by Mark Deming
synopsis
This satiric comedy concerns the chaotic production of an all-singing, all-talking, all-dancing musical spectacular. While the producers dream of recreating the glorious spectacle of a Hollywood confection of the 1940's, it seems their work is cut out for them -- the director is just a little bit crazy, the beautiful leading lady has never sung before, and a rival studio is eager to scuttle the project. But all these problems seem like small potatoes when the star of the show mysteriously disappears. A Star Is Lost! was produced by the National Film Board of Canada, who also distributed the feature as a series of four short subjects.
