Unavailable on home video for many years (except perhaps as a grainy, nth-generation VHS bootleg), Penelope Spheeris' seminal document of the young 1979-1980 Los Angeles punk scene includes chaotic live performances by now-legendary groups like Black Flag (with short-lived lead singer Ron "Chavo Pederast" Reyes), X (giving themselves stick-and-poke tattoos) and the Germs (whose unpredictable lead singer Darby Crash would commit suicide before the film's release) interwoven with talking-head interviews with teenage punks and, most entertainingly, older club owners trying very hard to describe a growing form of music they were clearly unprepared for. The footage of Fear's confrontational set would later grab the attention of John Belushi, who snagged the band a 1981 appearance on Saturday Night Live (and resulted in $20,000 in damage to the studio). - Tom Fritsche

Unavailable on home video for many years (except perhaps as a grainy, nth-generation VHS bootleg), Penelope Spheeris' seminal document of the young 1979-1980 Los Angeles punk scene includes chaotic live performances by now-legendary groups like Black Flag (with short-lived lead singer Ron "Chavo Pederast" Reyes), X (giving themselves stick-and-poke tattoos) and the Germs (whose unpredictable lead singer Darby Crash would commit suicide before the film's release) interwoven with talking-head interviews with teenage punks and, most entertainingly, older club owners trying very hard to describe a growing form of music they were clearly unprepared for. The footage of Fear's confrontational set would later grab the attention of John Belushi, who snagged the band a 1981 appearance on Saturday Night Live (and resulted in $20,000 in damage to the studio). - Tom Fritsche

The third (and seemingly final) installment in Penelope Spheeris' Los Angeles music trilogy, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION III follows not the punk acts of Los Angeles from 1996-1997 but their homeless teenaged fans. Musician interviews in this DECLINE are fewer but include interesting musings from Keith Morris from the Circle Jerks and Flea (credited as the "ex-bass player of Fear"). DECLINE III lives up to its title as Spheeris explores every facet of the gutter-punk life, from their damaged upbringings (nearly all were abused or neglected as children) to the self-destructive lives they lead on society's fringe (alcoholism, homelessness and run-ins with skinheads, among others). - Tom Fritsche

The third (and seemingly final) installment in Penelope Spheeris' Los Angeles music trilogy, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION III follows not the punk acts of Los Angeles from 1996-1997 but their homeless teenaged fans. Musician interviews in this DECLINE are fewer but include interesting musings from Keith Morris from the Circle Jerks and Flea (credited as the "ex-bass player of Fear"). DECLINE III lives up to its title as Spheeris explores every facet of the gutter-punk life, from their damaged upbringings (nearly all were abused or neglected as children) to the self-destructive lives they lead on society's fringe (alcoholism, homelessness and run-ins with skinheads, among others). - Tom Fritsche

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years is a documentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris about the Los Angeles heavy metal scene from 1986 to 1988.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years is a documentary film directed by Penelope Spheeris about the Los Angeles heavy metal scene from 1986 to 1988.

在1944年初 品学兼优的希特勒青年团小组长——15岁少年海因茨•斯蒂尔克突然被上面发现自己存在犹太人祖宗，极度震惊的他遭到学校开除和昔日朋友的殴打，甚至他作为德军军官战死的父亲照片也被悔辱，在种种压力下，他一边仍坚定自己的纳粹身份，一边开始了被迫的逃亡和冒险，直至德国战败。电影通过海因茨荒诞和奇特的遭遇表现了二战时德国普通人的矛盾心理，对种族问题进行了辛辣嘲讽，歌颂了下层人民的美好品德。 　　改編自东德作家Wolfgang Kellner的小说“Abenteurer wider Willen”。

在1944年初 品学兼优的希特勒青年团小组长——15岁少年海因茨•斯蒂尔克突然被上面发现自己存在犹太人祖宗，极度震惊的他遭到学校开除和昔日朋友的殴打，甚至他作为德军军官战死的父亲照片也被悔辱，在种种压力下，他一边仍坚定自己的纳粹身份，一边开始了被迫的逃亡和冒险，直至德国战败。电影通过海因茨荒诞和奇特的遭遇表现了二战时德国普通人的矛盾心理，对种族问题进行了辛辣嘲讽，歌颂了下层人民的美好品德。 　　改編自东德作家Wolfgang Kellner的小说“Abenteurer wider Willen”。