Customer Reviews

The Postman [VHS]

5 star:		(101)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I absolutely adore this film, a touching story of the relationship between an timid but passionate postal carrier and the Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. As Neruda and his poetry instruct the mailman in the ways of love, a courtship blossoms that has all the humor and bittersweet missteps of the real thing. Director Radford uses a light touch to illuminate the unusual relationship between the exiled poet and an ordinary man. Massimo Troisi as Mario (the postman) turns in a fine performance that should not be missed; his characterization of a clueless man desperately in love with both words and a woman cannot be forgotten. Likewise, Philippe Noiret as Neruda provides a memorable portrait of a man who can forget the power of his words.

I can't help comparing "Il Postino" to "Life is Beautiful", also an Italian film that relies on initial humor to set up the pain found in the human heart. "Il Postino" is more subtle, however, and more realistic. Still, those who enjoyed "Life is Beautiful" should also like "Il Postino."

I recommend this film highly. You don't need to know anything about Neruda to enjoy it; all you need to be is human.

Il Postino is a wonderful and heartwarming adaptation of Antonio Skarmenta's novel, El cartero de Neruda, which is not likely to disappoint audiences who are prepared to watch a foreign film with sub-titles. The movie is certainly not a tear-jerker, but any viewer will find themselves becoming emotionally attached to its characters and highly affected by the fate which befalls them.

The film, directed by Michael Radford, is the story of a humble Italian postman who is greatly changed by the famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda for whom he works for in a small Italian village. As the audience, we observe their acqaintanceship as it changes and eventually develops into a true and unforgettable friendship. Without a doubt, some audiences will find Il Postino tedious because of the simple plot and the lack of sex and violence. Nevertheless, it is an an emotional and powerful movie that I highly recommend because of its strong character portrayal. In my opinion, Il Postino is truly successful because of its wonderful acting by Massimo Troisi, who accurately portrays the innocent postman as well as Philippe Noiret, who is a very endearing and astonishing Pablo Neruda.

In addition to the acting, the Italian landscape is a breathtaking and integral part of Il Postino. Radford effectively incorporates the beautiful mountains and seascape as the story's background. It is a refreshing decision by Radford which only adds to the poetry which Noiret recites periodically throughout the film.

I am certainly the type of person who prefers the book to the movie, but in this particular case, I feel that the movie surpasses the Skarmenta's novel by far. I recommend this movie to anyone who is tired of movies with gratuitous sex and violence as well as hackneyed forumlas. The sub-titles are by no means a hinderance to the film and I guarentee by its end that you will be fascinated by the Italian language.

I first came across Il Postino whilst watching the British equivalent of the Oscars, the BAFTA's, when I believe it won Best Foreign Film. Following that show I rented it from my local Blockbuster, what followed was something I will never forget. A film with such grace, elegance and passion I was sincerely moved. The scenery which is complemented by a wonderful soundtrack shows how movies can capture the hearts and minds of everyone.

Telling the story of Mario Ruopollo a poor son of a fisherman, Il Postino charts the months following the arrival of exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda to the small Italian island where Mario lives and how the poet of love helps Mario win the heart of latest Bond Girl Maria Grazia Cucinotta. A story of love and friendship that will surely capture the viewers heart and stay with them forever!

This charming story has been harmed with the omission of the most sensual scene, between the postman and the lady he loves, when she is playing on the soccer game with him in the bar. In the original film she uses the ball as bait, rolling it enticingly between her breasts and completing the captivation of her ardent admirer. This little bit of interplay has been cut out almost entirely, definitely damaging the impact of the film. I would not have purchased it knowing of this in advance. It is amazing that a little sensual interaction is not acceptable in a world where violent death is. This is a four star movie that has been cheapened by "cleaning it up."

"Il Postino" ("The Postman") tells the story of the friendship between Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and the shy postman who delivers his mail while Neruda is living in Italy. This Italian film, directed by Michael Radford, is a beautiful and gentle work of art that celebrates love, friendship, and the power of poetry.

The performances are outstanding. Massimo Troisi brings an awkward charm to his role as the postman, Mario, and Phillipe Noiret is both majestic and appealingly down-to-earth as the revered poet. The supporting players are also superb, but it is the chemistry between Troisi and Noiret that really brings magic to the film.

