''The Decline of Western Civilization III'' is a 1998 documentary film, directed by

Penelope Spheeris Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945 or 1946; sources differ) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. She has directed both documentary and scripted films. Her best-known works include the trilogy titled '' The Decline of ...

, that chronicles the

gutter punk A gutter punk is a homeless or transient individual who displays a variety of specific lifestyle traits and characteristics that often, but not always, are associated with the punk subculture. Attributes may include unkempt dreadlocks, nose rings ...

lifestyle of homeless teenagers. It is the third film of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

at various points in time. The first film, ''

The Decline of Western Civilization ''The Decline of Western Civilization'' is a 1981 American documentary filmed through 1979 and 1980. The movie is about the Los Angeles punk rock scene and was directed by Penelope Spheeris. In 1981, the LAPD Chief of Police Daryl Gates wrote a ...

'' (1981), dealt with the punk rock scene during 1980–1981. The second film, '' The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years'' (1988), covers the Los Angeles heavy metal movement of 1986–1988. Spheeris later credited the 1998 film with having a profound effect on her. She began a relationship with a man she met while filming the movie, signed up to be a foster parent, and eventually fostered five children.

Synopsis

The film involves

s who take the anti-establishment message with extreme seriousness and tune out society completely. Spheeris talks to homeless teenagers living on the street or squatting in abandoned buildings in Los Angeles, an unstable mother,

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-lar ...

officer Gary Fredo, and a paralyzed youth living on

disability benefits Disability benefits are funds provided from public or private sources to a person who is ill or who has a disability. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom disability benefits are covered by Department for Work and Pensions. There are numerous be ...

. Musicians interviewed include Keith Morris ( Black Flag,

Circle Jerks Circle Jerks (stylized as Ciʀcle JƎʀᴋs) are an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, California. The group was founded by former Black Flag vocalist Keith Morris and Redd Kross guitarist Greg Hetson. To date, Circle ...

) and

Flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, ...

(

Fear Fear is an intensely unpleasant emotion in response to perceiving or recognizing a danger or threat. Fear causes physiological changes that may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the threat. Fear ...

Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...

). Performances by four bands were filmed:

Final Conflict Final Conflict is an American hardcore punk band from Long Beach, California, United States, formed in 1983. They have gone through various lineup changes with the only constant member being original guitar player (and founder) Jeff Harp. Final ...

Litmus Green Litmus Green are an American hardcore punk band from Southern California, United States, who played from 1991-2002 and 2009–2017. They play short, fast political themed songs. They were featured in the award winning documentary The Decline of ...

Naked Aggression ''The Decline of Western Civilization III'' is a 1998 documentary film, directed by Penelope Spheeris, that chronicles the gutter punk lifestyle of homeless teenagers. It is the third film of a trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at ...

, and The Resistance.

Reception and distribution

The film premiered at the 1998

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

where it won the Freedom of Expression Award. It was screened at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

and the

Chicago Underground Film Festival Chicago Underground Film Festival (CUFF), founded in 1993, is the longest running underground film festival in the world. It's an internationally recognized program providing a venue for documentary, experimental and avant-garde narrative film and ...

, where it received a jury award. However, it never went into general release and was not available on VHS or DVD until the release in 2015 of a box set containing all three films on DVD and blu-ray. This was partly due to Spheeris refusing to relinquish the rights to the first two parts of the trilogy in order to enable the third to be released. According to an article by Laura Snapes, "there was little demand to see such a depressing movie, and the few distribution offers that Spheeris got required her to hand over the rights to the first two movies, which she refused to do". ''Decline III'' was also released separately via streaming video.

References

External links

Official site of the series
* * * 1998 films American documentary films Films directed by Penelope Spheeris Documentary films about punk music and musicians Punk films Films about social issues 1998 documentary films Documentary films about Los Angeles Music of Los Angeles Documentary films about homelessness in the United States 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{music-documentary-film-stub