STONE is that rarity in Australian cinema indeed, its almost a one-off the Oz biker movie. A down-under variant on US 1960s biker exploitation movies like HELLS ANGELS ON WHEELS, THE WILD ANGELS and SATANS SLAVES, it was scripted and shot on the roads around Sydney by TV actor Sandy Harbutt for reputedly well under half a million dollars. Its very similar, says Slater of its relation to the films that inspired it. It has an Australian flavour: hardcore drinking and fighting, but its very straight-laced in comparison to a lot of American biker movies in that respect. The eponymous Stone, as played by director Harbutts fellow TV thesp Ken Shorter, is an undercover motorcycle cop who finds his way into the Gravediggers bike gang. He gains the trust of gang leader The Undertaker (Harbutt) as hes there to investigate the murders of members of the group. Via some plot convolutions and violent scenarios, it transpires that rival gang the Black Hawks have been enlisted as killers in a regional political conspiracy. Its a phenomenal movie in Australian film history, says Slater, but it didnt really make the grade outside Australia. Today its highly recognised, and a friend of mine, Richard Kuipers, directed the 1999 documentary STONE FOREVER. He was acquiring movies for SBS, the special foreign-language TV channel. Showing stuff like PROFONDO ROSSO* in the Italian language, widescreen, with Italian subtitles. Before DVD these films were highly sought after. He showed STONE in widescreen uncut because the first version shown in the UK was cut by the BBFC, missing most of the violence. For him it was a great thing he interviewed every single surviving member of the cast and crew, and visited the locations. For them STONE is a unique film I think its flawed, its quite dull, the lead actors very bad, its not a great movie. But to the day the film is beloved of the Australian cult film circuit. Ive been told the Australian biker scene is phenomenal compared to what we have over here , its a big thing. But is it a good movie? Not really. Ive got another one in the book: SIDECAR RACERS, the motorbikes with the sidecars attached, thats not very good either. The whole thing with the car and the bike lending itself to Australian cinema is very limited. The only really iconic movie is MAD MAX, that really brings it out. Despite disagreeing with STONE fans like Quentin Tarantino, does Slater think it was an influence on MAD MAX? Thats a good question, thats one George Miller would have to be asked but Id say yes as an educated guess. Indeed, several years later, biker character actors Hugh Keays-Byrne and Roger Ward (Toad and Hooks in STONE) would respectively show up as gang leader Toecutter and police chief Fifi in MAD MAX in a world gone out of control, where the only good biker really was a dead biker.
Writer/editor/ghost-writer transfixed by crime, cinema and the serrated edges of popular culture. Those similarly afflicted are invited to make contact.
