Lost in the Stars is the 1974 film version of the Kurt Weill-Maxwell Anderson musical adaptation of the Alan Paton novel Cry, the Beloved Country. The film was produced and released as part of the American Film Theatre, which adapted theatrical works for a subscription-driven cinema series.

Plot

Directed by Daniel Mann, the film follows a Zulu preacher, Reverend Stephen Kumalo (Brock Peters), in his journey to Johannesburg to search for his long-missing son, Absalom (Clifton Davis). He discovers his son is a paroled felon living in a shantytown with his pregnant girlfriend (Melba Moore). Absolom becomes involved in a robbery plan that results in the death of a white anti-apartheid advocate. Absolom is jailed, tried and sentenced to death, leaving his father unable to continue his ministerial work.