Lost in the Stars

Alan Paton's novel CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY made for a dramatic musical with a score by Kurt Weill. American Film Theater's adaption of it contains excellent performances by Brock Peters, Clifton Davis, Melba Davis, Paula Kelly (her musical number is one of the film's highlights) and Raymond St. Jacques, but sadly is rarely seen. The movie itself is a little slow, but the score is beautifully rendered by the cast, and contains the heart of Paton's story.

I waited a long time for AFT to release their films from the early 70s, and this one was one of the best I've seen so far. It is truly one of the best screen musicals of all time, the songs being more operatic in that they are so charged emotionally and delivered with great feeling. You will not be humming a catchy ditty after the movie ends, but in its place will be a sense of sadness as well as buoyant nobility. As an indictment of apartheid, it stands supreme in film, with the possible exception of "Amandla!" which of course was made later and gets to have the happy ending of the long struggle.

I have also long been a fan of Brock Peters, who died last summer, and watching "Lost in the Stars" only emphasized how much I missed him in film after his career started with such great roles in "To Kill a Mockingbird," "The Pawnbroker," and "Porgy and Bess." He did have a long and consistent career in TV and voice-over work (one of the greatest voices ever!) but film roles were few and far between. His singing and acting here are nothing short of grand.

'Lost in the Stars' is notable for it being one of only two musicals in the American Film Theatre series, which was my main reason for watching. The other being 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris'. The musical itself is worth getting to know and should be better known in my view, the title song particularly is wonderful and the story based on 'Cry the Beloved Country' is poignant. Brock Peters was always worth watching as well and will always be missed.

The film also is worth watching. While it is not one of the very best of the American Film Theatre series, it to me is in the better half and deserving of more credit. Between this and 'Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris', 'Lost in the Stars' is infinitely better. Actually being good, the other getting my vote for the worst film in the series. Is 'Lost in the Stars' perfect? No it isn't. Is it bad? Not in my book it isn't, as has already been indicated a couple of sentences ago.

Here and there there are dull patches when the story is thinner. The action could have been opened up more and been more expansive, but other films in the series were far worse at being guilty of this.

Did feel that the omission of the reconciliation scene was a big mistake, that's a crucial scene and searing in its emotion. Its omission made the ending stages feel anti-climactic and anaemic.

On the other hand, there is a lot to like about 'Lost in the Stars'. It is a lovely and professional looking film, with the photography not looking too simple while not being overblown and it doesn't feel too claustrophobic. The music is very good, with "Lost in the Stars" being wonderful and very powerfully performed.

Script is sincere while not taking itself too seriously, while the story has lost none of its poignancy despite the aforementioned omission. While it is more than competently directed and the actors all portraying their roles without any questionable decisions, the reason to see 'Lost in the Stars' is Peters. Whose performance is superb and intensely moving.

Good on the whole and underseen. 7/10.

The one musical production of that batch of classics that the American Film Institute produced in 1973-1974 is this classic Kurt Weill-Maxwell Anderson adaption of Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country. Lost in the Stars is listed as a musical tragedy and that is an apt description. There are few laughs in this one.

There was a non-musical film of Cry the Beloved Country done in 1950 under British auspices that was shot in the Union of South Africa right under the noses of the apartheid government. Canada Lee was an impressive Stephen Kumalo in search of his runaway son in Johannesburg. Brock Peters ably fills those shoes and sings the Weill-Anderson songs magnificently.

Kumalo is a minister who's son Absalom, played by Clifton Davis, like his biblical namesake has grown up to be a major disappointment. While in Johannesburg he falls in with bad company, impregnates Melba Moore, and participates in an armed robbery gone bad where he shoots a wealthy white landowner's son. As it turns out the deceased was quite the liberal on race relations which complicates a difficult situation.

Still Peters does what he can to pick up the pieces of his tattered family and together with the father of the deceased try to mend their lives. The two are aching symbols of a country torn terribly apart by racism.

Weill's best known songs from Lost in the Stars are the title song and Our Little Grey House and Stay Well. Bing Crosby recorded both of the last two which are sung by Peters and Moore respectively on the film back when the show was in its first run on Broadway. Frank Sinatra did a superb version of Lost in the Stars on his album The Concert Sinatra and that song is sung by Peters in the film.

Brock Peters had done a revival of Lost in the Stars on Broadway in 1972 so we are lucky indeed to have his performance preserved on film.

Lost in the Stars was a tragic show that carried a message that men of good will can still live together despite the awful things we do to each other. Though Alan Paton died before the apartheid government finally fell, Brock Peters lived long enough to see the peaceful revolution of South Africa, remarkable as our own civil rights revolution or the change in government in India where whole societies did not raise the sword to create change.

The show is about reconciliation and hope and should not be missed.