridge on the River KwaiThe Bridge on the River Kwai · 1957
The Bridge on the River Kwai
★ 7.81957
MovieDramaHistory
The classic story of English POWs in Burma forced to build a bridge to aid the war effort of their Japanese captors. British and American intelligence officers conspire to blow up the structure, but Col. Nicholson, the commander who supervised the bridge's construction, has acquired a sense of pride in his creation and tries to foil their plans.
Antonia's LineAntonia's Line · 1995
Antonia's Line
★ 6.91995
MovieDramaComedy
After World War II, Antonia and her daughter, Danielle, go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger, would-be suitor Bas and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.
The Best Years of Our LivesThe Best Years of Our Lives · 1946
The Best Years of Our Lives
★ 7.71946
MovieDramaRomance
It's the hope that sustains the spirit of every GI: the dream of the day when he will finally return home. For three WWII veterans, the day has arrived. But for each man, the dream is about to become a nightmare.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter