Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
The Decline of Western Civilization
TITLE DETAILS

The Decline of Western Civilization

1981-07-01 · 100 min · ★ 7.2

Documentary · Music

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.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Penelope Spheeris
Production companies
Spheeris Films Inc.
Countries
United States of America
Status
Released
Budget
USD 100,000

Top Cast

Eugene TatuEugene TatuSelf
Alice BagAlice BagSelf
Claude BessyClaude BessySelf
Dinah CancerDinah CancerSelf
Exene CervenkaExene CervenkaSelf
Lorna DoomLorna DoomSelf
Darby CrashDarby CrashSelf
Don BollesDon BollesSelf
Philo CramerSelf
John DoeJohn DoeSelf
Lee VingLee VingSelf
Greg GinnGreg GinnSelf
Chuck DukowskiChuck DukowskiSelf
Ron ReyesRon ReyesSelf
Pat SmearPat SmearSelf
Greg HetsonSelf
Keith MorrisKeith MorrisSelf
Nicole PanterNicole PanterSelf
Penelope SpheerisPenelope SpheerisSelf
D.J. BonebrakeSelf

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Streaming

Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, Fandor, Night Flight Plus, Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, DocuramaFilms Amazon Channel, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel, Qello Concerts by Stingray Amazon Channel, Cineverse Amazon Channel

Rental

Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

Purchase

Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

Free

Kanopy, Fawesome

With ads

Fandango at Home Free, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV, YouTube Free, Plex, Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads, Cineverse, Midnight Pulp, Tubi TV, Amazon MX Player

View authorized watch options on TMDb

Recommendations

Stop Making Sense
★ 8.4
Stop Making Sense1984Documentary · Music

A concert film documenting Talking Heads at the height of their popularity, on tour for their 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues." The band takes the stage one by one and is joined by a cadre of guest musicians for a career-spanning and cinematic performance that features creative choreography and visuals.

Justin Bieber's Believe
★ 6.9
Justin Bieber's Believe2013Documentary · Music

A backstage and on-stage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.

End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones
★ 7.6
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones2003Documentary · Music

A years-in-the-making documentary on the legendary punk band the Ramones. Through a mixture of archival footage, archival and new interviews with all members of the band's various lineups, and new interviews with a number of their contemporaries, the film traces the peaks and valleys the band experienced over the course of its 20-plus year career before disbanding in 1995.

Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger
★ 7.0
Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger2026Documentary · Music

Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.

The Last Waltz
★ 7.7
The Last Waltz1978Documentary · Music

Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from The Band's incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, and other rock legends.

Echo in the Canyon
★ 6.8
Echo in the Canyon2019Documentary · Music

A look at the roots of the historic music scene in L.A.'s Laurel Canyon featuring the music of iconic music groups such as The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, and The Mamas and the Papas.

A Band Called Death
★ 7.1
A Band Called Death2013Documentary · Music

Before Bad Brains, the Sex Pistols or even the Ramones, there was Death. Formed in the early '70s by three teenage brothers from Detroit, Death is credited as being the first black punk band, and the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby, and Dannis, are now considered pioneers in their field. But it wasn’t until recently — when a dusty 1974 demo tape made its way out of Bobby’s attic nearly 30 years after Death’s heyday — that anyone outside a small group of punk enthusiasts had even heard of them.

Monterey Pop
★ 7.4
Monterey Pop1968Documentary · Music

Featuring performances by popular artists of the 1960s, this concert film highlights the music of the 1967 California festival. Although not all musicians who performed at the Monterey Pop Festival are on film, some of the notable acts include the Mamas and the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Otis Redding, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Hendrix's post-performance antics -- lighting a guitar on fire, breaking it and tossing a part into the audience -- are captured.

Daft Punk Unchained
★ 7.2
Daft Punk Unchained2015Documentary · Music

Daft Punk Unchained is the first film about the pop culture phenomenon that is Daft Punk, the duo with 12 million albums sold worldwide and seven Grammy Awards. Throughout their career Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo have always resisted compromise and the established codes of show business. They have remained determined to maintain control of every link in the chain of their creative process. In the era of globalisation and social networks, they rarely speak in public and neither do they show their faces on TV. This documentary explores this unprecedented cultural revolution revealing a duo of artists on a permanent quest for creativity, independence and freedom.

Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams
★ 7.8
Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams2018Documentary · Music

An in-depth and intimate portrait of Coldplay's spectacular rise from the backrooms of Camden pubs to selling out stadiums across the planet. At the heart of the story is the band's unshakeable brotherhood which has endured through many highs and lows.

