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 film has a minor cult following and it's easy to see why. The story is about Australian stuntman Grant Page (playing himself) traveling to Hollywood to handle the stunts for the new TV series "Undercover Girl". Grant hooks up with his cousin, who is a member of a rock band called Sorcery. Sorcery uses real "magic" on stage with their music and their entire stage show is a rock opera that tells the story about a duel between the King of the Wizards (Paul Haynes) and the Prince of Darkness (Curtis Hyde). They go see Sorcery rehearse in the studio and then to an actual stage performance, where the band uses fire, and some pretty awesome prog-rock tunes to tell their story about good versus evil. That's about the entire plot of the film, as Grant performs a series of dangerous stunts (along with footage of other stunt men and women) and Sorcery performs a series of original tunes and magic to an appreciative audience. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith treads a fine line between fiction and reality and, by all accounts, he should have failed miserably. Surprisingly, though, this film is a total blast from beginning to end, thanks in no small part to Grant Page's on-screen charisma and devil-may-care stuntwork and Sorcery's kick-ass music and stage show. But none of this would have mattered if it didn't gel with the concert footage. Luckily, Trenchard-Smith chose SORCERY, a big-haired prog-rock Los Angeles band (the keyboard player wears a hood over his head and his voice is electronically altered) with a loyal cult following.I must confess that I never heard of them or their music before this film, but their songs and stage show won me over pretty quickly. They are kind of like Emerson, Lake and Palmer mixed with an Arthurian Legend stage show, complete with a Merlin-like wizard (who at one point is spun on the tip of a sword and then impaled!) that performs many magic tricks. It's like watching a David Henning magic show with fist-pumping rock music, but without the extreme overbite. It's a feast for the eyes and the ears.

So sums up the female lead of this one of a kind cinematic experience know as STUNT ROCK. A faux documentary about real life Australian stuntman Grant Paige, STUNT ROCK garnered considerable attention in cult film circles earlier this year when a trailer for it appeared on the TRAILER TRASH vol. 1. And, truth be told, the trailer is merely a glimpse of the insanity that dares to combine the reckless and the rocking.Grant Page (renowned stunt coordinator, probably best know for MAD MAX) packs up his bags and heads to L.A. to visit his "brother," a performer in the heavy metal outfit Sorcery. When his first stunt goes awry in Hollywood, Page attracts the interest of a blonde reporter who is determined to find out what makes this crazy stuntmen tick. Page is more than happy to show her the expressions of his unique knack, all the while making sure to catch a few Sorcery gigs. Yup, that is the plot of STUNT ROCK. But who needs plot when you have stunts! And rock! Filmed in both Australia and Hollywood, STUNT ROCK is a true oddity of cinema. The stunt work is pretty daring, featuring some real fist clenching scenes. Page, a dead ringer for Richard Norton, performs a myriad of dangerous stunts, mostly just to say that he had done them (just performing stunts was cool back then). He flies planes, jumps from cars, drives a dune buggy and dangles over cliffs and high rises alike. A stunt gone wrong from MAD DOG MORGAN is highlighted to show how dedicated Page is to his art (he was severely burned but made it back to the set a few days later). "Art?" asks the naïve reporter to which Grant replies, "Ah! You've never seen GONE IN 60 SECONDS?" Yes, to solidify the idea of stunts as art, the production even includes several of the amazing (and groundbreaking) car chases from the original GONE IN 60 SECONDS.To counter the outlandish nature of the stunt work, the production features several over the top numbers by the heavy metal outfit Sorcery. In addition to their music, Sorcery presents an elaborate on stage show featuring theatrics that put 70s rivals KISS to shame. The narrative of their show is a battle between good and evil, essayed in a number of magic performances featuring Merlin combating the Devil onstage as the band sings. Given the amount of pyrotechnics used, I guess they qualify as stunts too. The two diverse worlds of stunt and rock finally coincide when Page joins the band on stage for a fire stunt and then Sorcery dedicates a song to Page entitled "Stunt Rocker." Exactly who this combination of music and mayhem was aimed at has never been determined. But in both cases the events captured on film are truly something that astounds. Director Brian Trenchard-Smith is no stranger to the world of stunts, having previously helmed the similar Page vehicle DEATH CHEATERS (1976) and the stunt laced Jimmy Wang Yu film THE MAN FROM HONG KONG (1975).

"Sorcery"....(Polygram records/Sorcery music 1978) A U.S. band in the late 70's from Hollywood, California.They combined Music and Magic, in a live stage show. The theme of the show was of good vs. evil... as the Sorcerer(Merlin) takes on the Devil. Quite good actually. A true one of a kind group with great magicians and world class musicians gave an excellent live show. It was a great time for anyone seeing them LIVE! It seems they also can do tricks with time as well. They turned an hour and a half into what seems like 15 minutes!!Really extrodinary,for the viewer and the listener. I also have enjoyed their movie "STUNTROCK" as well, andthink they were an excellent example of the great Live actsof the 70's and 80's. Rock on SORCERY....Glad to see there still around.