The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.

Director:

Penelope Spheeris

Stars:

Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Alice Bag Band	...	Themselves
Black Flag	...	Themselves
Catholic Discipline	...	Themselves
Circle Jerks	...	Themselves
Fear	...	Themselves
The Germs	...	Themselves (as Germs)
X	...	Themselves
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Alice Bag	...	Herself - Alice Bag Band (Vocals)
Claude Bessy	...	Himself - Catholic Discipline (Vocals)
Bob Biggs	...	Himself - Publisher - Slash Magazine (as Robert Biggs)
Don Bolles	...	Himself - Germs (Drums)
D.J. Bonebrake	...	Himself - X (Drums)
Rick Brodey	...	Himself - Catholic Discipline (Bass) (as Rick Jaffe)
Dinah Cancer	...	Herself - Light Bulb Kid (as Mary)
Exene Cervenka	...	Herself - X (Vocals) (as Exene)

Storyline

The Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 is the focus of this film. With Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.

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Plot Keywords:

national film registry | beer | self destructiveness | cult favorite | drug | 

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Taglines:

See it in a theater.... where you can't get hurt.

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Genres:

Documentary | History | Music

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1983 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Падение западной цивилизации

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Spheeris Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Both this film and its followups, The Decline Of Western Civilization Pt. II and Pt. III, were for numerous years unavailable on DVD/Bluray, due to a combination of licensing issues, and the director's own reluctance to revisit them. Spheeris had said that she didn't need the money, but-- since she felt that would most likely be remembered for these films over her more commercial/family-friendly efforts like Wayne's World, The Beverly Hillbillies, and The Little Rascals-- that she wanted to take her time and made sure that any digital release did them justice. Prior to their much-anticipated DVD/Bluray release in June of 2015, they had only been available by paying for pricey VHS copies on eBay or as bootlegs.

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Quotes

The Circle Jerks member: And at the bottom it says "Thank you." And you can tell 'em to fuck off.

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Connections

Referenced in Totally F***ed Up (1993)

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Soundtracks

Beef Balogna
(uncredited)
Written by Lee Ving
Performed by Fear

User Reviews

A good documentary

Here is a great movie. Now, first of all, I would like to say that I was born in the early 1980s. I really never knew, up-close and personal, what true punk rock was. Watching this film was like a history lesson of sorts. The music was great, good vintage rock n' roll from bands like Black Flag, Circle Jerks, X, etc. It seemed to me that with this film, Penelope Spheeris was trying to show people that these weren't all just stupid kids who were out to do drugs and kill people. Some of these punks really had some philosophies that they were working at behind their music. This seems most evident in the interview with Black Flag. I understand myself how a lot of people might view these bands' philosophies as under-developed and simple, but one must take into account that these were some pretty young people. Nowadays, as young as I still am, I find it refreshing to run into someone my age who understands in any way philosophical thinking. In this movie, the young people may seem a little half-baked in their philosophies, but you might keep in mind that most kids don't even get that far. I've met many full-grown adults who have not progressed as far with deep thought contexts as some of the punk musicians in "Decline". Another thing I loved about this movie was how funny it got at times. Some of these kids were total idiots, while the story about the dead painter was devilishly humorous. Fear's performance at the end topped it all. Even if punk is dead, it was once very alive. All flaws aside, "The Decline of Western Civilization" was made for people who can tell the difference between some suburban wimp with a mohawk and the truly intelligent individuals who were genuinely upset and picked up music instruments as weapons against the forces of the corporate.