THE ROAD TO ISHTAR
Finally we dug up the script to “Ishtar,” the super-secret Elaine May-directed comedy for Columbia Pic with Dustin Hoffman and Warren Beatty.
It’s a buddy comedy by May about down-on-their-luck singer-songwriters Chuck (Hoffman) and Lyle (Warren Beatty). And get this: Hoffman’s the lady killer (as one smitten femme puts it, “He’s got that great body--sort of like a cat, but wiry”). Beatty, who’s sooo envious of Hoffman, is no Romeo: When his wife--the only woman he’s ever “known”--leaves him, he falls apart. Hoffman’s there to help (and give sexual pointers) until his steady exits, leaving him a basket case as well.
Determined to make it big in show biz, the guys take a gig at the Chez Casablanca in Morocco. On the way, in a place called Ishtar, they’re beset by adventure/romance/intrigue. The desert sands abound in CIA spies, loyal followers of the Emir, revolutionaries and one blind camel.
Oh, and there’s lovely Shirra (Isabelle Adjani). On a quest to overthrow the Emir, she’s masquerading as a boy when she locks lips with Beatty (who suffers a brief but painful identity crisis). It gets more confusing when Hoffman suspects Beatty of being a spy--and vice versa. All complicated by a long-lost Arabic map that prophesies that Islam will be restored to full glory following the appearances of two strangers. . . .
More to Read
Only good movies
Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.