The Stone Roses: Made of Stone
★ 6.9
The Stone Roses: Made of Stone2013Documentary · Music

A documentary about the English alternative rock band, The Stone Roses. Meadows interweaves archive film, intimate behind-the-scenes footage and never-before-seen material, delivering the definitive account of the band and their music. He was also granted unprecedented access to their rehearsals for the summer 2012 Manchester concerts. A momentous occasion in modern music, these were the first gigs performed by The Stone Roses in 16 years.

How the Beatles Changed the World
★ 7.3
How the Beatles Changed the World2017Documentary · Music

The fascinating story of the cultural, social, spiritual, and musical revolution ignited by the coming of the Beatles. Tracing the impact that these four band members had, first in their native Britain and soon after worldwide, it reappraises the band and follows their path from young subversives to countercultural heroes. Featuring fresh, revealing interviews with key collaborators as well as a wealth of rarely-seen archival footage, this is a bold new take on the most significant band in the history of music and their enduring impact on popular culture.

Kurt Cobain: About a Son
★ 6.9
Kurt Cobain: About a Son2007Documentary · Music

An intimate and moving meditation on the late musician and artist Kurt Cobain, based on more than 25 hours of previously unheard audiotaped interviews conducted with Cobain by noted music journalist Michael Azerrad for his book "Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana." In the film, Kurt Cobain recounts his own life - from his childhood and adolescence to his days of musical discovery and later dealings with explosive fame - and offers often piercing insights into his life, music, and times. The conversations heard in the film have never before been made public, and they reveal a highly personal portrait of an artist much discussed but not particularly well understood.

Live Aid
★ 7.8
Live Aid1985Documentary · Music

Live Aid was held on 13 July 1985, simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, United States. It was one of the largest scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: watched live by an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations. "It's twelve noon in London, seven AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid...!"

Sound City
★ 7.4
Sound City2013Documentary · Music

The history of Sound City and their huge recording device; exploring how digital change has allowed 'people that have no place' in music to become stars. It follows former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighter David Grohl as he attempts to resurrect the studio back to former glories.

Beware of Mr. Baker
★ 7.5
Beware of Mr. Baker2012Documentary · Music

Ginger Baker is known for playing in Cream and Blind Faith, but the world's greatest drummer didn’t hit his stride until 1972, when he arrived in Nigeria and discovered Fela Kuti's Afrobeat. After leaving Nigeria, Ginger returned to his pattern of drug-induced self-destruction, and countless groundbreaking musical works, eventually settling in South Africa, where the 73-year-old lives with his young bride and 39 polo ponies. This documentary includes interviews with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Carlos Santana and more. Beware of Mr. Baker! With every smash of the drum is a man smashing his way through life.

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)
★ 8.4
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D)2026Documentary · Music

Captured during Billie Eilish's sold-out world tour, a concert experience from one of the most celebrated and successful artists of her generation, presented in immersive 3D.

Katy Perry: Part of Me
★ 7.1
Katy Perry: Part of Me2012Documentary · Music

Giving fans unprecedented access to the real life of the music sensation, Katy Perry: Part of Me exposes the hard work, dedication and phenomenal talent of a girl who remained true to herself and her vision in order to achieve her dreams. Featuring rare behind-the-scenes interviews, personal moments between Katy and her friends, and all-access footage of rehearsals, choreography, Katy’s signature style and more, Katy Perry: Part of Me reveals the singer’s unwavering belief that if you can be yourself, then you can be anything.

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne
★ 7.9
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne2011Documentary · Music

Featuring never before seen footage uncovered from the archives and interviews with Paul McCartney, Tommy Lee and others, God Bless Ozzy Osbourne is the first documentary to take viewers inside the complex mind of rock's great icon.

Let It Be
★ 7.7
Let It Be1970Documentary · Music

A documentary chronicling the Beatles' rehearsal sessions in January 1969 for their proposed "back to basics" album, "Get Back," later re-envisioned and released as "Let It Be."

Similar titles

Hobbyhorse Revolution
★ 6.5
Hobbyhorse Revolution2017Documentary

A film about teenagers with growing pains, who discover their own voice and talent through riding and grooming toy horses.

Outlawed: A Punk Rock Uprising in the Basque Country
Not rated
Outlawed: A Punk Rock Uprising in the Basque Country2021Documentary · Music

A sonic journey through Basque punk rock and the turbulent past that defined its sound, chronicling the rise of the gaztetxe movement.

Bruce Springsteen A MusiCares Tribute
★ 7.2
Bruce Springsteen A MusiCares Tribute2014Music

A MusiCares Tribute to Bruce Springsteen is a concert video set to be released on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download on March 25, 2014. It was filmed in 2013 at the MusiCares Person of the Year ceremony to honor and pay tribute to musician Bruce Springsteen for his artistic achievement in the music industry and dedication to philanthropy. The ceremony was hosted by Jon Stewart and features many performance by musicians who have long been fans and admirers of Springsteen's body of work. Springsteen and the E Street Band concluded the ceremony with their own performance.

