''Stone'' is a 1974 Australian

outlaw biker film The outlaw biker film is a film genre that portrays its characters as motorcycle riding rebels. The characters are usually members of an outlaw motorcycle club. History Outlaw biker clubs formed in the late 1940s on the West Coast after the en ...

written, directed and produced by

Sandy Harbutt Sandy Harbutt (1941 – 21 November 2020) was an Australian actor, writer and director, best known for the bikie film, ''Stone'' (1974). Although it was very successful at the box office, it was the only feature he ever directed. He was once mar ...

. It is a low budget film by company Hedon Productions. Police officer Stone goes undercover with the Gravediggers

outlaw motorcycle gang An outlaw motorcycle club is a motorcycle subculture generally centered on the use of cruiser motorcycles, particularly Harley-Davidsons and choppers, and a set of ideals that purport to celebrate freedom, nonconformity to mainstream culture, ...

, to find out who is murdering their members, one by one. The film stars

Ken Shorter Ken Shorter (born -1947), also credited as Kenneth Shorter. is an Australian actor best known for playing the title role in the biker film ''Stone'' (1974), and ''You Can't See 'round Corners'' (1969).> Television appearances include '' Skippy ...

and features

Rebecca Gilling Rebecca Gilling (born 3 November 1953 in Castlecrag, Sydney, Australia) is an Australian former model and actress, now environmentalist. Gilling is the daughter of World War II Navy personnel Douglas Gilling and prominent feminist campaigner ...

, Bill Hunter and

Helen Morse Helen Morse (born 24 January 1947) is an English-born Australian actress who has appeared in films, on television and on stage. She won the AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for the 1976 film ''Caddie'', and starred in the 198 ...

. The film's soundtrack was composed by Billy Green and featured some members of his group Sanctuary. Motorcycles featured include the legendary Kawasaki Z1(900). Stone initially rides a

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada * Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

. The promotional trailer video features narration by radio and media personality

John Laws Richard John Sinclair Laws CBE (born 8 August 1935) is a Papua New Guinean-born Australian radio announcer. For 50 years, until 2007, he was the host of an Australian morning radio program combining music with interviews, opinion, live adverti ...

. The film was featured in the documentary, ''

Not Quite Hollywood ''Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!'' is a 2008 Australian 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 e ...

'', in which

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

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 (

) 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 (

), Stone begins to identify with the Undertaker and his comrades Hooks (

Roger Ward Roger Ward (born 1936) is an Australian actor who has had a considerable career in film and television, noted for "tough guy" roles in which he often did his own stunts. Biography Ward was born in Adelaide, South Australia in 1936. His car ...

), Toad (

Hugh Keays-Byrne Hugh Keays-Byrne (18 May 1947 – 2 December 2020) was a British-Australian actor and film director. A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he was best known for playing the main antagonist in two films from the ''Mad Max'' franchise ...

), Dr Death (

Vincent Gil Vincent Gil (1939 – 21 August 2022), also credited as Vince Gil, was an Australian film and television actor best known for his portrayal of the character ''Nightrider'' in the 1979 film ''Mad Max'', and ''Stone''. Gil had also starred in m ...

), 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

as Stone *

as Undertaker *

as Amanda *

as Toad *

as Dr. Death *Bindi Williams as Captain Midnight *James H. Bowles as Stinkfinger *

as Vanessa *

as Hooks *Lex Mitchell as Ballini *Susan Lloyd as Tart *Dewey Hungerford as Septic *

Slim de Grey Clifford Frank de Grey (20 May 1918 – 16 March 2007), better known as Slim De Grey, was an English-Australian actor, compere, musician, lyricist, composer and comedian. He served in the Australian Army during World War II, seeing action in th ...

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. Weingo ...

as Alder *Michael Robinson as Pinball *

Ros Spiers Rosalind Speirs (born 1951) is an Australian former film and television actress. She starred on several television series during the 1970s, including ''Silent Number (TV series), Silent Number'', ' and the television miniseries ''Power Without G ...

as Whore * Bill Hunter as Barman *Billy Green as 69 *Deryck Barnes as Doctor Townes *Harry Lawrence as Caretaker *

Garry McDonald Garry George McDonald AO (born 30 October 1948) is an Australian actor, satirist and comedian. In a career spanning five decades he has had many theatre, television and film roles, and has been listed as a National Living Treasure. He is bes ...

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 Sydney, New South Wales, F ...

as Fred *Fred Scheiwiller as Ted *Tony Allyn as Birdman *

Reg Evans Reginald Evans (27 March 1928 – 7 February 2009) was a British-born actor active in Australian radio, theatre, television and cinema from the 1960s, after having started his career in his native England. Biography Evans started drama while ...

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 The Australian Film Development Corporation was an organisation created and funded by the Australian Government in the 1970s, intended to allow filmmakers in the Australian film industry to create movies for everyone to see. In 1975 it was repl ...

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 post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...

'' (1979), including

, David Bracks and

.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

*
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 co ...

*{{IMDb title, 0282185
''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 1970s English-language films