The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

Director:

Penelope Spheeris

Writer:

Penelope Spheeris (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Music

Plot:

The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag...

Plot Keywords:

Anti Authority | Cult Favorite | Racial Slur | Punk Rock | Journalist

Cast

Alice Bag Band	...	Themselves
Alice Bag	...	Lead Singer, The Alice Bag Band
Claude Bessey	...	Catholic Discipline / Vocalist
Black Flag	...	Themselves
Don Bolles	...	Drummer, The Germs
Exene Cervenka	...	'X' - vocals
Circle Jerks	...	Themselves
Philo Cramer	...	Fear Guitar
Darby Crash	...	Lead Singer, The Germs
John Doe	...	'X' - vocals, bassist
Lorna Doom	...	Bassist, The Germs
Frank Gargani	...	Appears as Himself
Bill Gazzarri	...	Himself
Michelle Baer Ghaffari	...	Herself
Greg Ginn	...	Black Flag / Guitarist
Greg Hetson	...	Himself / Circle Jerks Guitarist
Craig Lee	...	Guitarist, The Alice Bag Band
Lucky Lehrer	...	Himself
Jenny Lens
Keith Morris	...	The Circle Jerks member
Nicole Panter	...	Nicole - Germs Manager
Phranc	...	Catholic Discipline / Guitarist
Ron Reyes	...	Black Flag / Vocalist
Roger Rogerson	...	Himself
Rick Schmidlin	...	Appears as himself
Derf Scratch	...	Bass player for Fear
Pat Smear	...	Guitarist, The Germs
Lee Ving	...	'Fear' vocals / guitar
X.	...	Themselves
Billy Zoom	...	Himself

Directed by
Penelope Spheeris

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Penelope Spheeris		writer

Produced by
Jeff Prettyman	....	producer
Penelope Spheeris	....	producer

Cinematography by
Steve Conant

Film Editing by
Charlie Mullin

Sound Department
Gary C. Bourgeois	....	sound re-recording mixer
Alan Kutner	....	sound recordist
Nick Neutra	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Penelope Spheeris	....	additional cinematographer (as P. Spheeris)
James R. Tynes	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Mary Nelson-Duerrstein	....	negative cutter (as Mary Nelson)

Production Companies

• Spheeris Films Inc.

Distributors

• Media Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Nu Image Films (1981) (USA) (theatrical)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Not Rated

Company:

Spheeris Films Inc.

Trivia:

After the film was screened in Los Angeles, punk music fans got into so many fights and caused so much trouble that then-L.A. Police Chief Daryl Gates wrote the filmmakers a letter asking them not to screen the film again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Prey for Rock & Roll (2003)

Soundtrack:

Manimal

disaffected American youth

Penelope Spheeris (of "Wayne's World" fame) made her mark with the documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization", about the LA punk scene in the late '70s and early '80s. Most of the documentary features interviews with the punks and footage of concerts (which often turn violent). Overall, we get to see how the punk movement was a reaction to the hippies: whereas the hippies were into being natural, the punks wanted to have themselves as altered as possible, what with spiked hair and all. But also, we see how they're really disaffected and sometimes becoming skinheads.

Anyway, this is a really great time capsule. We're not really sure whether we want to long for that era or feel repulsed by it. But this is definitely not a documentary that will leave you neutral. Truly worth seeing.