Created in 1983 to celebrate the 10th birthday of Sydney Opera House, 'A Stroke of Genius' uses contemporary interviews and archival footage to retell the story of the House and its impact on the social fabric of the city. Opening with a dramatic sequence of the House sculpted in ice, the documentary includes interviews with Dame Joan Sutherland, Richard Bonynge, Robert Helpmann, David Williamson, Graeme Murphy and Sir Charles Mackerras among others.

'A Stroke of Genius' also features then-unseen colour footage, located in the basement of the NSW Public Works department, and footage of Australian Opera, Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra, Sydney Dance Company, Australian Ballet Foundation, Sydney Theatre Company and renowned pianist Richard Clayderman.