Il postino (1994) Reviews

• Metaphors

  jotix1002005-06-08

  Michael Radford, an English director, ought to be given credit for bringing this beautiful story to the screen. It speaks volumes that Mr. Radford achieves a triumph with a film that for all practical purposes should have been directed by an Italian. This is a timeless story of friendship, poetry and love set in a desolated island that was to be Pablo Neruda's home in exile. The story is a simple one. Mario Ruoppolo, a poor man without a job, suddenly applies for a vacant position that will pay almost nothing, but by becoming a letter carrier he gets the chance of meeting a man that will make a deep impression on him and who will change his life completely. Mario, the postman, is almost illiterate. He can read and write, with only the basic knowledge he probably picked up in the island school. He is allergic to fishing, and can't make a living like his father, and probably most of his ancestors before him. It's the time after WWII in which a poor Italy is still recovering from the devastation and defeat. Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet, finds a rustic home in the island. He is the most famous person ever to set foot in there. Mario is in charge for bringing Pablo his packages and mail. An easy friendship develops between them. Like everyone else in the island, Mario is impressed by the foreigner. In trying to imitate his poet friend, Mario awakens to all the beauty around him and discovers love with the gorgeous local girl, Beatrice Russo. The film's mood changes right after Pablo Neruda and his wife receive assurances they can go back to their native land. This leaves Mario in a sad state, but now that he is married, he has other responsibilities to live for. Neruda had awakened in Mario a desire to speak for himself and to seek justice. This is a film totally dominated by the late Italian actor Massimo Troisi, who as Mario, completely captures us by just being a simple soul with no malice. Mr. Troisi is splendid in his take of this poor man who discovers beauty and poetry late in his life. Philippe Noiret, is Pablo Neruda. Mr. Noiret makes a great contribution as the man who sees beauty everywhere and translates it into poetry. Maria Grazia Cucinotta is the beautiful Beatrice, the woman who loves Mario. Renato Scarpa and Linda Moretti, play minor roles with success. "Il Postino" is helped by the magnificent cinematography of Franco di Giacomo who captures the island in all its splendor. The music score is another asset. Luis Bacalov's tuneful background music adds another layer in this film rich texture. This film is an excellent way to be introduced to Pablo Neruda's poetry, even if it's only for the curiosity the film will give even a casual viewer. Thanks to Michael Radford for a poetic view of this lonely place where two people meet and are changed forever.

• A wonderful film which floats on the love of words, rhythm, and imagery...

  Nazi_Fighter_David2001-06-27

  Nominated for Best Actor (Massimo Troisi), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Music, Best Director, and Best Picture, "Il Postino" is a tender tale of love and poetry on a small island in the Mediterranean Sea, inspired by an incident in the life of Pablo Neruda, the Chilean poet who was briefly exiled, in 1952, for his communist ideas which have often got him into trouble... 'Il Postino' is a beautiful, heartbreaking movie, funny in its simplicity and honest dialog... Massimo Troisi leaves his final legacy in the role of a shy, hesitant and uncultured postman who possesses the heart of a poet with truly peculiar observations, such as 'the whole world is the metaphor for something else,' often without realizing how exciting his comments are... Director Michael Radford had the care to create a wonderful film which floats on the love of words, rhythm, and imagery... His movie is much heightened by a music score that includes quotes, paraphrases and Argentinean tangos... His film turns out to be a great little movie... It deals with a friendship between a lethargic villager, who takes the modest job of delivering letters to the celebrated poet living in a secluded area... Poetry becomes their connection... Mario Ruoppolo is a simple man with a complicated set of values who rides his bicycle climbing the hard road to Neruda's cozy home and with his timid manners delivers the armful of correspondence to the single customer of the island... A polite Neruda shows little interest in his personal postman, but he favors him, one day, with his autograph, signing one of his books with the words 'Regards, Pablo Neruda.' Nevertheless as time passes the 'poet of love' becomes a bit more friendly, intrigued by Mario's enthusiasm regarding his poetry and poetic manner of speaking... Mario, impressed that almost every letter delivered to Neruda is from a female, couldn't understand how his new resident, despite his advancing age, has such magical power over women... So he tries, with his simple way of thinking, to understand all the secrets of the exalted poet, sharing his thoughts with him... He becomes increasingly curious, asking a lot of questions about the mystical creation of poetry, forcing the fascinating celebrity to reveal some of the unexposed materials of his artistic vision... Neruda introduces Mario to the verbal rupture of metaphors, attempting to teach them to his anxious pupil... The two men discover an unexpected friendship based on their mutual view that life should be a framework for seduction and romance... As the film goes on, Mario, crafted with a tender spirit, attempts, through Pablo, a gentle intervention and poetry to win over the woman he has fallen for, Beatrice Russo - played by Sicilian fashion model Maria Grazia Cucinotta... Becoming in a slow way his 'Latin Cyrano de Bergerac,' Neruda guides his postman into romance, but refuses to write a poem that could charm his young passionate Beatrice... To attract the prettiest girl in town, Mario becomes a bit of a poet himself... But when he finds his own words insufficient to his romantic mission, he appropriates one of his tutor's sensuous poems, and protests, when discovered, that "Poetry doesn't belong to those who write it, but to those who need it." Unbelievably his 'lyrical words' fascinate the sensual bombshell who was playing a mean game of table soccer in a low cut dress, but disturb greatly her disapproving aunt Donna Rosa, who sees that Mario is contaminating her niece with his nice words... Nevertheless the postman wins the beautiful Beatrice and convinces her to marry him... Heartbreak comes when Neruda receives a telegram that he can return to the country he loves so much... From here on, an extended epilogue with smiles, tears and regret, takes the story on... And the film almost breathes lyrical tenderness in its depiction of an honest man who longs so much for love... Mario, who has not received any word or greeting from the poet and had remarked that it's quite normal for the poet not to remember him, returns to the poet's villa to revisit the place that had once been alive with the sounds and sights of emotional discovery... In the silence that now surrounds it, he realizes that the poet has taken all the beautiful things away with him... He gets the idea to create a 'live' poem for his dearest friend Don Pablo... An outdoors tape to let him listen to the wonderful sounds of the island, from the small and big waves at the Cala di Sotto, to the wind on the cliffs, to the wind through the bushes, to the sad nets belonging to his father, to the church bell of Our Lady of Sorrow, to the starry sky over the island, to Pablito's heartbeat... Philippe Noiret (best remembered for 'Cinema Paradiso') charms us once again as the affectionate mentor to Mario... He convinces the postman that poets are quite human but warns Mario about the old Dictaphone saying, 'Even the most sublime ideas sound ridiculous if heard too often.' The sets and the cinematography, accompanied by an Oscar Winning Score, create a wonderful atmosphere of the remote poor island with no running water, of the modest houses with pealing plaster, of the Rocky cliffs overlooking the blue Mediterranean, of the post-war fishing village under the shades of rose and salmon... Like love itself, some great movies seem surprisingly human... Delbert Mann's 'Marty' was one, Cameron Crowe's 'Say Anything...' was another, and now Michael Radford's "Il Postino" is exceptional... His film stands tall in its own right as a 'must see' movie... It's tough to imagine anyone not liking it... It simply revives our memories, and breaks our heart...

