In the Shadow of the Stars

In opera, most attention goes to the dramatic and musical performance by the soloists. The opera choir has a rather unimportant function as 'the masses', as opposed to the soloists. The tittle, In the shadow of the stars literally reflects the theme of this film. The main characters play only minor parts in the operas of the San Francisco Opera Chorus. They are always in the shadow of the famous soloists as nameless soldiers, ladies-in-waiting, slaves, or peasants in performances of MacBeth, Il Trovatore, or The Flying Dutchman.
These people, who work very hard in the background, are portrayed in this documentary as individuals with their own faces. Each of them has his dreams and ambitions, which makes them into the leading characters of the film. Some chorus members achieve the right balance between their integrity and their craving to make a beautiful career for themselves. They manage to realize a solo-career and reach the front part of the stage. Others fail and stay members of the nameles masses between the pieces of scenery.
The film tries to find out the reasons of stardom: willpower and talent are factors that surely influence success but, as is apparent in the film, a full measure of luck is essential. There is a complete harmony between the choice of music and the theme of the film: the fairly unknown but breathtaking chorus-passages by Wagner, Verdi, and Puccini are, for a change, positively present on the soundtrack. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)