The dialogue of "Il Postino" thoughtfully explores such issues as fame, political commitment, and the art of poetry. I especially love the line, "Poetry doesn't belong to those who wrote it, but to those who need it." But this is also a wonderfully funny film. Some of the scenes gave me some hearty belly laughs! The romance between postman Mario and a local girl is a particularly rich source of comic material.

If you are one of the millions who love the passionate poetry of Pablo Neruda, you should really see this film. And if you see the film before having read Neruda's work, I recommend that you read some of Neruda's poetry. To sum up, I highly recommend "Il Postino."

The other day I had to watch this movie for my Italian class. The movie was fabulous. In the beginning of the film I felt bad for Mario (brilliantly acted by Massimo Troisi), he just seemed so awkward, and because he didn't like fishing, it seemed like he was a failure to his father and the rest of the village. This begins to change when Mario becomes a postman, delivering mail to the Chilean love poet Pablo Neruda. Mario and Neruda develop a great friendship + Mario becomes more confident and falls in love. I had heard very good things about this movie, but watching it was a fabulous experience + it was better than I expected.

Today in Italian, we watched an interview with the director and the TV special about Neruda that are included on the DVD. I didn't know, while watching the film, that the star Massimo Troisi was dying during filming. Learning that he was holding on to life just to complete this film, made it all the more special and sad. I also learned that the actor who played Neruda (Philippe Noiret) acted in French and was later dubbed into Italian. I thought that was a really interesting fact.

All in all this is a great film. It will make you cry. It will make you want to read Neruda's poetry, and even more so, it will make you want to write poetry of your own.

What a poignant and bittersweet Italian comedy about the friendship between exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and his shy postman (played by Troisi), made so in no small measure by Troisi's quietly contained but gripping performance.

The lyrical screenplay perfectly balances the intimate story of a local postman with the social and political realties of 1950s Italy, suggesting that the backwater, impoverished Italian "Mezzogiorno" could find new potentials just like the movie's protagonist.

In weaving its leisurely unfolding tapestry (hint: the movie may feel slow to people who're used to Hollywood's wham-bam), the film works on many different levels -- a tribute to the power and beauty of poetry; a tale of brotherhood; a charmingly quirky romance (between Troisi and barmaid Maria Grazia Cucinotta).

Unfortunately, the ending of the film is somewhat mishandled with couple of unnecessary scenes, but it is this very ending that I found the most memorable because it eerily corresponds with the tragedy of real life behind cameras.

Couldn't recommend this lyrical gem highly enough.

I will never forget this beautiful, warmly humorous, sensuous and, ultimately, tragic cinematic masterpiece. "Il Postino" was my first introduction to Pablo Neruda, the poet who changed my life and first inspired my lifelong love of writing poetry. Though, I was an avid poet before, I owe a great thank you to the spirit of Pablo Neruda for bringing inspiration to my voice as a writer.

For starters, this film was masterfully directed, the cast couldn't be better, and it is definitely a great cross-over film that can be enjoyed by men, women, young people, old people, and even children. (Personally, I don't think anyone younger than thirteen should see this film.) It was, in fact, based on a novel of the same name (I much prefer the film to the novel, though---personal opinion.) . Mario Ruopollo (played by the late, great Massimo Troisi--who died twelve hours after the film was completed), is a fourty-year old postman in a sleepy fishing town in Italy. The shy man's life is centered around his job of delivering mail, until a chance encounter with the legendary, exiled Chilean poet , Pablo Neruda (Philip Noiret), changes his life forever. He finds himself learning about poetry what a metaphor ("metafore" in Italian) is. Of course, the learning curve is, at first, quite steep. Neruda asks Mario what he thinks of when he pictures the sea, and he says, "I feel seasick." Poetry takes front and center stage when Mario finds himself falling for Beatrice Russo (Maria Grazia Cucinotta), the most beautiful woman on the island. This is when the "Cyrano De Bergerac" element of the story begins, and Neruda becomes the written voice for Mario to win Beatrice's heart.

This film stirred me so much when I first saw it. I laughed, I pondered and I finally burst into tears. You will have to see it for yourself to understand the power of this film. I guarantee you will probably be looking up "Pablo Neruda" in a key word search when the film is long over. What a wonderful way to honor the man, his great body of work and how poetry touches the heart and soul.

