In the Shadow of the Stars Directed by Allie Light, Irving Saraf, 1991

Magical, with enormous wit, intelligence and compassion" - The New York Times

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 boundary 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 nursing their small baby.

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.