Ishtar (1987)

Two terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the C.I.A., the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime.

Director:

Elaine May

Writer:

Elaine May

Stars:

Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Isabelle Adjani

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Warren Beatty	...	Lyle Rogers
Dustin Hoffman	...	Chuck Clarke
Isabelle Adjani	...	Shirra Assel
Charles Grodin	...	Jim Harrison
Jack Weston	...	Marty Freed
Tess Harper	...	Willa
Carol Kane	...	Carol
Aharon Ipalé	...	Emir Yousef
Fijad Hageb	...	Abdul (as Fuad Hageb)
David Margulies	...	Mr. Clarke
Rose Arrick	...	Mrs. Clarke
Julie Garfield	...	Dorothy
Cristine Rose	...	Siri Darma (as Christine Rose)
Robert V. Girolami	...	Bartender (as Bob Girolami)
Abe Kroll	...	Mr. Thomopoulos

Storyline

Two terrible lounge singers get booked to play a gig in a Moroccan hotel but somehow become pawns in an international power play between the CIA, the Emir of Ishtar, and the rebels trying to overthrow his regime.

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Plot Keywords:

morocco | singer | cia agent | cold war | friendship between men | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Music | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, and Edgar Wright are fans of the film.

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Goofs

When Marty Freed is sitting with Chuck and Lyle, after he first hears their act, he puts his hand up to his mouth ("Let me tell you what I told Tony Bennett..."). In the next shot, the hand is on the table.

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Quotes

Shirra Assel: I have written about our deaths, we will be remembered.

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Alternate Versions

UK cinema and video versions were cut by 8 secs by the BBFC to remove uses of the word 'fuck' in order for the film to receive a PG rating. The cuts were restored in 2004 to the 15-rated DVD release.

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Connections

Referenced in The Golden Girls: The Audit (1987)

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Soundtracks

Hello Ishtar
Lyrics and Music by Paul Williams
Produced by Michael James Jackson and Paul Williams
Executive Producer Paul Williams
Performed by Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman

User Reviews

When is it going to be available on DVD

I personally do not understand how anyone cannot like this movie. As a whole I cannot really recall many comedies that I would call great movies, and this is not a "great" movie. It is certainly one of my favorite comedies, though. Come on, you have Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman has bad singer/songwriters. What more can you ask for? And they seem so sincere in the process. Maybe I'm just too big of an Adjani fan.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ishtar

Filming Locations:

100 Morningside Drive, Morningside Heights, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,331,817, 17 May 1987

Gross USA:

$14,375,181

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,375,181

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Delphi V Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1