The Decline of Western Civilization
1981 : 1 hour 40 minutes
This video is only available with Night Flight+.
Director: Penelope Spheeris
synopsis
The first entry in the Decline series sheds a light on Los Angeles’ punk scene of the late 1970s. Featuring interviews and performances by some of the most seminal acts of the era like Black Flag and The Germ, Spheeris’ intimate conversations set the stage for a series that would feature all the highs and lows, as well as few breakfasts, of the bleeding edge of of LA’s music scene.
recommended
Barbara Rubin And The Exploding NY Underground
Made when she was just 18 years old, Barbara Rubin's art-porn masterpiece Christmas On Earth (1963-65) shocked NYC's experimental film scene and inspired NYC's thriving underground. F...Read More
Arise! The SubGenius Movie
The Church of the SubGenius recruitment movie, "Arise!," was written and edited to work as a documentary feature film, or as twenty separate stand-alone two-to-ten-minute excerpts. Ni...Read More
Suburbia
Suburbia is director Penelope Spheeris's study of the Los Angeles punk rock scene in the early 1980s. Evan and his younger brother leave their broken home in an attempt to escape thei...Read More
Night Flight - "Take Off" to Art in Music Videos
"One of the sturdiest trends in rock videos," Pat Prescott says, "is the use of 'high art' to elevate down and dirty Rock 'n' Roll." Tonight's original episode of Night Flight from th...Read More
Demons
From the minds of Dario Argento and Lamberto Bava comes the horrific Heavy Metal splatter film classic, DEMONS! A strange masked man offers tickets to a horror movie sneak preview at ...Read More
Kraftwerk and The Electronic Revolution
As innovative as they are influential, Kraftwerk's contribution to the development of electronic music since their formation in 1970 remains unsurpassed. Having inspired everyone from...Read More
The Beyond
From legendary Italian horror master Lucio Fulci comes the ultimate classic of supernatural terror. A remote and cursed hotel, built over one of the seven gateways, becomes a yawning ...Read More
Liquid Sky
The essential document of New York’s 1980s New Wave scene and the archetypal "Midnight Movie" from director Slava Tsukerman returns home to Night Flight. In what is one of the most de...Read More
The Damned - Don't You Wish That We Were Dead
From "Lemmy" filmmaker Wes Orshoski comes the story of the long-ignored pioneers of punk: The Damned, the first U.K. punks on wax and the first to cross the Atlantic. "THE DAMNED: Don...Read More
Kate Bush - Under Review
This 90-minute film reviews the music and career of one of the world's most influential performers, singers and songwriters; arguably the most unique female artist ever. It includes r...Read More
We Were Famous, You Don't Remember: The Embarrassment
Ignited by punk’s invasion of the Great Plains, America’s gawkiest and greatest lost rock band battles conformity in Reagan-era Kansas. The Embarrassment played Chicago, D.C., and New...Read More
Eurythmics: Sweet Dreams - Video Album
Featuring in-concert performances, conceptual video clips and animation woven together in a fabulous album highlighting Eurythmics’ international smash hits Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of ...Read More
New York Dolls - All Dolled Up
In the early 70's, rock photographer Bob Gruen and his wife Nadya purchased a portable video recorder. In a period of three years they shot over 40 hours of New York Dolls footage. No...Read More
Richard Lewis - Magical Misery Tour
Lewis' 1997 HBO stand up special was filmed at New York' s historic Bottom Line. The Los Angeles Times called it, "his best show ever."
Blood for Dracula
Following closely on the heels of 'Flesh for Frankenstein,' Paul Morrissey reimagined the timeless Transylvanian legend with a campy twist, again under the "Andy Warhol presents" bann...Read More
Junior Wells & Buddy Guy - Live At Nightstage
Joined by his longtime stage partner, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells leads a razor-sharp Chicago blues ensemble to create an unforgettable evening of electric Delta blues at the Nightstage i...Read More