The Decline of Western Civilization (VHS)

this copy of the movie is even better than the one i owened when i was a wee one, amazing transaction thnx

THIS IS A DOCUMENTARY OF THE PUNK MUSIC SCENE-MUSIC PERFORMANCES. IT TRIES TO SHOW HOW IT REALLY WAS FOR THE CHARACTERS/BANDS OR FANS IN THE MOVIE. (HOW THE BANDS LIVED-HOW CROWDS REACTED TO THEIR PERFORMANCES)I LOVED THIS MOVIE-MOST OF THE BANDS IN THE MOVIE ARE SWELL.I RENTED THIS MOVIE IN THE 80'S AND HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO FIND ONE TO BUY SINCE. I GUESS I CAN STOP HITTING VIDEO STORE CLOSEOUT VHS SALES. I TRIED TO PURCHASE ON LINE FROM DIRECTOR BUT SHE IS HAVING A PROBLEM GETTING THE RIGHTS TO RE-RELEASE THIS FILM. I WAITED 5 YEARS WITH THE "I WILL UPDATE YOU FOR RELEASE NEWS" FROM PENELOPE. I AM FINALLY GLAD MY SEARCH IS OVER. THIS MOVIE SURE DOES TAKE ME BACK TO MY TEEN YEARS. *:)

If I assume that you know what this film is about, I am also forced to assume that you've come to this review knowing that you will probably watch it regardless of what I say. If all this rings true - read on - you are likely to find some consonance with at least part of this review. If you're undecided, or not really entirely certain what happened in the late '70s and early '80s in the urban and suburban youth music culture, you should probably read one of the reviews which pretends to be objective instead.

Although I didn't grow up in California, the American punk scene was the first music scene I ever truly lived in. At the height of the hardcore I was immersed in from about 1979-1981 everybody had a band and the only common denominators between bands and indeed members of their audiences were:

* the rejection of conformity

* tolerance and enjoyment of difference

* a desire to have fun - hard and fast

Hairstyles, politics, dislike of authority figures, and violent slam-dancing were not integral to what I experienced, though there were certainly cliques or factions who tended to be intolerant of those who did not dress, speak or act "punk" enough. And there was often a certain amount of unearned credit extended from some of these cliques to those who tried really hard to live down to the fascistic paradigm of anarchic, self mutilating, angry young cop-haters.

Although the interviews with audience punks in Penelope Spheeris' excellent Cal-Punk documentary "Decline of Western Civilization" present a very narrow view of the subculture some of us enjoyed, the interviews with the bands, club owners, promoters and even the security people are much more representative of at least my own perspective and memories of 'the scene'. nevertheless, it is possible for those who approach this with prejudices about what punk is to experience this film without having their preconceptions challenged. Unfortunate as this is, the blame for it rests solely with those who promote, believe in or feel comfortable with stereotypes - Not the film-makers. Don't blame the messenger.

The music presented here is not going to be for everybody - nor even most. It's not the most crude stuff out there, but it's loud, obnoxious, fast, and less concerned with technique than with raw energy.

For me, seeing early Black Flag with Ron Reyes singing, X, Fear and the Circle Jerks was worth far more than the cost of this hard to obtain film. As much as I like The Germs, seeing Darby Crash for the mess - and the nice guy - that he was left me a bit cold. Nevertheless, the scenes of Darby playing with his pet tarantula while "Shut Down" droned on and on in the background were precious. The X interview is also great.

Spheeris' straightforward documentary style is supplemented by wild pans and zooms during the musical segments. During the interviews, framing is used very nicely to provide context for whatever is being said. Considering her experience and the budget, Spheeris did as well as anybody could have with this film.

Recommended for those who appreciate what this film is actually about, and for those who have forgotten those few years of fun, honest, direction-less rebellion before Amaerican punk was co-opted into yet another flow within the musical mainstream and the stereotypes became more important than the basic philosophy.

I'd first seen this movie in a theater when it was first released in the early 80's and I remember loving it then. Now, more than 20 years later, I have a daughter with a growing fascination with punk. I bought this as a Christmas gift, and since the seller suggested I view it again to make sure the tape itself was in good shape, I sat down and watched it. To my surprise, this movie is even better than I remember. It does a great job of looking at a musical and social movement that's still evolving today. This makes a great bookend to the new Joe Strummer biopic "The Future is Unwritten". While the live performances are the real meat of the film, the interviews with the club owners, writers, and record company owners really round out the perspective. I was never a punk myself, but even as an aging 40 something mom, I can still see what all the fuss was about. The only thing I don't understand is why this hasn't been released on DVD.

I like that it showed how punk music impacted people back in the 70-80's and how it all started. My favorite band (The Germs) was on the movie and there's not alot of stuff out there with Darby Crash in it so I was pretty excited about that. It just gives a really good insight to punk music, scene, and just everything about it really.