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ERA
Did you know
35 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
In the Shadow of the Stars
"A behind-the-scenes look into the world of grand opera."
1991 1h 33m EN
😐
6.4
MID
★6.4TMDB · 8
Documentary
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
A hilarious and affectionate look at the path to stardom inside the competitive world of opera. 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.
“A behind-the-scenes look into the world of grand opera.”
Where to watch · US
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Allie Light
- Languages
- English
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Allie Light directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 135 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
- 2Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 3Marketing tagline: "A behind-the-scenes look into the world of grand opera.".
- 4IMDB entry: tt0102114 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 5Only 8 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Runtime
- 93 min · 1h 33m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
Awards
- Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film
Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.
Also by
Allie Light
Community reviews
What people are saying
- CinemaSerf★ 6/10
How many sopranos does it take to hit an high C? Seven. One to sing it and six to say that they could have done it better! I quite enjoyed this fly-on-the wall observation of the great and the good - and the not so good, of the San Francisco opera. Drawn from just about every part of American society this follows an eclectic, entertaining, selfish and diva-esque group of people who range from the thoroughly laid back to the equally highly strung (or ought to be). There are rivalries galore exposed and some of these real-life characters have no problems in showcasing the professionalism and the absurdities of an high-costume art form performed in a variety of languages that reflected the history and cultures of many an European nation, but very seldom their own. Generally, there is a remarkable lack of enduring hostility or bitchiness from amongst the ensemble of supporting cast members vying for roles that might see one of them getting the briefest of singing parts, or comedic roles, and there is plenty to illustrate just how talented many of these unassuming people are when they stretch their vocal chords and to be honest I was really quite impressed by just about all of the auditions we see on display here. It's probably a bit too long, and at times it recycles itself but there is talent, personality and skill on display here and even a little humour, too. As one rather self-deprecatingly acknowledged, the average tenor has suffered from an excess of resonation resulting in an empty-headedness common amongst this vocal range.
Key crew
Themes & keywords
What it's about, really
- woman director
- san francisco opera
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1991-08-14
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