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Stone
[Severin]
1974; color
Directed by Sandy Harbutt
Starring: Ken Shorter, Sandy Harbutt, Helen Morse, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Vincent Gil, Bindi Williams, James H. Bowles & Rebecca Gilling
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I'd never heard of Stone prior to receiving this DVD but I understand it's achieved legitimate cult status since it's release to a relatively unenthusiastic crowd in 1974. In retrospect, I can see why it's become popular amongst bike aficionados and biker flick aficionados alike. Of course, the biker flick is not for everyone. Especially those who are offended easily. Personally, I like a good biker flick. And, occasionally, a bad one as well. I would say Stone definitely falls into the good category and, in many ways, is a lot more than "just another biker flick." For one thing, it was made in Australia. (Years before Mad Max if you were wondering.) I found this tidbit interesting for a few reasons, mostly because the continent as a whole is not particularly associated with exploitation film, at least as far as I know (should I be wrong, I'm sure someone will step up to tell me), but also because Australians are awesome! I am not one to make grand sweeping statements about an entire continent of people as a whole but I have literally never met an Australian I did not like and I have met many a Sheila and whatever the male equivalent of a Sheila is in my day. On top of that, even when drunk, yelling obscenities or quietly stumbling over a seemingly simple line of dialogue (all of which occur during the course of this film) an Aussie accent makes everything sound so nice. I'm convinced it's the reason they can get away with calling each other cunt all the time. But I digress. My love affair with the country aside, I quite liked this film. One thing I really appreciated was the way they mixed all of the standard and expected biker flick moments (a funeral procession; a beheading; random acts of nudity and violence; colorful slang terms that may or may not have ever been used in motorcycle culture; rudeness to shopkeepers and diner employees; etc.) in with the relatively thought out, rather linear plot. It certainly helped tone down the silly factor associated some of the things listed in parenthesis above. Except for the beheading part. Nothing makes me giggle like a good ol' fashioned taut wire motion action biker flick decapitation! Especially if it's followed by a helmet clad bloody wig and mannequin head bouncing across the highway. But, again, I digress. It should also be noted Stone is one of the few examples of an independent film whose producer / director / screenwriter also has a leading role and does all of those things successfully. It's actually kind of a shame Sandy Harbutt never made another movie; on the bright side, he made this one. Should you choose to seek it out I highly recommend the two disc version (apparently a single disc edition with only the film itself) which contains the entertaining and informative "making of" documentary and the equally entertaining and informative Stone Forever featurette covering the celebration surrounding the film's 25th Anniversary.
—Bunny
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