|
By
FRANK BEHRENS
The tales that are told of
people trying to break into a profession, no less
that of the insane world of opera, can prove quite
fascinating--if told well and with interesting
people. That is what Allie Light and Irving Saraf
attempt to do in their film "In the Shadow of the
Stars," now available on a Docurama DVD.
This film, an Academy Award winner, proved to this
viewer somewhat disappointing. Emphasis was put on
those young singers condemned to the chorus while
most of them (with one exception), yearned to be
doing the solo roles. I found the sequence of
ideas to be all over the place, concentrating now
on solo work, now on chorus work, now on the slum
background of one individual (do we really have to
know how many rats he killed in his Bronx
apartment?), now on the love life of a less than
totally dedicated singer.
In fact, the most interesting points are made in
an outtake in which the chorus members of the San
Francisco Opera are on strike and are filmed
discussing the special problems they face,
compared with those faced by members of the
orchestra.
There are plenty of really interesting points made
during the 93 minutes running time, but I just
believe they could have been much better
organized.
The picture is widescreen and bonus material
includes deleted and additional footage and
statements and biographies of the filmmakers. |
