THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION

(1981) Director: Penelope Spheeris

Not Available on DVD.

SUMMARY:

The performers, attitudes, and music of late '70s, early '80s Los Angeles punk scene are documented in this film by director Penelope Spheeris. Not merely a compilation of concert footage, The Decline of Western Civilization compiles numerous viewpoints on the meanings of the punk movement, from journalists -- one of whom calls punk the folk music of the 1980s -- to club security guards, to the punks themselves. The center of the film, however, is the music, which is fast, loud, and abrasive and often played with purposeful ineptitude; the lyrics are intentionally controversial and shocking, often seeming to embrace violence, sexism, racism, and even Nazism, though usually in an ironic manner. The performances, by bands such as Black Flag, X, The Circle Jerks, and Fear, are mostly shot from within the audience, where the camera often becomes an unwitting participant in the crowd's slam dancing. Especially fascinating are the performances by The Germs, thanks to the antics of their violently self-destructive lead singer Darby Crash, who would later die of a drug overdose and gain a martyr status within the punk community. The film was followed several years later by a sequel focusing on the world of heavy metal. - All Movie Guide

VIDEO: FULL FEATURE



(Remainder can be found on YouTube HERE)

REVIEWS, INTERVIEWS, CREDITS:

• Penelope Spheeris on the Henry Rollins Show
• Penelope's World; Spheeris Returns With Third Punk Doc (Interview IndieWIRE)
• No Future (Interview Filmmaker Magazine)
• Some of Penelope Spheeris' other director credits include: Black Sheep (1996), The Little Rascals (1994), The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), Wayne's World (1992), Suburbia (1984) FULL FEATURE
• There is no such thing as New Wave

NOTES:

• Bands featured in the film: Black Flag, The Germs, X, Alice Bag Band, Circle Jerks, Catholic Discipline, Fear
• Portions of the film are featured in the documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) directed by Alexandra Cassavetes
• According to director Penelope Spheeris this film was financed by two businessmen who originally wanted to finance a porn film.
  
• 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.
• Other titles in the DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION series: The Decline of Western Civilization II: The Metal Years (1988) and The Decline of Western Civilization III (1998)
• Official site