The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

"It's more than music...it's a way of life."

1988 1h 33m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 88

DocumentaryMusic

Synopsis

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An exploration of the heavy metal scene in Los Angeles, with particular emphasis on glam metal. It features concert footage and interviews of legendary heavy metal and hard rock bands and artists such as Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Megadeth, Motörhead, Ozzy Osbourne and W.A.S.P..

“It's more than music...it's a way of life.”

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Cast

Dave Mustaine
Self
Ozzy Osbourne
Self
Chris Holmes
Self
Lemmy Kilmister
Self
Paul Stanley
Self
Gene Simmons
Self
Steven Tyler
Self
Joe Perry
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Penelope Spheeris
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 75% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Decline of Western Civilization Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Earl Ghaffari shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Dave Mustaine and Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Holmes carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "It's more than music...it's a way of life.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0094980 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Penelope Spheeris directs. Earl Ghaffari cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.5M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 75% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
338 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "The Decline of Western Civilization Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Editor Earl Ghaffari shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Dave Mustaine and Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Holmes carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "It's more than music...it's a way of life.".
8IMDB entry: tt0094980 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 88 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "punk rock", "heavy metal", "anarchist", "social commentary".

The technical file

Editing: Earl Ghaffari
Runtime: 93 min · 1h 33m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $500,000
Box office: $373,759
Return: 75% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988)

Part of

The Decline of Western Civilization Collection

A trilogy by Spheeris depicting life in Los Angeles at various points.

Also by

Penelope Spheeris

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2018-12-02
★ 8/10
Amusing documentary on the mid/late 80’s metal scene Released in 1988, “The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years” by Penelope Spheeris is a documentary covering the 80’s metal scene. The film includes footage & interviews of popular acts (KISS, Ozzy, Aerosmith, Megadeth, Alice Cooper, Poison), moderately successful bands (Faster Pussycat) and up-and-not-coming artists (London, Odin, Seduce). There are obviously staged parts, like the orange juice spill, Paul Stanley in a bed with three lingerie-clad women and the drunken pool sequence with Chris Holmes & his mother. These portions were included to amuse, but they're also informative, as far as the commentaries from the actual musicians involved in the 80's metal movement go. The rest of the movie is footage of live interviews and concerts, mostly at clubs with emphasis on bands that frequented the L.A. strip. There's nothing fake about these parts. The film covers the 87/88 metal scene and the people thereof, their ideas, attitudes, lifestyles and fronts. It’s interesting going back in time to see iconic musicians when they were younger, like Lemmy, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Dave Mustaine and Alice Cooper. It’s also nice to hear some quality obscure acts, like Detroit’s Seduce who were surprisingly heavy and aggressive when, by their looks and name, I was expecting conventional 80’s glam metal. Even Odin and London show that they were formidable and deserved greater success. The film runs 1 hour, 33 minutes. GRADE: A-

Production companies