Il Postino is a beautiful story of relationships. A postman develops a friendship with Pablo Neruda, a famed poet, and acquires a love for poetry. With light humor, Mario uses his new poetic talents and the help of Neruda to gain the love of women, Beatriz in particular. Neruda deeply influences the life of Mario and helps him to appreciate the metaphors of life. The story of Il Postino is timeless and effectively demonstrates how one person can change the life of another. Neruda becomes a father-figure to Mario and Mario looks up to Neruda with awe and respect. Anyone who has had a special effect on another human being's life or whose life has been positively influenced can appreciate this story.

From England, Michael Radford is the Director of Il Postino which was filmed in Italy and based on a Chilean novel. He does an extraordinary job incorporating a few historical and political references into the story, as it develops during the 1950's and communist revolts are occurring. Also, the friendship between Mario and Neruda is accentuated by the references to poetry and metaphors throughout the movie. There are many scenes where pure metaphorical conversation dominates and the beauty of language is expressed. Even though English subtitles are displayed, the charm of the Italian language is still heard. I thoroughly enjoyed Il Postino's story of a meaningful friendship and an expressive language of poetry and metaphors and I recommend it to you!

"Il Postino," by British director Michael Radford, provides a powerful reminder that even in this age of special effects and mega-buck blockbusters, the key to any good film is a good story. The rest is all window-dressing -- which can be entertaining, but a movie is never elevated to greatness by window dressing.

This movie, set in the early 1950s, starts with an incredibly basic "fish out of water" premise, and slightly tweaks it. Our hero, Mario Ruoppolo (Massimo Troisi, who may have the most soulful eyes of the 90s), is a fish very much of the waters of his small, rustic Italian island. The fish out of water is the famous poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret), exiled from Chile. Mario is unemployed, so he takes the low-wage job of postman for the famed Neruda, who lives with his gorgeous wife in a picturesque, isolated villa.

Mario is naturally star-struck by this celebrity who can move thousands with his words. Mario is a quiet, uneducated man living among quiet, uneducated islanders (the only jobs seem to be fishing and serving wine to the fishermen). And yet Mario has a romantic soul and an inquisitive mind, and soon his honest, naive questions have struck a chord in Pablo's heart. The poet takes Mario under his wing, teaching him the basics of poetry.

This is great timing for Mario, for he is struck by the thunderbolt of love when he sees the beyond-beautiful Beatrice Russo (Maria Grazia Cucinotta -- you will be thunderstruck when you see this beauty). Mario's dumbstruck awe is hilarious during a foosball game with this angel. But taught by Pablo, can he fail to win Beatrice's heart?

But this is Italy, a land of sorrows, and while Mario may get the girl, he loses Pablo. The political winds change, and Neruda returns to Chile. His departure injects a melancholy into Mario's life, but Mario now has the craft to give voice to all his ideas of love and justice. Soon, Mario is taking a stand not just for his own emotional well-being, but for the political future of the island and its people.

An emotional ending provides many surprises, and a few tears.

This is a beautifully shot movie, but uses a realistic eye. This is not a glossy coffee-table book of a movie like "Under the Tuscan Sun," which pummels you into acknowledging that Tuscany is gorgeous. Rather, "Il Postino" is shot in such a way as to remind you of the beauty we see in our everyday life, including the rush of the waves over the pebbles, or the unadorned view of stars in the Italian sky. Cinematographer Franco Di Giacomo outdid himself here.

The realistic beauty of this Italian island is almost topped by the understated soundtrack, which relies heavily on traditional Italian instruments like the accordion. Isn't it amazing how the accordion gets so little respect in the United States, and yet it often provides the perfect tone for movies? While this isn't a hyper-witty soundtrack like "Swingers" or "Pulp Fiction," it is safe to say that this soundtrack is one of the most effective in recent years.

As you can tell, I am a huge fan of this movie. It is very political for a "romantic comedy," and don't go in expecting a European attempt at a Meg Ryan film. "Il Postino" tells a wonderful story of simple people living their lives in a simple, earnest way. It will irresistably melt your heart.