Stunt Rock

I must have seen bits and pieces of "Stunt Rock" footage in the downright fantastic documentary "Not Quite Hollywood", probably found it instantly cool, promptly added it to my never-ending watchlist, and then subsequently forgot about it for the next ten years or so. They obviously only showed the awesome stunt parts in "Not Quite Hollywood", and from the documentary I couldn't derive that this really isn't the type of "film" I usually seek for. "Stunt Rock" isn't a film, in fact, because there aren't any real characters and there isn't a plot. It's a mixture of impressively performed stunts by Grant Page, integrally sung rock anthems by a band named Sorcery and inventive magical tricks shown by a Merlin lookalike wizard and a sort of devil named Prince of Darkness. It's original, exhilarating and entertaining for about half an hour, but then it becomes rather tedious and repetitive. I don't want to talk too negatively about "Stunt Rock", because I have tremendous respect for its director Brian Trenchard-Smith. After all, he's the Ozploitation pioneer who created cult hits like "Blood Camp Thatcher" and "Dead End Drive-In". He's clearly fascinated by the world of stuntmen and wanted to bring an ode to their business; good for him! Some of the Sorcery songs are quite catchy, for example the one that has a similar beginning as "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads.

This ones a classic, all it has is a man doing these awesome stunts that make me cringe just watching him burn himself up, hanging over cliffs and all kinds of stuff and the band Sorcery reminds me of a cross between KISS and Uriah Heep and I loved it! I loved the theatrics, the music, the stunts pulling together with the music, man this guy is awesome. Hated the ditzy girlfriend though he should have gotten somebody more wilder and adventurous than her. I liked the song "Woman" the best.

Enjoyed the picture. The band "Sorcery" were amazing as well. Sorcery's stage show was the best presentation of music and magic ever seen!

The good vs. evil theme was never so well played out on any stage before. "Hard rock music/heavy metal magic" was the way to describe this group. They were and continue today to be the only magic/music show of it's kind in the history of ROCK! Not any other group ever came close to this! If you're into hard rock music and/or some of the best magic illusions ever performed live,don't miss this one. See the movie and the band.

Part drama, part stunts showreel, part rock concert film featuring Grant Page, the famous real life Australian master stuntman best known for his work on Mad Max, Grant, who plays himself, goes to Los Angeles to work on a television series. In this 1978 mocumentary page helps a band (Sorcery) to develop pyrotechnic magic tricks for their shows, and also recounts his exploits as a stuntman and daredevil, as well as a very informative movie about stunt work for movies and what goes on behind the scenes. The acting is superb as page plays himself and he fits in this movie better than Deathcheaters (1976), the script wild and unconstrained and the direction is wild. In total this gives you an experience of what cinema really should be, bereft of CGI and special effects and crazy budgets it just rides along free as a bird. And then there's the music. To be fair, there are so many tunes that ranges good to out-and-out classic. The music in this film is a spectacular array of AOR, Heavy metal and classic rock something you won't hear in a film's soundtrack nowadays. A downright Ozploitation classic.

What a treasure from the 70's this film is. I recently watched this film and it was a true joy for me. I worked in the film industry as a camera man in L.A. back in the 70's and 80's when this was being made. I remember the buzz in Hollywood/L.A. about this picture about stunt work in the movies. The filming in part,took place in Hollywood Ca. and at the MGM studio's in Culver City Ca. I enjoyed the insight of the Director,Brian Trenchard Smith, in presenting the contribution stuntmen made in making motion pictures back then. Keep in mind, no CGI in 78', and most of the stuntmen working then took some pretty incredible risks to get the shot called for by the directors, to make scenes look as real as possible for the films they worked in. The stuntman,Grant Page, was excellent in the lead roll as he talks about the business of stuntwork in film, and what it took to be a stuntman back then. It is a inside look from the stuntman who made it look real. I also want to say something about the music. This band "SORCERY" from L.A. was a well respected band in Hollywood. They had a huge following as I remember. On one occasion I remember there was a line around the block to see them at the "Whiskey" on Sunset Blvd, when they were performing there. Sometime after that, I also had the pleasure of seeing Sorcery perform, playing with Van Halen (SORCERY was the headliner)and I never forgot them either. They had the most amazing live stage show I ever saw. They were unforgettable, and very accomplished musicians as well. A true a one of a kind group. Sorcery presented the battle of "good vs. evil" as Merlin against Satan played out live on stage. You really had to see this show live to appreciate it! They blended magic and music together like no one had ever done,or seen before. Very entertaining and they were years ahead of their time. It was Brians T. Smith's, masterstroke bringing these two entities together,for his vision for the film Stuntrock. Sorcery and Grant Page were perfect for this project. The movie showed only a small part of SORCERY's live stage show. I also think Sorcery is responsible for a large amount of the success now seen for the picture some 30 years after being made in 1978, and they are a major contributer to it's present day underground cult status. The musicianship Sorcery showed in concert was second to none! I know the musicians from Sorcery played on other movies,did TV music work, records and did Dick Clark specials as well from that period. Brian's vision to make this film was somewhat limited,with a small budget and short time to complete, however he was smart to put Sorcery and Grant Page together for this unique look at stuntwork and music together. I will watch this again and again,for it's entertainment value and Sorcery's great music.