Today is Dustin Hoffman’s 70th birthday, and as David Hudson notes, the English-language media doesn’t seem to care (today’s #1 Entertainment story, according to Google News? Drunken British celebutards fight for MTV Award.) But because the internet moves in mysterious ways, while looking for Hoffmanania this morning I discovered a documentary-in-progress called Waiting For Ishtar.The project apparently began when Canadian writer/comedian John Mitchell (who is co-directing the film with Jonathan Crombie), attempted to borrow a copy of the much-maligned 1987 Dustin Hoffman/Warren Beatty flop from his local public library, only to learn that he was #34 on a list of library members waiting to check out the branch’s sole copy of the movie. Mitchell then decided to make a documentary, in which he’d “find and interview the 46 other Toronto Public Library members ‘Waiting For Ishtar’.” The project has since expanded to include interviews with Ishtar director Elaine May and co-stars Charles Grodin and Carol Kane, as well as “film critics, songwriters, Ishtar fans, writers and directors, including well-known Canadian filmmaker, Don McKellar.”Mitchell maintains a spottily-updated blog in connection with Waiting for Ishtar, subtitled “A love letter to the most misunderstood movie of all time.” The comments section on the blog is really amazing. The most recent post was apparently published in February of this year, but it’s still attracting comments from Ishtar lovers who seem overjoyed to learn they’re not alone. In one comment, dated June 28, Dave Elvin describes screening the first 20 minutes of the film at a party; as a result, a few of his friends “don’t speak to me anymore.” Discovering the documentary, Elvin says, “feels like going home.”
If you’re currently on the Toronto Public Library’s waiting list for Ishtar (or have been in the past two years), Mitchell wants to speak with you. You can contact him through the Waiting For Ishtar website. And if you need an Ishtar refresher course, check out the ten-minute YouTube clip above.
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