Toto: 35th Anniversary Tour - Live in Poland
★ 7.7
Toto: 35th Anniversary Tour - Live in Poland2014Music

This spectacular live concert sees Toto celebrating their 35th Anniversary at the Atlas Arena in Lodz, Poland during their 2013 World Tour. The show epitomises the combination of craft, heart and drive that has been Toto s trademark throughout their career in a set packed with hits and classic album tracks. The individual band members have played on many of the best known and most successful records in history but when they come together as Toto they create music that is uniquely special. This is Toto at their very best.

Unidentified Followed Objects (UFOs): An Interview with Hisayasu Sato
Not rated
Unidentified Followed Objects (UFOs): An Interview with Hisayasu Sato2026Documentary

"Unidentified Followed Objects (UFOs)": an interview with director Hisayasu Satô about "Love-Zero=Infinity" (bonus feature on the "Love-Zero=Infinity" Bluray released by Vinegar Syndrome).

Razing the Bar: A Documentary About the Funhouse
Not rated
Razing the Bar: A Documentary About the Funhouse2014Documentary · Music

Razing the Bar documents the development and eventual demolition of a well-loved fringe punk rock Seattle venue through interviews of employees, friends, and a multitude of local musicians.

Yugoslavia: How Ideology Moved Our Collective Body
★ 6.3
Yugoslavia: How Ideology Moved Our Collective Body2013Documentary

A research-based essay film, but also a very personal perspective on the history of socialist Yugoslavia, its dramatic end, and its recent transformation into a few democratic nation states.

High Fidelity
★ 7.1
High Fidelity2000Music

After his long-time girlfriend dumps him, a thirty-year-old record store owner seeks to understand why he is unlucky in love while recounting his "top five breakups of all time".

Mon Clown
★ 7.0
Mon Clown2008Documentary

Documentary from French TV channel Canal+ about Marion Cotillard's road to the Oscar for her performance as French singer Édith Piaf in the 2007 film 'La Vie en Rose', also featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the film.

A Room Nearby
Not rated
A Room Nearby2003Documentary

Paul Fierlinger's unique animation captures five individuals from diverse backgrounds as they describe their bouts with loneliness, its challenges and benefits.

Ady Steg, un parcours juif, une histoire française
★ 10.0
Ady Steg, un parcours juif, une histoire française2024Documentary

There Is a PiL in Heaven
Not rated
There Is a PiL in Heaven2012Music

Public Image Limited provide a monumental live performance at London's Heaven, showcasing tracks from the new album. The (London) Times commented "This was an evening of uncompromising art and music; worthy of the total concentration of the audience. There is a PiL in Heaven was released as part of the 'This is Public Image Limited' limited edition 2 disc (cd/dvd) set.

Walking in Circles: Shinjuku with Hisayasu Satô: Part 2
Not rated
Walking in Circles: Shinjuku with Hisayasu Satô: Part 22026Documentary

Hisayasu Satô revisits the locations in Shinjuku where he shot "An Aria on Gazes" and "Love - Zero = Infinity" (bonus feature on the "Love-Zero=Infinity" Bluray released by Vinegar Syndrome).

Extremoduro - Gira 2002
★ 10.0
Extremoduro - Gira 20022004Music

Fito & Fitipaldis - Complicadamente sencillo
★ 5.0
Fito & Fitipaldis - Complicadamente sencillo2014Documentary

Russia
★ 6.1
Russia1972Documentary

The first uncensored documentary about the Soviet Union ever made by an outsider. The film takes viewers to 12 of the 15 states of the former USSR.

Polly: Comin' Home!
★ 8.5
Polly: Comin' Home!1990Music

Broadway style songs are used to tell this interesting story of an ingenious orphan who gets involved in matchmaking and striving for inter-racial understanding in 1956 Alabama.

Before Summer Ends
★ 6.5
Before Summer Ends2017Documentary

After five years studying in Paris, Arash has not adjusted to life there and has decided to return to Iran to live. Hoping to change his mind, his two friends Hossein and Ashkan convince him to take a last trip through France.

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
★ 6.9
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story2018Documentary

The life and career of the hailed Hollywood movie star and underappreciated genius inventor, Hedy Lamarr.

The Aviatrix
★ 10.0
The Aviatrix2015Documentary

In 1928, Lady Heath became the first person to fly solo from Cape Town to London. Eighty-five years later, Tracey Curtis-Taylor set out in a vintage biplane to fly that adventure again. Following Tracey as she retraces the journey, The Aviatrix is more than just a film about the rapture of flying – it’s a story about living life on your own terms and having the courage and determination to realise your greatest dreams.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.