Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Stone Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 9, 2021

Sandy Harbutt's "Stone" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include archival program with Quentin Tarantino; extended cast and crew interviews; deleted and extended scenes; archival making of featurette; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Quentin Tarantino’s enthusiasm for Sandy Harbutt’s Stone is somewhat misleading because it focuses only on the unbridled energy that emerges from its campy material. For obvious reasons, Tarantino likes this energy a lot, but if you leave it to him to sell the film to you there is an excellent chance that you won’t have the same experience with it that he apparently had. Why is that? Because the macho posturing and violence that fuel the energy come from a big and quite diverse package of period thrills. Indeed, Stone is like a distant low-budget Australian relative of Easy Rider and Blow Out, which means that in addition to being a campy biker film it is a fascinating time capsule as well.

The opening sequence has a Brian De Palma-esque flavor. At a political rally, a sniper takes out a prominent politician while he preaches in front of a small group of supporters. However, before the sniper disappears, he is spotted by a heavily stoned member of the Grave Diggers, a brotherhood of free-spirited bikers. Soon after, the sniper begins tracking down and eliminating various members of the Grave Diggers in some pretty gruesome ways, hoping that one of his targets is the biker from the rally. The leader of the Grave Diggers, Undertaker (Harbutt), then vows to uncover the identity of the killer and make him die a horrible death, but because he does not know where to start looking for him ends up spending most of his time drinking with his brothers. His luck changes when a local cop, Stone (Ken Shorter), asks for permission to ride with the Grave Diggers and bring the killer to justice.

Harbutt and his team had a very small budget to work with which became even smaller after an unplanned encounter with an experienced American producer. (You will find out precisely how this happened when you watch the bonus features that are included on this release). The abundance of low-budget gonzo material and local footage, however, are what make this film special and attractive. Indeed, the overwhelming majority of it looks like a mondo documentary about Australian outlaw bikers that have secretly agreed to do a bit of promotional work to highlight the pros and cons of their chosen lifestyle. So, you can tell that there are actors acting in front of Harbutt’s camera, but there are some genuine characters mingling with them as well. (The big funeral procession that Tarantino likes so much apparently had more than four hundred real bikers participating in it). In the 1970s, when Stone opened in a small number of Australian theaters, this was a big deal.

Vintage trailers and Tarantino hype up the mayhem that occupies a large portion of the film for a good reason. It is pretty rough and frequently glorifies habits that at the time were almost certainly seen as problematic. Also, there is quite a bit of footage where certain actors are very clearly under the influence of recreational drugs and instead of acting are doing plenty of uncoordinated reacting. Unfortunately, this is where the weakest material is because the connection between the actors that have taken the drugs and the actors that have rejected them is quite problematic.

The soundtrack for the film features original tunes composed by Billy Green. It is a very eclectic collection of psychedelica and early progressive rock that makes the film look much bigger and dramatically more ambitious. (Umbrella Entertainment’s Blu-ray release has the entire soundtrack placed on a separate CD. It features twenty fully remastered tracks).

*Stone has appeared in a couple of different versions, with the longer one apparently being the original theatrical cut which Harbutt was quite unhappy with. The version of the film that is included on this release is approximately 99 minutes long and is considered Harbutt’s preferred cut. It has been fully restored.

Stone Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Stone arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

It is easy to tell that the film has been remastered because it looks very healthy. However, clarity, depth, delineation, and fluidity can fluctuate quite a bit. Most of these fluctuations are part of the original cinematography, but in some areas there are small signs of aging as well. The important point to underscore is that the visuals still have a consistently pleasing organic appearance. Colors are stable. I think that some of the primaries are a tad oversaturated -- bits of the footage from the video piece with Quentin Tarantino actually look slightly better to me -- but I don't think that this is a serious issue. (Yellows and browns are the ones that appear slightly elevated). Image stability is good. A few blemishes and minor spots remain, but there are no distracting large debris, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Stone Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio is clear and easy to follow. However, there are definitely some minor dynamic fluctuations and sporadic unevenness that reveals the low-budget roots of the production. The upper register, where age-related imperfections are most common, is healthy. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

Stone Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Tarantino on Stone - in this archival video piece, Quentin Tarantino explains how he discovered Stone and why he enjoys it, and shares a hilarious story about an unusual encounter with a fan of the film in a popular bar. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• The Making of Stone - an archival featurette with plenty of footage from the shooting of Stone on location in Sydney. Clips from interviews with cast and crew members are included as well. The featurette was produced in 1974. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Deleted and Extended Scenes - presented here is the footage that Sandy Harbutt removed from the longer theatrical version of Stone in 1985, when his preferred cut of the film was transferred to home video. In English, not subtitled. (39 min).

• Stone Forever - this excellent documentary examines the production history, release and lasting appeal of Stone. It features clips from archival interviews with Sandy Harbutt and various actors as well as real bikers who were influenced by it. In English, not subtitled. (39 min).

• "Not Quite Hollywood" Extended Interviews - a collection of archival interviews with Sandy Harbutt, Ken Shorter, Rebecca Gilling, Roger Ward, and Ian Barry, amongst others. The interviews were conducted for Mark Harley's documentary Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!. In English, not subtitled. (126 min).

• Make Up Tests - In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Stills Gallery with Commentary by Sandy Harbutt - Sandy Harbutt discusses the production and promotional history of Stone. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Trailer - a remastered vintage trailer for Stone. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• Soundtrack - Billy Green's original soundtrack for Stone placed on a separate CD. Twenty tracks. A total of 62.43 min.

Stone Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Stone is a very interesting time capsule with a mad energy that can instantly make people like Quentin Tarantino ecstatic. It feels like the Australian answer to Easy Rider, but I am unsure if this is a fair comparison because it is quite obvious that Sandy Harbutt created his own special blueprint for it. The folks at Umbrella Entertainment have remastered Stone and included it in their Ozploitaiton Classics series, which is one of the most exciting Blu-ray series at the moment. The Region-Free Limited Edition release we have reviewed here also includes the film's original soundtrack on a separate CD disc. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.