Michael Plott admits: "Judging from some of the most recent posts in this list, I probably shouldn't be a subscriber. I have no degree in film and I do not usually look for some deep meaning, philosophy or message in any film I view. Film, to me, for the most part is simply another means of recreation---similar to reading a book. I subscribed to this list with the intention of simply lurking and seing what other people had to say regarding film and the business of making films, and in that context I suppose I am not annoying anyone with my ignorance (until now)." Mike--I haven't seen ISHTAR, so I can't address your main question, but I too would be curious to see some answers. (I *have* seen several reviewers saying that they thought it was underrated--as some even said of HEAVEN'S GATE!) But that question of meaning, message, etc. is a vexing one. I find it interesting that you compare film watching to recreation "similar to reading a book." Way back in high school, a chemistry teacher complained that I had to stop reading the textbook "like a novel." Thing is, I thought he meant I was reading *too closely*, nitpicking the details. It did not occur to me until years later that he might have meant that I was reading too *superficially* and quickly! Part of our perennial debates over meaning and value in what we watch or read is in part conditioned by experience. If one knows what to look for in an Antonioni film (to use Murray's recent example), one can be rewarded. If one does not, the film will be a blank surface. If one watches a Hitchcock film, thinking only of, say, PSYCHO, one will get what one expects (or disappointed that one did not). Some of us are bred--if not born--to "read deeply" but we all read all too superficially in other ways. So, *is* there a way into ISHTAR that defies its categorizing as ' "flop" (box-office or cow, take your pick)? I too would be curious to know what to look for when I do see it. Don Larsson, Mankato State U (MN) ---- To signoff SCREEN-L, e-mail [log in to unmask] and put SIGNOFF SCREEN-L in the message. Problems? Contact [log in to unmask]