Right Hand vs. Left Hand
Some have been following the great Ishtar Bluray Delay saga since last January, but most haven’t so let’s recap the chronology. But first let’s report the latest, which is that earlier today the 92nd Street Y announced “a rare screening and discussion” with Ishtar director-writer Elaine May on Tuesday, 5.17 at 7:15 pm. The 92Y press release mentioned the Ishtar “cult” that has taken form in recent years and also the “impending” release of the Ishtar Bluray.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will eventually, no doubt, release their Ishtar Bluray (i.e., the one that almost came out last January but then was pulled at the last minute) but to go by SPHE publicist Fritz Friedman nobody at that company has any specific idea when this long-delayed disc will finally appear. Sometime this summer, next fall, next year…we’ll get back to you.
Why, then, does today’s 92Y press release refer to an “impending release” of the disc? That’s apparently conjecture by Miriam Bale, an associate of May’s who’s referred to in the release as the “curator” of May’s 92Y event.
I’ve been personally involved on the fringes of this prolonged political tangle for several months so here’s how it’s all gone down from my perspective:
(a) I posted a pretty good “where is Ishtar?” piece on 1.8.10.
(b) New Yorker columnist Richard Brody wrote an article called “To Wish Upon Ishtar” on 8.9.10.
(c) Sony Home Entertainment, presumably in response to the emerging Ishtar cult community, announced on 10.26.10 that Ishtar would come out on Bluray on 1.4.11.
(d) The Ishtar Bluray nonethless didn’t appear on 1.4.11, and I was told by Friedman a day later this was because star-producer Warren Beatty felt that it needed to be promoted a bit before being released. As I understood it, Beatty’s idea (apparently in concert with SPHE president David Bishop) was to perhaps stage a couple of special screenings in New York and Los Angeles with Beatty, May and Ishtar costar Dustin Hoffman in attendance and do post-screening q & a’s. These screenings could possibly happen in May, Beatty speculated.
(e) On 1.13.11 I received a copy of the Ishtar Bluray from a guy who bought a copy on my behalf at a Toronto video store. (Somehow a shipment of Ishtar Blurays was sent to Canada despite the decision to hold the release. A few were sold before being recalled.) I ran a piece later that day about seeing it.
(f) I passed along the idea of possible promotional Ishtar screenings in May to Museum of Modern Art film director Rajendra Roy, who had gotten May to appear at a Mike Nichols tribute on 8.18.09, and also to the Austin-based Moses Chiullan, the former HE contributor who said he wanted to try and stage an Ishtar screening in Los Angeles with the help of the Alamo Draft House guys. I then passed along their info and emails to Beatty.
(g) I ran into Beatty at a Santa Barbara Film Festival party last February and asked if he’d heard from Roy or Chiullan and, if so, had they discussed anything? He answered in his usual vague way, but he did say he wanted to make sure Elaine May “is on board,” which sounded to me like an allusion to her being satisfied or happy or taken care of, etc. Peter Biskind‘s Beatty biolgraphy reported that Beatty and May clashed during the making of Ishtar. It’s accepted doctrine that the disastrous reception to the film in 1987 pretty much ended May’s directing career.
(h) A few days ago I called Beatty to ask what happened to the potential May release of the Ishtar Bluray along with the idea of staging special screenings, etc. His response was again vague, but he did mention wanting to make sure May is “on board,” or words to that effect. “That’s still a concern?,” I said. “You said that last February.”
(i) I left two messages for Elaine May through Mike Nichols‘ Manhattan office — silencio.
(j) The 92nd Street Y announced its Elaine May-talks-about-Ishtar evening earlier today.
(k) SPHE’s Friedman called to say that SPHE president Bishop is calling or reaching out or sending carrier-pigeon messages to Elaine May, and that he “wants to talk to her about tweaking the [Bluray] masters to see if she’s happy with it.” (HE Question: In what realm is a Bluray mastered, duplicated and packaged with copies sent to Canada and then three months later the president of the Bluray distribution company tries to get in touch with the director to ask her about tweaks?) Friedman adds that Bishop has reached out to Beatty about possibly arranging for special promotional screenings of the film with Beatty, May and Hoffman doing q & a’s after screenings as a way to stir word-of-mouth. As far as I could tell this last statement was said without irony. Bishop appears to regard this idea as a relatively fresh one.
I’m not making any of this up. Plenty of things may have happened unbeknownst to me, but this is what I personally know to be factual. To me it’s like the Keystone Cops or like a scene from David Cronenberg‘s Scanners with my head about to explode. Things really do move this slowly and disjointedly in corporate circles from time to time.
Jeff, are you going to be back in NYC for the screening?
Nope — many if not most of the film-covering journos will be at the Cannes Film Festival when this happens. Great timing on 92Y’s part, huh?
