In this remake of the 1983 Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skarmeta, the time and place have been changed to Italy in the 1950s, but the relationship between the Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda and Mario (Massimo Troisi), the postman who delivers his copious mail, is still the focus of attention. In this version of the story, scripted by a collective of Anna Pavignano, the director Michael Radford, Troisi himself, and a few others (based on Skarmeta's original story), Neruda is an aloof and slightly elitist figure who is seeking solitude on an island off the coast of Italy, taking a respite from political problems at home. Mario is a poet at heart and employs every measure he is capable of inventing to win his way into the affections and attention of the great author. As his efforts start to bear fruit and Neruda unbends and begins to share conversation and philosophy with Mario, the postman idolizes the poet all the more. Eventually, Neruda shares his leftist political philosophy as well -- and helps him win over the captivating Beatrice, the woman of Mario's dreams. When Neruda leaves, Mario enters into high gear as he prepares material for the next time he sees Neruda -- his ardor and patience, alluded to in the original title -- are essentially indestructible. (Massimo Troisi) was fated never to know that Il Postino would receive worldwide acclaim and be nominated for an Oscar for "Best Picture" in 1995 (the first foreign film nominated in that category since Ingmar Bergman's Cries and Whispers 22 years earlier). Suffering from a heart ailment and unable to work more than an hour or two on the filming of Il Postino each day, he died in his sleep at the age of 41, the day after shooting ended on the film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
Review
Although Michael Radford directed this small, touching film about a shy mail carrier looking for love, the guiding spirit seems to have been writer/actor Massimo Troisi, who died shortly after shooting was completed. Troisi plays a simple, middle-aged man who lives on a small island in the Mediterranean also inhabited by noted Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Upon learning that the poet receives a number of letters from women, and is said to have a way with them, he decides to solicit the help of the great man for advice on winning the woman Maria Grazia Cucinotta he loves. The film is as much about the romance of language as of lovers, and as much about the postman's gentle seduction of the initially distant poet as it is about his courtship of the woman. Troisi shines in his final role, his gauntly lyrical presence lingering in the memory long after the film ends. The great Philippe Noiret, the eternal everyman of French films, might have seemed a strange choice for the role of Neruda, but he is as brilliant as ever. A small film it may be, but its poetry is winning. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi
Il Postino is a 1994 Italian film directed by Michael Radford. The film was originally released in the U.S. as The Postman, a straight translation of the Italian title.[1][2] However, since the release of Kevin Costner's post-apocalyptic film of the same name, the film has been released on DVD as Il Postino: The Postman, and English language film critics often refer to the film by its Italian title alone.
Writer/star Massimo Troisi postponed heart surgery so that he could complete the film. The day after filming was completed, he suffered a fatal heart attack.
Pablo Neruda, the famous Chilean poet and communist, is exiled to a small island in Italy for political reasons. His wife accompanies him. On the island, local Mario Ruoppolo is dissatisfied with being a fisherman like his father. Mario looks for other work and is hired as a temporary postman with Neruda as his only customer. To get the job, he must declare himself a communist to keep the postmaster happy. He uses his bicycle to hand deliver Neruda's mail. Though poorly educated, the postman eventually befriends Neruda and becomes further influenced by Neruda's political views and poetry.
Meanwhile, Mario falls in love with a beautiful young lady, Beatrice Russo, who works in her aunt's village cafe. He is shy with her, but he enlists Neruda's help. Mario constantly asks Neruda if particular metaphors he uses are suitable for his poems. Mario is able to better communicate with Beatrice and express his love through poetry. Despite the aunt's strong disapproval of Mario, because of his sensual poetry (which turns out to be largely stolen from Neruda), Beatrice responds favorably.
The two are married. The priest refuses to allow Mario to have Neruda as his best man, due to politics; however, this is soon resolved. This was because Di Cosimo was the politician in office in the area with the Christian Democrats. At the wedding, Neruda receives the welcome news that there is no longer a Chilean warrant for his arrest, so he returns to Chile.
Mario writes a letter but never gets any reply. Several months later he receives a letter from Neruda. However to his dismay it is actually from his secretary, asking Mario to send Neruda's old belongings back to Chile. While there Mario comes upon an old phonograph and listens to the song he first heard when he met Neruda. Moved by this he makes recordings of all the beautiful sounds on the island onto a cassette including the heartbeat of his soon-to-be-born child.
Several years later, Neruda finds Beatrice and her son, Pablito (named in honor of Neruda) in the same old inn. From her, he discovers that Mario had been killed before their son was born. Mario had been scheduled to recite a poem he had composed at a large communist gathering in Naples; the demonstration was violently broken up by the police. She gives Neruda recordings of village sounds that Mario had made for him.
Whereas the novel and the 1985 film were set in Chile, with Neruda living in his home at Isla Negra around 1970, Il Postino moves the setting to Italy in about 1950. The film is set and was partially filmed on the island of Salina, of the volcanic Aeolian Island chain off the north coast of Sicily. One unfortunate victim of the film's popularity has been Pollara Beach on the island, which has suffered erosion from motorboats and vandalism from tourists since the film was produced.[3]
In 1994 to promote the film, Miramax published The Postman (Il Postino): Music From The Miramax Motion Picture, which besides the film's score, composed by Luis Enríquez Bacalov, includes Neruda's poems recited by many celebrities. There are a total of 31 tracks.
For the 2010 opera based on the film see Daniel Catan.
Reception
The film was very well received. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 92% of the critics liked the film, based on 25 reviews.[4] It received a score of 81 on Metacritic, indicating "Universal Acclaim", based on 13 critic reviews.[5]
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