Lost in the Stars

Starring: Brock Peters & Melba Moore Director: Daniel Mann  Rated:

DVD Features:

Additional Release Material:

• Interview - 1. Edie Landau - Executive in Charge, The American Film Theatre
• Featurette - 1. "Ely Landau: In Front of the Camera"
• Theatrical Trailer

Text/Photo Galleries:

• Essay - 1. "Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson, and LOST IN THE STARS" by Michael Feingold, Chief Theater Critic, THE VILLAGE VOICE
• AFT Cinebill for LOST IN THE STARS
• Trailer Gallery - 1. Complete List of AFT Films
• AFT Scrapbook

Product Description:

LOST IN THE STARS, adapted from the Maxwell Anderson/Kurt Weill stage musical (which in turn adapted Alan Paton's renowned novel CRY, THE BELOVED COUNTRY), tells a searing story of apartheid, racially-biased justice, and father-son love. Minister Stephen Kumalo (Brock Peters) searches the gritty streets of Johannesburg, South Africa for his son Absalom (Clifton Davis), to find him imprisoned and awaiting trial on a charge of capital murder. The ensuing trial severely tests Kumalo's faith, as Absalom faces a too-quick, racist trial. In the process, Absalom marries his pregnant girlfriend, Irina (Melba Moore) and reunites with his father, but can Kumalo's faith carry them through this tragedy? How can justice ever triumph in such a biased society? Combining the fluid lyrics and music of Anderson and Weill, along with Peters' rich, sorrowful vocals, this film adaptation faithfully reproduces the effectiveness of the stage production, as well as the emotion of Paton's novel.

Plot Keywords:

1970s | Adaptation | Africa | Based On A Novel | Black Heritage | Drama | Drama (General) | Fathers And Sons | Justice | Marriage | Murder | Musical | Musical Sequences | Musicals / Music Videos | Prison / Prisoners | Race Relations | Racism | Theatrical Release

Cast and Crew: