Lost in the Stars [Blu-ray]

Director: Daniel Mann Daniel Mann

Overview

Lost in the Stars was an American Film Theatre adaptation of the musical play by Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill--which in turn was based on the Alain Paton novel Cry the Beloved Country. Brock Peters portrays a South African minister who goes to the Big City to locate his son Raymond St. Jacques, who is now a criminal in the eyes of the white rulers. The minister forges a curious, foredoomed friendship with a white farmer (Paul Rogers). Lost in the Stars has sometimes been accused of blunting the edge of Paton's angry study of the cruelties of Apartheid; fans of musical theatre will be more politely inclined to this loving filmization of the Broadway play. On its own, Cry the Beloved Country was previously filmed in 1951, with Canada Lee, Sidney Poitier and Charles Carson.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/25/2019
UPC:	0738329238360
Original Release:	1974
Rating:	G
Source:	Kino Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Language:	English
Time:	1:37:00
Sales rank:	47,370

Special Features

Interview with Edie Landau; "Ely Landau: In Front of the Camera," a promotional film for the American Film Theatre; Gallery of trailers for the American Film Theatre

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Brock Peters	Stephen Kumalo
Melba Moore	Irina
Clifton Davis	Absalom
Raymond St. Jacques	John Kumalo
Paul Rogers	James Jarvis
Paulene Myers	Grace
Paula Kelly	Rose
H.B. Barnam III	Alex
Ji-Tu Cumbuka	Johannes
Alan Weeks	Matthew
John Williams	Judge
Ivor Barry	Carmichael
Harvey Jason	Arthur Jarvis
John Holland	Van Jarsdale
John Hawker	Paulus
Myrna White	Linda
Michael-James Wixted	Edward Jarvis
William Glover	Eland
H.B. Barnum III	Alex
Kurt Weill	Composer

Technical Credits

Alfred Hayes

Ely A. Landau	Producer,Producer
Edward Lewis	Executive Producer,Producer
Daniel Mann	Director
Henry Weinstein	Producer
Alfred Hayes	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Lost in the Stars is a far from perfect musical, but its strengths are such that most viewers willingly overlook its flaws. Criticized by many for presenting a view of apartheid that they see as somewhat patronizing (a charge that applies equally to the book upon which the musical is based), the larger problem with Stars is that Maxwell Anderson and Alfred Hayes' screenplay is often too earnest and polemical. Still, the writers have created a basic human situation that is compelling and engrossing, and this more often triumphs over the occasional didacticism. Most importantly, Stars benefits from a glorious, transcendent Kurt Weill score that includes the haunting and overwhelming title song and the tortured "Cry the Beloved Country," as well as the beautiful "Trouble Man." Director Daniel Mann's work is a tad unimaginative, especially given the material, but he handles his cast very well. Brock Peters scores impressively as the minister, torn between his God and his son, and a young Melba Moore does extremely well as Irina. Though not as cinematic as one might wish, Stars is undeniably powerful.