IMDb > The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

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Director:
Penelope Spheeris
Writer:
Penelope Spheeris
Genre:
Documentary | History | Music See more »
Plot:
The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag... See more » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
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NewsDesk:
(13 articles)
Rock On: 'Hit So Hard' Filmmakers Name Their Top 10 Music Docs of All Time
 (From Indiewire. 13 April 2012, 8:05 AM, PDT)
'Wayne's World' 20th Anniversary: 25 Things You Didn't Know About Mike Myers' Classic Comedy
 (From Moviefone. 14 February 2012, 4:30 PM, PST)
The Unheard Music
 (From JustPressPlay. 15 January 2012, 9:40 PM, PST)
User Reviews:
Could somebody please put this one out on Video? See more (27 total) »

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
Dinah Cancer ... Herself

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
Fear ... Themselves
Frank Gargani ... Appears as Himself
Bill Gazzarri ... Himself
The Germs ... Themselves
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
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Directed by
Penelope Spheeris 
 
Writing credits
(in alphabetical order)
Penelope Spheeris 

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 CompaniesDistributors
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
100 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Black and White | Color
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
USA:Not Rated
Company:
Spheeris Films Inc.See more »

Did You Know?

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.See more »
Movie Connections:
Featured in Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004) (TV)See more »
Soundtrack:
Shutdown/Annihilation ManSee more »

FAQ

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User Reviews

   (Review this title)
7 out of 8 people found the following review useful.
Could somebody please put this one out on Video?, 25 November 1998
Author: sas from munich, germany

Spheeris debut must be one of the best music documentaries of all time. And as far as I know it's also the only one that focuses on the L.A. Punk Explosion of the early eighties. It's all there: not just great, great bands like Black Flag, Fear, X, the Germs, whose names may not mean much to you today, but whose influence on today's alternative rock music can not be over-estimated, but also the promoters, the media and first of all the audiences - the punks - all portrayed in a manner that makes you laugh, shudder and gasp with astonishment about the energy, the anger and the fury these youths put into their music. Where is that today? The eighties may have sucked big time when it cames to mainstream music, but the underground was rocking. If you need a proof for that, watch Fear's performance in Decline. Unmatched. Great film! How come this is not available on vid, LD or DVD? P.S. The follow-up Decline Pt. II is hilarious, too

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
VHS / DVD re-release ? usatan
Poor representation of the LA punk scene? zazzy-zulu
I own a VHS copy of this movie! moviefiend69
Ideal Punk Band? Farts182
Bouncer: Dutch Michaels marc-457
Oswald Spengler? patrick5246
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