The Postman is a 1997 film adaptation of the award-winning post-apocalyptic-themed novel of the same name, written in 1985 by author David Brin. It was filmed in northeastern Washington (Metaline Falls), Fidalgo Island, Washington, central Oregon and Tucson, Arizona, and was directed by Kevin Costner, who also stars in the film. The film co-stars Will Patton, Larenz Tate, Olivia Williams, James Russo, Daniel von Bargen, Tom Petty, Scott Bairstow, Roberta Maxwell and Mary Stuart Masterson.
The film is set in the northwestern United States after an unspecified apocalypse has left a huge impact on human civilization. A nomadic survivor flees a warlord's army while unknowingly inspiring hope of restoring peace.
Plot summary
The year is 2013. Global societal collapse has crippled the earth, which heavily affects the surviving population. Although war and conditions similar to nuclear winter are described, the cause of the collapse is never really explained, allowing the possibility of non-nuclear causes for the slide into oblivion. Into this apocalyptic wasteland comes an enigmatic and initially nameless nomadic survivor (Kevin Costner), who is wandering the flatlands of Utah. In need of food and water he trades performances of Shakespearean plays (with his mule, Bill, as a mute co-star), for food and shelter in a small settlement. A neo-fascist army run by General Bethlehem (Will Patton), who takes supplies and prisoners, captures and incorporates the nomad into his ranks. The army, called Holnists, are a remnant from those of a farmer-turned-general, Nathan Holn, who had long since died, with Bethlehem (a former copier salesman) taking over command.
The army is large, each member being branded on the right arm with the figure "8". Bethlehem's command staff is loyal to him, specifically a captain, Idaho (James Russo), who is particularly cruel to the soldiers. The force is held together through discipline and fear, with the only punishment for serious infractions being death. Bethlehem sees the unnamed nomad as both a threat and an asset, due to his obvious intelligence and self-confidence, and hence nicknames the man "Shakespeare" due to his abilities at quoting lines. However, the nomad is not intrigued by Bethlehem, and does not want to fight for him or be a member of his army, but he has to accept his fate, knowing that if he leaves he will be killed.
Eventually, "Shakespeare" is selected to conduct a hunting expedition for a lion which was spotted by scouts. He finds the body of a scout and when bringing the body back, makes his escape by jumping into a river. Surviving a cold night by taking refuge in an abandoned mail carrier van, he takes the bag of undelivered mail (after reading some of the letters) and uses a postal uniform for warmth. Arriving at a settlement in lower Oregon called Pineview, he attempts to gain entry by assuming the identity of a postman appointed by what he falsely describes as a newly restored government, based in Minneapolis and led by a new president named Richard Starkey. He produces a letter addressed to a surviving member of the town, written by her sister in Denver fifteen years earlier. While some in the settlement are skeptical, the majority seem convinced, wanting to believe in the possibility of peace and a restored nation. They proceed to give the Postman more mail to deliver.
The Postman inspires a teenager named Ford Lincoln Mercury (Larenz Tate), and swears him into the fictitious restored postal service. One night, the Postman is approached by Abby (Olivia Williams), a woman seeking a bodyfather due to complications with her husband, who also lives in the town. Initially hesitant, the Postman spends the night with Abby before deciding to flee. Days later, during a supply raid of Pineview, General Bethlehem learns of "the Postman" and his tales of restored government. He considers it an act of treason, not realizing that the runaway soldier "Shakespeare" and "the Postman" are one and the same.
Bethlehem burns the American flag and post office, and shortly thereafter kills Abby's husband when refused permission to have sex with her. Bethlehem eventually finds the Postman amidst a battle between his army and the townspeople of Bennington, Oregon, who make a stand after being inspired by the Postman. Abby is rescued from Bethlehem's army, and the two narrowly escape into the surrounding mountains, with him being badly wounded.
The Postman and Abby hide in an abandoned cabin in the Blue Mountains. Although he wants to avoid trouble, Abby convinces him to return. As spring arrives, the two cross the range and chance upon a young girl who claims to be a postal carrier. It is revealed that Ford Lincoln Mercury has left Pineview and organized a postal service, connecting the communities of the Pacific Northwest. They enable survivors of the region's towns and settlements to communicate and inadvertently spread the fictional tales of a restored government.
Bethlehem's army kills carriers and the ensuing skirmishes escalate into a running small-scale war. The Postman seeks counsel from a Vietnam War veteran who teaches him the rudiments of guerrilla warfare tactics. However, his carriers are mostly young adults pitted against a better-equipped enemy. The mounting casualties dismay the Postman, who orders his meager forces to disband. He writes one last letter to be delivered to Bethlehem stating that the postal service is over and that the restored government was no more. Ford volunteers to deliver the message, knowing that he would most likely be killed after doing so. Bethlehem receives the letter but does not believe that it is over, and he plans to kill Ford along with another captured deliverer. When the two captured postal men meet, they do not know each other. The other man claims to be a postal man from California, which gives insight into other ongoings of the country moving toward restoration, likely prompted by the Postman's example. Bethlehem keeps Ford as a hostage in order to bring down the Postman.
