This film, based loosely on the acclaimed Broadway play (1949-50; '58; '72) of the same name, was one of 14 film adaptations of plays (& only its second musical) produced by Ely Landau, for an organization he called the American Film Theater. All AFT produced films were seen only in a pre-paid subscription series over 2 seasons ('73-'74, '74-'75) in 500 theaters in 400 cities. These AFT films were released in a KINO DVD set in 2003. (this info from Wikipedia)
Stars: Brock Peters (the Rev. Kumalo), Melba Moore (Irina), Raymond St. Jacques (John Kumalo), Clifton Davis (Absalom), Paul Rogers (Jarvis). Plot: A rural, black Anglican priest, the Rev. Kumalo, in 1940s apartheid segregated South Africa searches for his son, Absalom, who'd gone to Johannesburg and stopped contacting his family. Kumalo eventually finds Absalom and his pregnant girlfriend, Irina--but also that Absalom's being charged with murdering a young white man (Jarvis's son), a man unlike his father who'd been very active in helping blacks and opposing apartheid. (The translation of "apartheid" is "aparthood" = legalized racial/ethnic segregation).
The "Lost in the Stars" Broadway musical from which the music of this film is taken is based on Alan Paton's VERY influential 1948 novel, "Cry, the Beloved Country." Paton's book (banned in South Africa for many decades) helped foster civil rights changes in the USA as well as probably many diplomatic pressures on South Africa that helped end apartheid (1948-94). "Cry, the Beloved Country" has been published world-wide in 20 different languages and made into 2 other films (1951, 1995) of that name.
Paton was a devout Anglican ("Anglican" = Episcopalian in the USA) South African who strongly opposed apartheid as did a number of other South African people and denominations (e.g., Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.; but even altogether, these denominations were a political minority in South Africa).
Kurt Weill's & Maxwell Anderson's Broadway musical "Lost in the Stars" closely followed but simplified Paton's narrative. This film adaptation takes great liberties with their narrative version of Paton's book although keeping its title and most of (or all?) the music.
The plot is essentially a modern day morality play with 2 major protagonists: the black Rev. Kumalo represents Christian ideals that conflict with the wealthy white landowners' (Jarvis's) desire to preserve apartheid segregation. A slightly lesser but significant figure is the Rev. Kumalo's brother, John. He takes a political, NON-religious, angry stance (opposed to his brother's faith-based non-violence) exhorting blacks to oppose & defeat the empowered whites who keep blacks permanently disenfranchised and in extremely inferior status.
This version of the stage musical isn't like those Hollywood musicals in which narrative actions stop for singing; in this, the songs always seem very integral to the narrative's development. But it presents its own version of Paton's book and certainly bears little resemblance to Weill's & Anderson's Broadway play except for the music.
Several emotional interactions seem more intense (IMO) than in the original musical OR in the '95 film, "Cry, the Beloved Country." The ideological conflict between the Kumalo brothers is emphasized perhaps more than in the '95 film. BUT, inexplicably, in THIS musical film version--sadly--the concluding, hope-giving, emotional reconciliation between these two fathers (prominent in the book, the Broadway musical, the '95 film) who lost their sons is quite diminished and almost totally absent.
My ratings: 9 (of 10) for its representation of this era's events, 8 (of 10) for entertainment, 7 (of 10) for fidelity to the musical and the book.
Stars: Brock Peters (the Rev. Kumalo), Melba Moore (Irina), Raymond St. Jacques (John Kumalo), Clifton Davis (Absalom), Paul Rogers (Jarvis). Plot: A rural, black Anglican priest, the Rev. Kumalo, in 1940s apartheid segregated South Africa searches for his son, Absalom, who'd gone to Johannesburg and stopped contacting his family. Kumalo eventually finds Absalom and his pregnant girlfriend, Irina--but also that Absalom's being charged with murdering a young white man (Jarvis's son), a man unlike his father who'd been very active in helping blacks and opposing apartheid. (The translation of "apartheid" is "aparthood" = legalized racial/ethnic segregation).
The "Lost in the Stars" Broadway musical from which the music of this film is taken is based on Alan Paton's VERY influential 1948 novel, "Cry, the Beloved Country." Paton's book (banned in South Africa for many decades) helped foster civil rights changes in the USA as well as probably many diplomatic pressures on South Africa that helped end apartheid (1948-94). "Cry, the Beloved Country" has been published world-wide in 20 different languages and made into 2 other films (1951, 1995) of that name.
Paton was a devout Anglican ("Anglican" = Episcopalian in the USA) South African who strongly opposed apartheid as did a number of other South African people and denominations (e.g., Roman Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, etc.; but even altogether, these denominations were a political minority in South Africa).
Kurt Weill's & Maxwell Anderson's Broadway musical "Lost in the Stars" closely followed but simplified Paton's narrative. This film adaptation takes great liberties with their narrative version of Paton's book although keeping its title and most of (or all?) the music.
The plot is essentially a modern day morality play with 2 major protagonists: the black Rev. Kumalo represents Christian ideals that conflict with the wealthy white landowners' (Jarvis's) desire to preserve apartheid segregation. A slightly lesser but significant figure is the Rev. Kumalo's brother, John. He takes a political, NON-religious, angry stance (opposed to his brother's faith-based non-violence) exhorting blacks to oppose & defeat the empowered whites who keep blacks permanently disenfranchised and in extremely inferior status.
This version of the stage musical isn't like those Hollywood musicals in which narrative actions stop for singing; in this, the songs always seem very integral to the narrative's development. But it presents its own version of Paton's book and certainly bears little resemblance to Weill's & Anderson's Broadway play except for the music.
Several emotional interactions seem more intense (IMO) than in the original musical OR in the '95 film, "Cry, the Beloved Country." The ideological conflict between the Kumalo brothers is emphasized perhaps more than in the '95 film. BUT, inexplicably, in THIS musical film version--sadly--the concluding, hope-giving, emotional reconciliation between these two fathers (prominent in the book, the Broadway musical, the '95 film) who lost their sons is quite diminished and almost totally absent.
My ratings: 9 (of 10) for its representation of this era's events, 8 (of 10) for entertainment, 7 (of 10) for fidelity to the musical and the book.