In the Shadow of the Stars

Winner of the Academy Award-« for Best Documentary Feature and lauded by the San Francisco Chronicle as "wonderfully funny yet equally heart-rending" IN THE SHADOW OF THE STARS is a hilarious and affectionate look at the path to stardom inside the competitive world of Grand opera. In a unique twist award-winning filmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf relegate the divas to the background and focus on a limelight-craving group of choristers the seldom-noticed singers who stand behind the soloists portraying peasants soldiers and slaves. Weaving together portions of eight acclaimed operas with personal interviews and behind-the-scenes footage from auditions and rehearsals the film explores the choristers' blurred boundaries between their on and off-stage lives. Through intimate and often comedic revelations the individual stories of these aspiring singers emerge: we meet a tenor who grew up in the slums of the Bronx and was cured of his insanity through music; a trucker who practices while on the road in his semi; and the singing couple who perform Mozart while raising their toddler. A unique exploration into the allure of celebrity and the resulting emotional roller coaster that arises in the pursuit of fame IN THE SHADOW OF THE STARS is a metaphor for anyone who has ever dreamed of becoming a star. DVD Features: Theatrical Trailer; Deleted Scenes; Filmmaker's Statements; Filmmaker Biographies; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection (Note - Dolby 2.0 sound)

Director: Allie Light
Director: Irving Saraf
Producer: Allie Light
Producer: Irving Saraf
Actor: William S. Jones
Actor: San Francisco Opera
Actor: Christine Lundquist
Actor: Frederick Matthews
Actor: David Burnakus
Actor: Karl Saarni
Actor: Ruth Ann Swenson
Actor: Shelly Sietz