Stunt Rock (1978) – Nostalgia Central

Legendary “Ozploitation” filmmaker Brian Trenchard-Smith directed this hyper-energetic, nearly plotless “mockumentary” celebrating 1970s daredevil stunt work and theatrical hard rock, which became a cult classic.

In a blend of fiction and reality, Australian stuntman Grant Page (a former athlete, Commando and paratrooper) plays a version of himself and travels to Los Angeles to work on a fictional television series called Undercover Girl.

While in LA, he moves in with his cousin, who is a member of the real-life fantasy-themed rock band Sorcery.

Page spends his spare time designing dangerous pyrotechnic stunts and magical special effects for the band’s live shows, while journalist Lois Wills (Margaret Gerard) follows Page to profile his fearlessness and his philosophy on pain.

The movie is primarily a showcase for Grant Page’s actual death-defying portfolio of stunt work, featuring footage of him jumping off cliffs while on fire, racing cars, climbing skyscrapers, and performing other hazardous feats, alongside archival footage of other legendary stunt performers.

In archetypal 1970s B-movie style, the film makes heavy use of dynamic split-screen and triple-screen frames, allowing audiences to view Page’s stunts from multiple angles simultaneously.

Grant Page went on to be the lead stuntman and stunt coordinator for the 1979 Aussie masterpiece Mad Max and its 1985 sequel Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome. He also played the serial killer in Road Games (1981), an Australian Hitchcockian thriller that became a personal favourite of Quentin Tarantino.

Page died on 14 March 2024 following a car accident near his home in New South Wales, Australia. He was 85.

Director Brian Trenchard-Smith directed a string of highly energetic, genre-defining Australian cult films during the 1980s – including Turkey Shoot (1982), BMX Bandits (1983), and Dead End Drive-In (1986), before moving to the US, where Hollywood studios hired him to direct cult horror sequels and direct-to-video action hits.

He became a prolific director of made-for-television disaster films, political thrillers, and crime dramas for networks like Showtime and Lifetime.

Grant Page
Himself
Monique van de Ven
Herself
Lois Wills
Margaret Gerard
Sorcery
Paul Haynes (King of the Wizards)
Curtis Hyde (Prince of Darkness)
Greg Magie (Vocals)
Richard “Smokey Huff” Taylor (Guitar)
Richie King (Bass)
Doug Loch (Keyboards)
Perry Morris (Drums)
The Agent
Dick Blackburn
The TV Director
Ron Raley
The Escapologist
Chris Chalen
Barbra Paskin
Herself
Barbara Edelstein
Herself

Director
Brian Trenchard-Smith

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