• Poetry in motion

  shankar_k2001-04-09

  A beautiful movie that does an excellent job bringing to life Neruda's love poems and how they touch the life of a simpleton postman. It inspires in one, a spiritual and sensual love for poetry. The music is intricately woven into the fabric of the story, and is surely a high point in the movie. Great cinematography, matched frame by frame with the splendid acting, especially that of Massimo Troisi and Philippe Noiret. Watch this movie if you are disillusioned with the notion of romance, and need some succour. The movie once again reinforces my admiration for the Italian film-makers. What amazes me is their simplicity in relating a tale, and how subtly pathos is displayed in their movies. This is also evidenced in "Life is Beautiful" and "The Bicycle Thief".

• Lovely Little Film About the Power of Words

  evanston_dad2009-05-08

  A sweet, gentle film about a quiet postman who discovers the power of poetry in winning the heart of his true love. Massimo Troisi gives a warm, wonderful performance as said postman, while Phillipe Noiret plays the poet Pablo Neruda. The setting, a sleepy Italian village, gives the film a cozy atmosphere, and it's got a lovely score to match. One of the rare foreign-language films to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award, it lost to the thunderingly stupid "Braveheart." Mel Gibson could use a little poetry himself. Grade: A

• Better than most all American romances.

  Pavel-82003-09-17

  "Il Postino" is a movie that received oodles of critical acclaim upon its release in 1994. While I don't think it was as good as advertised, I understand why it received such praise. In a movie world that is filled with dry and unamusing romance stories, "Il Postino" is a relatively lush and beautiful tale. The plot is fairly simple but loaded with subtleties that allow, even encourage, multiple viewings. Mario (Massimo Troisi) longs for something more than his simple fisherman life on an Italian island, so he takes a small job as a postman, delivering mail to famed romantic poet Pablo Neruda (Phillipe Noiret), who is living in exile on the same island. Over time, they develop a relationship that is based on Neruda aiding Mario in wooing his beloved Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta). The final act is where the film makes the leap from well-made standard fare to something greater. With a couple plausible plot developments, characters and relationships are deepened beyond a basic love story, to a place that accents everything that happens leading up to that point. I can't say much else without giving things away, but stick with the movie to the end, even if you're dragging midway through. As you might expect from an Italian film, "Il Postino" has a very European feel. The passion of Italy is present throughout, explained through lifestyles, literal and metaphorical imagery, and the emotions of the characters. The setting is far from the bustling dollar-driven society in which Americans dwell, and a movie like this wouldn't get made in America, because the cultures are drastically different. The film's star, Massimo Troisi, is excellent. He embodies everyman qualities exceptionally, similar to Tom Hanks, yet with more...something. Soul perhaps? He, like the entire film, is just more European, and I hope you understand what I mean by that. Noiret portrays Neruda perfectly, expressing his romantic ways through both words and actions. Everyone else is very good, although no one stands out; the overall anonymity of the cast aids the viewer in establishing culture as well. The cinematography and the scenery it presents is often breathtaking, although not in the sweeping manner of something like The Lord of the Rings. Rather, cinematographer Franco Di Giacomo wisely chose to let the pictures speak for themselves. The elegant cliffs, white-capped waves, and rolling topography of the island gently yet firmly frame and support the story. A straight-forward tale should have suitable pictures, and "Il Postino" meets that requirement. The film is touted as a romantic comedy, and it is, although not in the traditional sense. The comedy isn't slapstick and won't elicit bushels of laughter. But there is an underlying sense of humor laced through the whole movie, often in simple movements, tasks, or occurrences. All of this combines to present something like a fairy tale replete with Italian heart and soul. "Il Postino" won't blow you away, but its tender lessons about life, love, and friendship will stick with you for some time, urging another viewing. Bottom Line: A very European romance that is better than most anything Hollywood can conjure up. 8/10. (If you like the film, get the Collector's Edition DVD; it's quite good.)