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The Decline of Western Civilization
The documentary of director Penelope Spheeris surveys the Los Angeles punk music scene circa 1980 with Alice Bag Band, Black Flag, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Germs, and X.
16 June 1924
15 January 1953, Riverside, California, USA
28 August 1960, California, USA
13 April 1953, Ventura County, California, USA
25 February 1953, Decatur, Illinois, USA
June 20, 1945 in Normandy, France
22 October 1954, Paterson, New Jersey, USA
July 18, 2016
This is the first in a trilogy of rock documentaries made by Spheeris that, viewed today, seem like valuable cultural documents. But your granny won't like it.
January 01, 2000
[A] still potent 1981 documentary about Los Angeles punk rock.
June 10, 2005
the documentary is quite enjoyable
August 03, 2015
The result is both insanely funny and very frightening.
July 18, 2016
This was the first time anyone had seen a mosh pit on-screen, and Spheeris somehow gets right in the scrum, capturing a blur of flailing bodies.
January 26, 2006
The interviews are mostly very funny, probably not always intentionally so. It's far from unmissable, but it's valuable rock history with some great noise.
June 21, 2015
...a perfect symbol for the nihilistic hardcore punk rock that developed in Los Angeles - an angry and unwholesome scene that grew parallel to the more intellectual New York scene
August 30, 2004
The Decline of Western Civilization' is a shrewd and engrossing documentary even for audiences who have absolutely no patience for the music it includes.
February 13, 2017
You can't put a price on a filmic document such as this one.
March 26, 2009
A bracing, stimulating and technically superb close-up look at the LA punk scene, pic is pitched at a perfect distance to allow for simultaneous engagement in the music and spectacle, and for rueful contemplation of what it all might mean.
July 18, 2016
This often-fascinating slice of rock history wisely avoids high-profile punk groups, and instead opts for bands who are still struggling to pay their rent.