''Stone'' is a 1974 Australian outlaw biker film written, directed and produced by Sandy Harbutt. It is a low budget film by company Hedon Productions. Police officer Stone goes undercover with the Gravediggers outlaw motorcycle gang, to find out who is murdering their members, one by one. The film stars Ken Shorter and features

Rebecca Gilling Rebecca Gilling (born 3 November 1953) is an Australian former model and actress, now environmentalist. Career Gilling made her debut in theatre in 1972and her debut film role in the 1974 biker film ''Stone (1974 film), Stone'' but came to pr ...

, Bill Hunter and Helen Morse. The film's soundtrack was composed by Billy Green and featured some members of his group Sanctuary. Motorcycles featured include the Kawasaki Z1(900). Stone initially rides a Norton. The promotional trailer video features narration by radio and media personality

John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a retired Australian radio announcer who had a broadcasting career that spanned 71 years. His distinctive voice earned him the nickname ''Golden Tonsils''. Career Best known as a talkback ...

. The film was featured in the documentary, ''

Not Quite Hollywood ''Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!'' is a 2008 documentary film about the Australian New Wave of 1970s and 1980s low-budget cinema. The film was written and directed by Mark Hartley, who interviewed over eighty Au ...

'', in which

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

enthuses about his admiration for the film. Australian stuntman Peter Armstrong set a then-world record for riding a motorcycle off an 80-foot cliff to fall headfirst into the sea.

Plot

When several members of the GraveDiggers outlaw motorcycle club are murdered, Sydney detective Stone ( Ken Shorter) is sent to investigate. Led by the Undertaker (Sandy Harbutt), a Vietnam war veteran, the GraveDiggers allow Stone to pose as a gang member. Leaving behind society girlfriend Amanda ( Helen Morse), Stone begins to identify with the Undertaker and his comrades Hooks ( Roger Ward), Toad ( Hugh Keays-Byrne), Dr Death ( Vincent Gil), Captain Midnight (Bindi Williams), Septic (Dewey Hungerford) and Vanessa (

), the Undertaker’s girlfriend. Amid violent confrontations with the Black Hawks, a rival gang the GraveDiggers hold responsible, Stone uncovers a political conspiracy behind the killings. When the truth is revealed, Stone must choose between his job and his loyalty to the GraveDiggers.

Cast

* Ken Shorter as Stone * Sandy Harbutt as Undertaker * Helen Morse as Amanda * Hugh Keays-Byrne as Toad * Vincent Gil as Dr. Death *Bindi Williams as Captain Midnight *James H. Bowles as Stinkfinger *

as Vanessa * Roger Ward as Hooks *Lex Mitchell as Ballini *Susan Lloyd as Tart *Dewey Hungerford as Septic * Slim de Grey as Inspector Hannigan *

Owen Weingott Owen Ash Weingott (21 June 1921 – 12 October 2002) was an Australian actor, director and drama teacher. Although primarily working in theatre, he appeared on radio and television in serials and made for television films and voice overs. Weing ...

as Alder *Michael Robinson as Pinball * Ros Spiers as Whore * Bill Hunter as Barman *Billy Green as 69 *Deryck Barnes as Doctor Townes *Harry Lawrence as Caretaker * Garry McDonald as Mechanic *Terry Bader as Hamburger *

Drew Forsythe Drew Forsythe (born 23 August 1949) is an Australian actor, singer, writer, and comedian. He has appeared on film, stage, and television, as well as in satirical sketch comedy television programs. Early life Born in New South Wales to newsage ...

as Fred *Fred Scheiwiller as Ted *Tony Allyn as Birdman * Reg Evans as Solicitor *Bruce McPherson as Go Down *Jim Walsh as Bad Max *John Ifkovitch as Zonk *Rhod Walker as Chairman *Ray Bennett as Sergeant Larson *Neville Overall as Scrag *Barry Butler as Buzzard *Peter King as Ferret *David Bracks as Boots *Lachlan Jamieson as Hip *Ros Talamini as Sunshine *Victoria Anoux as Flossie *Jane Gilling as Eurydice *Margaret Ure as Jay *Jude Matthews as Blue *Eva Ifkovitch as Tiger *Julie Edwards as Karma *Karyn Love as Skunk

Production

Sandy Harbutt got the idea in 1970 when he wrote a script for an episode of the TV police series '' The Long Arm'' in which he was appearing. ''Filmink'' magazine said "The biker movie was the modern day Western of choice in the 1960s" but argued this was one of the few Australian films to "embrace it as a story option." The Australian Film Development Corporation invested $154,000 in the film. The remainder of the budget and most of the technical facilities were provided by Ross Wood Productions in Sydney. The movie was shot in late 1973. The Hells Angels club (Sydney) provided assistance during production.

Release

Although ''Stone'' was given an "R" rating it grossed $1,572,000 at the box office in Australia, which is equivalent to $10,611,000 in 2009 dollars. It made a profit to its investors within 18 months.

Charts

The soundtrack was released by Warner Bros. (600002)

Influence

Several of the cast went on to appear in ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian media franchise created by George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It centres on a series of post-apocalyptic and dystopian action films. The franchise began in 1979 with '' Mad Max'', and was followed by three sequels: ...

'' (1979), including Hugh Keays-Byrne, Roger Ward, Vincent Gil, David Bracks and Reg Evans.David Stratton, ''The Last New Wave: The Australian Film Revival'', Angus & Robertson, 1980 p262

''Stone Forever''

''Stone Forever'' is a 1999 documentary about ''Stone''. Richard Kuipers was contacted by David Hannay and Sandy Harbutt to film a bike ride commemorating the film's 25th anniversary, which led to a full documentary about the impact of the film and the fate of the people who made it.Richard Kuipers, 'THE STONE TRIP - 25 YEARS IN THE MAKING', ''Urban Cinefile''
Retrieved 30 September 2012

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0072209, title=Stone
Stone at the National Film and Sound Archive
* ttp://www.urbancinefile.com.au/home/view.asp?Article_ID=2612 STONE FOREVER -25 Years of Stone at the "Urban Cinefile" databasebr> The official site of the Stone movie remake - currently in developmentArticle in FilmInk about STONE and the remake''Stone Forever''
at

Australian Screen Online The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...

''Stone''
at Oz Film
''Stone Forever''
at Oz Film 1974 films 1974 action films Australian action films 1974 independent films Police detective films Outlaw biker films Australian independent films Films set in Sydney 1970s English-language films English-language independent films English-language action films