The Decline of Western Civilization Part III

I'm a big fan of the Decline series and Spheeris has always had a great grip on the lifestyle and passion behind rock and roll as the focal point of the trilogy. While Decline III is undoubtedly the most depressing of the series, it is probably also the best.

While the other two movies were mostly about musicians and aspiring musicians, Decline III is more about the followers of musicians and their devotion to the lifestyle of the punk movement. This film is much more about homelessness than music and attempts to show why some young people are drawn to the nomadic life of a punk. The people Spheeris interviews all seem lost but they share a deep bond with each other as well as a pessimistic life view brought on by traumas of their childhoods that include abuse and degradation.

What Spheeris does successfully is showing how beautiful the souls of these people are. In many ways, you can see the punks in this film as anti-heroes who stand for positive values like inclusion, equality, free thought and non-violence, despite society's desire to paint them as violent troublemakers. She gets down into the muck with them, spending a lot of time asking real questions and showing their daily way of life, all the time showing how the punk lifestyle is less about music than philosophy.

There are also some great, high-energy musical performances that rival the ones shown in the other Decline films in terms of power. Spheeris found a lost generation of kids who were deemed disposable by their parents and society and showed us how smart and gentle they are under a tough exterior.

This movie is an accurate description of a small sect of the punk scene. Since the 80s it has grown so much and has so many parts, and this is just about a few squatters from L.A., most of whom i know. And it is good as a documentary about them but don't pretend that this is at all a documentary about hte punk scene of today

Before seeing this movie, i heard a bit of hype that it was the bell tolling the end of Punk. Now, i wouldn't attribute it with that kind of importance, but in defense of that statement, the music of the bands depicted in this installment of the "Decline of Western Civilization" series, pales in comparison to the music of the bands featured in the first of the series, (i.e. the Germs, the Circle Jerks). But, it must be said that this movie is more about the lives of a handful of homeless punks in LA. It is a touching film, despite Penelope Spheeris' constantly embarrassing and exploitive interviewing techniques. The punks in the film are too interesting to be exploited to the point of their own embarrassment, however, but i couldn't help but want to see their lives documented by a better, more trustworthy director.

From the Ashes Of the first wave of Punk Comes a New Generation Of Discarded Youth in LA. this Movie is humorous,exciting,sad,real, and absolutely brilliant. A must for fans of Punk or fans of Penelope Spheeris, and if you like this movie also see Suburbia,Dudes, and of Course The Decline of Western Civilization 1. The New Breed Of Punk will make you laugh,cry, and most of all think. Also Containing Live Performances From Final Conflict, Naked Aggression, Litmus Green, And The Resistance. Penelope Spheeris delves into the lives, mindsets, and culture of these youths, and is also there for various highs and lows which shows a terrific commitment to this terrific document.

I like P. Shpeeris, so I might be a little biased toward this movie. I think she did a good job with it, but as an interviewer, she comes across as a frustrated mother. Then again, how can anyone not be frustrated with the kids depicted in this film. From the opening interview, it's apparent that the movie's subjects are lazy and pretty stupid. Yes, I know some of them came from broken homes, etc., but they all come across as degenerates. It's hard to be sympathetic toward these teen-age train wrecks, but it's even harder to turn away from this film. And one has to question why these kids are the way they are? Has our country bred a subculture of mohawked hobos? Or, are things really that screwed up for troubled youth? The answers will vary depending on whom you ask, but go into this movie knowing you will be either very sad or very angry.