The Postman, Abby and three remaining carriers travel west, further away from the Holnists' territory, until they come to Bridge City, situated on an old dam wall. The settlement is run by a celebrity from before the war, Tom Petty (playing himself). Seemingly trapped between the dam, canyon, mountains, and Bethlehem's scouts, the enclave leader enables the Postman to escape on a gravity-driven cable car.
The Postman gathers townspeople in a last-ditch attempt to end the conflict. Using King Henry V's speech prior to the Battle of Agincourt, the Postman manages to rally his scattered troops against Bethlehem's. He personally challenges Bethlehem for leadership of the Holnists, invoking "law 7," which he recalls from his time conscripted in the army. The law states any member of the Holnist army can challenge the leader and take his spot. It is then that Bethlehem realizes that the Postman and "Shakespeare" are the same man; he accepts the challenge and is defeated in combat. He does not accept his loss and prepares to shoot the Postman when he is killed by his former second-in-command.
The story concludes in the year 2043, when the Postman's daughter (Mary Stuart Masterson) attends a tribute to her late father's achievements. A statue is unveiled with the inscription. "He inspired a message of hope embraced by a new generation," as speeches proclaim the historic role that he played in aiding in the restoration of a civilized society. A man and his wife are seen staring at the statue of the Postman catching a letter from a small boy - a scene which occurred earlier in the movie -, and the man says, "That was me." This final scene was filmed on Rosario Beach at Bowman Bay near Deception Pass on Fidalgo Island, Washington.
Cast
Cast and crew information
On his personal website[1], author David Brin reveals that while the studios were bidding for The Postman, his wife decided during a screening of Field of Dreams that Kevin Costner should portray The Postman. Brin agreed that the emotions invoked by Field of Dreams matched the message he intended to deliver with his novel. A decade later, after learning Costner would be cast as the lead, Brin said he was "thrilled" - more so when Costner's interpretation of the Postman's character was similar to Brin's. Costner threw out the old screenplay (in which the moral message of the novel had been reversed) and hired screenwriter Brian Helgeland; Brin says the two of them "rescued the 'soul' of the central character" and reverted the story's message back to one of hope.[2]
In an interview with Metro before filming began, Brin expressed his hope that The Postman would have the "pro-community feel" of Field of Dreams instead of the Mad Max feel of Costner's other post-apocalyptic film Waterworld. Brin said that, unlike typical post-apocalyptic movies that satisfy "little-boy wish fantasies about running amok in a world without rules", the intended moral of The Postman is that "if we lost our civilization, we'd all come to realize how much we missed it, and would realize what a miracle it is simply to get your mail every day."[3]
Reception
The Postman received generally negative reviews. The New York Times gave a scathing review criticizing the movie for its "bogus sentimentality" and "mawkish jingoism".[4] Roger Ebert described The Postman as "good-hearted" yet "goofy... and pretentious". However, Ebert recognized the movie as a failed parable, for which he said the viewers "shouldn't blame them for trying".[5] On the show At the Movies, Siskel & Ebert both gave the film "Two Thumbs Down", with Gene Siskel calling it "Dances with Myself" (in reference to Costner's Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves) while referring to the bronze statue scene.[6]
The film took home five Golden Raspberry Awards for Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay and Worst Original Song for its original song score. It won an award for every category in which it was nominated, the first (and only) time this has occurred in Razzie history.
It was on the set of this film that Kevin Costner first earned his nickname, "The Boomer." Co-actor Will Patton, who had initially co-starred with Costner in 1987's No Way Out coined the term, saying that Costner, more than anyone else, epitomized "the still-smiling, middle-aged boyish charm of the baby boomer generation." The name stuck. Costner himself, in a People magazine profile of July '07 said, "I can't get (Ray) Liotta to call me anything else."
The film was also a notable failure at the box office. Produced on an estimated $80 million budget, it returned less than $18 million.[7]
The Simpsons parodied The Postman in the 1999 episode Monty Can't Buy Me Love, where Lisa watches the film on DVD at a new megastore. The movie is depicted as The Postman just walking meaninglessly, with Costner repeatedly apologizing for the film on the commentary track.
External links
References
- ^ DavidBrin.com
- ^ Brin, David (1998), The Postman: An Impression by the Author of the Original Novel, http://www.davidbrin.com/postmanmoviearticle.html, retrieved August 3, 2007
- ^ Stentz, Zack (6/12/1997), "Brin on science fiction, society and Kevin Costner", Metro, http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/02.06.97/cover/brin2-9706.html, retrieved August 3, 2007
- ^ Holden, Stephen (December 24, 1997), "Movie Review: The Postman", The New York Times, http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B02E5D7123EF937A15751C1A961958260, retrieved August 3, 2007
- ^ Ebert, Roger (December 25, 1997), The Postman, http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19971225/REVIEWS/712250304/1023, retrieved 3 August 25, 2007
- ^ Siskel & Ebert At The Movies - The Postman, http://bventertainment.go.com/tv/buenavista/atm/reviews.html?sec=6&subsec=The+Postman
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=postman.htm
