Lost In The Stars (1974)

Set in apartheid South Africa, a Zulu minister (Brock Peters) goes to Johannesburg in search of his son (Clifton Davis). He finds his son living in poverty with his pregnant girlfriend (Melba Moore). Desperate for money, the son joins a gang of thieves and breaks into a house where he kills the owner (Harvey Jason). Based on the 1949 Broadway musical with music by Kurt Weill and lyrics by Maxwell Anderson which was an adaptation of the novel CRY THE BELOVED COUNTRY by Alan Paton and directed by Daniel Mann (THE ROSE TATTOO). Paton's acclaimed novel was one of the first to address the abomination that was apartheid. As a musical, the near operatic songs by Anderson and Weill bring an emotional strength that accentuates the power of Paton's narrative. Unfortunately, they also eliminated the novel's ray of hope which ends the book. This film version was not well received and though I think it's much better than its reputation would suggest, I can see why. The richness of the novel isn't there and there's an awkwardness to the movie as if the film makers couldn't quite figure out how to make the transition from stage to screen. Still, I think it's worth seeing. Alex North (STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE) supervised and conducted the music and Paula Kelly (who plays Rose in the film) did the choreography which is highlighted by the Big Mole dance number. Obviously, the film couldn't be filmed in South Africa (at that time) so Oregon had to substitute. With Raymond St. Jacques, Paul Rogers and John Williams.