“Shirra Assel is a known terrorist”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean she sleeps around.”
It’s pretty hilarious to me — and I mean this in the most endearing way possible, trust me — that entire swaths of new releases are off-handedly dismissed with one or two blink-and-you’ll-miss-it mentions (and admittedly, usually for good reason), whereas this indignant “Where’s da Ishtar Blu-Ray?!” saga (a special interest group that seems to consist almost entirely of you) has now been going on a solid 16 months and counting.
I mean, if I were a young cinephile and this is the first place I went to get my movie news every day (not recommended, btw), I might be justified in assuming that this 25 year-old flick was one for the pantheon alongside such undisputed classics as Gone With the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Bonnie & Clyde, Jaws, etc.
Not that there isn’t anything to admire here, don’t get me wrong. But I just find it somewhat ironic that, as critically-conscious as you are, you’re totally willing to go to bat for a picture that only has a 3.9 composite on IMDb (where it’s generally understood that nearly everything gets a padding of at least 1.5 points by those people — yeah, you know…them — that just loooove EVERYTHING).
I for one have been absolutely beside myself for the past several months over this. It’s to the point where I can hardly sleep.
I can’t concentrate on anything else.
WHEN will this middling, not-terribly-special, lame-duck of a comedy be released in a format that looks somewhat sharper than earlier formats?!
HOW will the color tones be?!
WHAT kind of extras will be included?!
And I’ve caught myself dreaming a few times, as well. What if…. I mean, WHAT IF…. they released it as a four-disc box set that included various, slightly-different cuts of this film?! Oh my god. Call me a dreamer.
(L) Why has there been so much ink wasted on this forgettable movie? Film blog Inside baseball at it’s worst.
Fast 5 review right here:
http://www.theonion.com/video/today-now-interviews-the-5yearold-screenwriter-of,20188/
“…(g) I ran into Beatty at a Santa Barbara Film Festival party last February and asked if he’d heard from Roy or Chiullan and, if so, had they discussed anything? He answered in his usual vague way, and a few minutes later I found myself out in the parking lot with one guy twisting my arm behind my back and another one banging my shins with a baseball bat. It’s accepted doctrine that the disastrous reception to the film in 1987 pretty much ended May’s directing career.
(h) A few days ago I called Beatty to ask what happened to the potential May release of the Ishtar Bluray along with the idea of staging special screenings, etc. His response was again vague, but he did mention that calling him again would result in an even worse beating than the one I got in February. He added something about wanting to make sure May is “on board,” or words to that effect. “That’s still a concern?,” I said. “You said that last February.” “You’re a dead man” I heard before the click.
(i) I left two messages for Elaine May through Mike Nichols’ Manhattan office — silencio.
(j) The 92nd Street Y announced its Elaine May-talks-about-Ishtar evening earlier today.
(k) SPHE’s Friedman called to say that SPHE president Bishop is personally invested in making sure that I am hung by the ankles and bled like Heather Mattarazzo in “Hostel 2″ before I am permitted to see anything resembling a final domestic product on the “Ishtar” Blu-ray. Bishop appears to regard this idea as a relatively fresh one.
I’m not making any of this up…”
Man U 2, Schalke 0
What most of the world cares about tonight.
“how’s 150 dollars a week sound?”
“really?”
“yea, well you can’t really put a price tag on democracy.”
I don’t care what anyone says, I always found “Ishtar” whip smart funny, as are all of May’s films. And not to diss, “Ishtar” but the real uproar should be that neither “A New Leaf” or “The Heartbreak Kid” are on DVD!
Ishtar is one of those films that was portrayed by the media as a failure before and after its release, and thus some people like to hold it up as a “bad film” and act like they know what they are talking about. It’s like Hillary saying Casablanca is her favorite film; it’s a cliche choice but one that people who don’t actually see films recognize.
Both Titanic and Avatar were ripped apart in the media as failures before they opened. Ditto JFK.
Jus sayin if you’re gonna name drop Ishtar at least watch it a dozen times.
Wait, is THAT Elaine May in that picture?
Really? Isn’t Elaine May some seventy-eighty year old ex-vaudeviller who looks like Renee Taylor or something? Who’s that cougarish chick?
Kane: Yeah, well, if people are willing to defend the ’67 Casino Royale, Jeff should be allowed to praise Ishtar.
Since then, a cult has grown around Ishtar.
no it hasn’t
UH-OH.
A talk at the 92nd Street Y? The ticket buyers better sign waivers that they know she’s talking about ISHTAR all night long… just so the same thing that happened to poor Steve Martin doesn’t happen to her.
Bob Violence says …
Since then, a cult has grown around Ishtar.
no it hasn’t
This.
May’s boyfriend is Stanley Donen, whose Singin’ in the Rain and Funny Face are not Blu.
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