Lost in the Stars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Lost in the Stars Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 27, 2019

Well (or Weill, as the case may be), you can learn something new every day if you’re paying attention. Case in point: I only recently mentioned in our The General Blu-ray review (part of The Buster Keaton Collection: Volume 1) that the beautiful little town of Cottage Grove in my home state of Oregon famously provided locations for that iconic film (and that tours are available for enterprising cineastes who venture to travel there). In doing some background research on the film version of Lost in the Stars, I was frankly kind of gobsmacked to see Cottage Grove listed again as one of the locations utilized, though my hunch is there are probably no tours of this film’s locations being marketed anywhere, due both to how relatively unknown the source musical for this film is, but perhaps also due to the fact that this particular adaptation was not especially well received at the time of its release, and may continue to offer at least some problems for contemporary viewers today. (For a little humorous example of "the more things change, the more they remain the same," take a gander at screenshot 6, which could have come from a colorized version of The General.)

Lost in the Stars was based on a lavishly praised 1948 novel called Cry, the Beloved Country by the South African (white) anti-apartheid activist Alan Paton (more background research uncovered the fact that Paton was “immortalized” in a manner of speaking with a Google Doodle dedicated to him on what would have been his 115th birthday in January of 2018). Cry, the Beloved Country has been adapted as a “straight” (non-musical) film twice, first in 1951 (in a version that features an early performance by Sidney Poitier in a supporting role), and then again in 1995 in a version starring James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. The original Broadway musical version of Lost in the Stars opened in 1949 (with a libretto by noted playwright Maxwell Anderson), running for the rest of that season, and became the last produced piece by legendary composer Kurt Weill before his death the following year in 1950. A revival in 1972 lasted only a couple of weeks, but it did manage to eke out a Tony nomination for lead actor Brock Peters, something that may have attracted the interest of Ely Landau and The American Film Theatre, which then included this film as the last offering of their introductory 1973-74 season, one of only two musical offerings AFT produced over the course of their two or so years of activity (the other "real" musical was Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, though there are some interstitial musical moments in Galileo as well).

A cursory glance at the cast list for this 1974 film reveals a really fascinating array of black performers, including Brock Peters recreating his Broadway interpretation of Reverend Steven Kumalo; Clifton Davis as his errant son Absalom (more about that in my closing comments, below); Melba Moore as Absalom’s pregnant girlfriend Irina; Paula Kelly (who also choreographed) as Rose; and Raymond St. Jacques as Steven’s brother John. That said, the first issue that may accrue for some more PC minded individuals is that of “cultural appropriation”, not so much with regard to Paton’s original source novel, but arguably at least with regard to Weill’s score, which he reportedly based on some traditional South African ethnic musics.

We’re living in a time with different sensibilities (for better or worse), and, to cite just one example, I’ve seen some pieces critical of such works as George Gershwin’s legendary Porgy and Bess, where some pundits have taken Gershwin (and librettists Dubose Heyward and Ira Gershwin) to task for attempting to mimic an African American patois in both music and lyrics. Some may feel similarly inclined toward Lost in the Stars, something that I personally don’t, though I would hasten to add that some of Weill’s more recitative-esque song structures don’t end up being particularly effective in this film version for whatever reason. This may be due at least in part also to Anderson's often interesting but rambling libretto, one which frequently doesn't "scan" in "popular song" verses, as, for example, songs like "Summertime" do in Porgy and Bess.

The film version makes a couple of frankly odd changes to the stage musical, which of course won’t be noticed by those unfamiliar with the original version, but there are still a couple of odd structural issues at play. For instance, Absalom and Irina just kind of erupt onto the scene during a longer sequence featuring Steven and his adorable nephew (that pairing itself is indicative of one of the changes from the stage version). There are some additional questionable choices with regard to changes in how events unfold, and especially one essential relationship, that between Steven and a white man named James Jarvis (Paul Rogers). And in fact the ending of the film version completely omits what those familiar with the stage version might argue is one of Lost in the Stars’ central messages, that of reconciliation despite formidable odds and/or obstacles.

Still, there are some commendable aspects to this adaptation. Director Daniel Mann manages to nicely open up the proceedings, utilizing, well, Cottage Grove I guess as an arguably unreasonable stand-in for bustling South Africa (does South Africa have rolling hills covered with pines?). And the film has some sumptuous orchestrations that I'm assuming come from music director Alex North and associate Alexander Courage. The singing is also uniformly superb, as might be expected of the star trio of Peters, Davis and Moore. (Trivia buffs may or may not know that Clifton Davis contributed one of the biggest hits of the 1970s as a songwriter, "Never Can Say Goodbye".)

Lost in the Stars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Lost in the Stars is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Classics, an imprint of Kino Lorber, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a somewhat variable looking transfer, with some outdoor material popping fairly well, but with occasional pretty rough looking patches that can just kind of appear out of nowhere for a moment (see screenshots 18 and 19 for a couple of examples). The palette looks slightly faded, often skewed slightly toward the yellow-brown side of things, but, again, some outdoor material looks considerably more vivid, with decently blue skies and green foliage. The opening optically printed credits sequence is pretty rough looking, and considering that this was reportedly filmed in Cottage Grove, I'm assuming some pretty badly damaged snippets of what looks like real Africa were sourced from stock footage (the image under the actual title of the film is among the worst). There are also a couple of other kind of odd anomalies, including one you can see in screenshot 17. If you look closely at Peters' right cheek, you can see two vertical scratches. Those scratches remain stationary for the entire scene, which suggests they may have been etched on the lens. There are also a few moments that frankly just look out of focus (see screenshot 15).

Lost in the Stars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Lost in the Stars features a nice sounding LPCM 2.0 mono track. The music is full bodied if inherently narrow sounding, but there's a really appealing mix between orchestral and vocal forces in several songs. Dialogue is rendered cleanly, though it should be mentioned that several actors are attempting a kind of South African accent, to variable degrees of success, and so the optional English subtitles may come in handy for some.

Lost in the Stars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This release repeats some of the supplements found on other Kino Blu-ray versions of the American Film Theatre series.

• Interview with Edie Landau (1080i; 26:16) is an extremely engaging sit down with Ely Landau's widow, with both general background information on their producing careers as well as some fun anecdotes about American Film Theatre's relatively brief existence.


• Ely Landau: In Front of the Camera (1080i; 6:30) is a perhaps unintentionally funny promotional piece that Landau evidently filmed to show subscribers at the end of the first season. Let's just say that it's obvious what a showman Landau was from even this brief piece.


• AFT Trailers

  Butley (1080i; 2:58)

  
  

  A Delicate Balance (1080i; 3:25)

  
  

  Galileo (1080i; 3:30)

  
  

  The Homecoming (1080i; 2:36)

  
  

  The Iceman Cometh (1080i; 2:38)

  
  

  Jacques Brel is Alive and Well. . . (1080i; 3:26)

  
  

  Lost in the Stars (1080i; 2:10)

  
  

  Luther (1080i; 2:31)

  
  

  The Maids (1080i; 3:06)

  
  

  The Man in the Glass Booth (1080i; 2:44)

  
  

  Rhinoceros (1080i; 1:55)

  
  

  Three Sisters (1080i; 2:43)

Lost in the Stars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Lost in the Stars gets into some of the horrors of apartheid, as well as offering a bit of a riff on the story of King David and his prodigal son Absalom, but this is a rather odd film that never develops the emotional resonance it is obviously aiming for, despite some extremely powerful performances by a gifted cast. Video is variable if serviceable, and audio is fine, for those considering a purchase.