One of my Old favourite Movies

One of my all time best movies for Motorcycles was of course Mad max but, in the same time and using many of the same bikes this movie came out, I loved it in 1974 and still do today.  New Kawasaki’s were a sight to be seen in this movie.

Never as far as I know, has there been a better start to a Motorcycle Movie than Stone, I loved it and was hooked as a teenager as soon as I saw the start, what a superb scene to begin a movie involving Motorcycles.

 

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, 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 legendary Kawasaki Z1(900). Stone initially rides a Norton.

The promotional trailer video features narration by radio and media personality John Laws. The film was featured in the documentary, Not Quite Hollywood, in which Quentin Tarantino 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.

 

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 (Rebecca Gilling), 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.

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.^[1]

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.”^[2]

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.^[1]

The Hells Angels club (Sydney) provided assistance during production.

 

Also I lived where they filmed it for a few years and used to ride the highway every day where the Funeral procession was filmed and always used to chuckle when I got to that bit of road, what a sight that must of been, and loved the Coffin on the side car and you can sense Mad Max was in the background too.

Maybe you can take some time to watch it, super bad acting and Music but a real classic none the less.

 

So, here it is, the Whole Movie.

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