34° TORINO FILM FESTIVAL
I DID IT MY WAY: TO BE PUNK
THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION
by Penelope Spheeris
Country: USA
Year: 1981
Duration: 100'
Los Angeles, 1981. A place of alienation and misery which becomes fertile soil for the rise and affirmation of punk rock, which had been born a few years earlier on the East Cast. A handful of reckless and wild bands, in a flood tide of artistic flowering with few precedents, set the foundation for genres and sub-genres which would make history. X, The Germs, Fear, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Alice Bag Band and Catholic Discipline are just the tip of the iceberg, an avant-garde on a collision course with the world, always toeing the line between tragedy and sarcastic disregard. [mp]
Biography
film director
Penelope Spheeris
Penelope Spheeris (New Orleans, LA, USA, 1945) studied biology at the University of California and film and theatre at UCLA. After working in television, she directed a documentary about the American punk scene, The Decline of Western Civilization in 1981, which soon became legendary. It was followed by The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988), focusing on L.A.’s glam and heavy metal scene; and The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (1998), in which her interest returns to punk rock. At the same time, she directed the cult movies Suburbia (1983) and Wayne’s World (1992), and a many comedies, including The Beverly Hillbillies (1993), The Little Rascals (1994), Black Sheep (1996) and Senseless (1998).
FILMOGRAFIA
The Decline of Western Civilization (doc., 1981), Suburbia (id., 1983), The Boys Next Door (I ragazzi della porta accanto, 1985), Hollywood Vice Squad (id., 1986), Dudes (Dudes, diciottenni arrabbiati, 1987), The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (doc., 1988), Wayne’s World (Fusi di testa, 1992), The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (doc., 1998), The Beverly Hillbillies (A Beverly Hills… signori si diventa, 1993), The Little Rascals (Piccole canaglie, 1994), Black Sheep (La pecora nera, 1996), Senseless (Effetti collaterali, 1998).
Declaration
film director
“At that time, punk was so fresh in L.A. They may have been making films in England or New York, but there was really nothing here. I didn’t have a research bank I could tap into, but I had a film company, and I always had equipment checked out on the record company’s account. So I would go do my job and shoot the Staples Singers or Fleetwood Mac or the Doobie Brothers, and then I would go to a punk club at night and use the same equipment there.”
Cast
& Credits
regia, soggetto/director, story
Penelope Spheeris
fotografia/cinematography
Steve Conant
montaggio/film editing
Charlie Mullin
suono/sound
Alan Cutner
interpreti/cast
Alice Bag Band, Dinah Cancer, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Black Flag, X, The Germs, Frank Gargani, Bill Gazzarri, Michelle Baer Ghaffari, Jenny Lens, Nicole Panter, Roger Rogerson, Rick Schmidlin
produttori/producers
Jeff Prettyman, Penelope Spheeris
produzione/production
Spheeris Inc.
Penelope Spheeris
fotografia/cinematography
Steve Conant
montaggio/film editing
Charlie Mullin
suono/sound
Alan Cutner
interpreti/cast
Alice Bag Band, Dinah Cancer, Catholic Discipline, Circle Jerks, Fear, Black Flag, X, The Germs, Frank Gargani, Bill Gazzarri, Michelle Baer Ghaffari, Jenny Lens, Nicole Panter, Roger Rogerson, Rick Schmidlin
produttori/producers
Jeff Prettyman, Penelope Spheeris
produzione/production
Spheeris Inc.
