Il postino (1994)

Director:

Michael Radford

Writers:

Pablo Neruda (poems)
Anna Pavignano (writer)

Release Date:

14 June 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Dreams do come true.

Plot:

Simple Italian postman learns to love poetry while delivering mail to a famous poet; he uses this to woo local beauty Beatrice.

Plot Keywords:

Island | Poetry | Pablo Neruda | Poet | Exile

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 21 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Philippe Noiret	...	Pablo Neruda
Massimo Troisi	...	Mario Ruoppolo
Maria Grazia Cucinotta	...	Beatrice Russo
Renato Scarpa	...	Telegrapher
Linda Moretti	...	Donna Rosa
Sergio Solli
Carlo Di Maio
Nando Neri
Vincenzo Di Sauro
Orazio Stracuzzi
Alfredo Cozzolino
Mariano Rigillo	...	Di Cosimo
Anna Bonaiuto	...	Matilde

Also Known As:

Il Postino: The Postman (UK) (USA)
Le facteur (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

Italy | France | Belgium

Language:

Italian | Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Peru:PT | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:AL | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:7 | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Pollara, Salina Island, Aeolian Islands, Messina, Sicily, Italy

Company:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica

Trivia:

This is a remake of Ardiente paciencia (1983), a film directed by Antonio Skármeta, the exiled Chilean author of the original source novel.

Quotes:

Donna Rosa: When it comes to bed, there's no difference between a poet, a priest, or a communist!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Yeonae soseol (2002)

Soundtrack:

If You Forget Me

For anyone who has ever fallen in love

Michael Radford's "Il Postino" is a movie for anyone who has ever fallen in love... with a person, a place, a simpler way of life. Unashamedly romantic and sentimental, yet never cloyingly so, it also has a bittersweet ending that hurts like heck. And as if the film weren't poignant enough, one recalls sadly as the credits roll that its star Massimo Troisi died a day after filming was completed. I cried buckets when I first saw it, and it remains one of my favourite films.

Based loosely on the brief period of Pablo Neruda's exile in Italy for political reasons (Neruda was a Communist), "Il Postino" tells the story of Mario (Troisi), a simple village postman, and his encounter with the great Chilean poet. When Mario falls in love with local girl Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta), he seeks guidance from Neruda and inspiration from his poetry. As true love blooms, so does a touching friendship between postman and poet, one that leaves its mark on Mario and his family long after Neruda returns to Chile.

Troisi gives a winningly gentle, soulful performance as Mario, a man who is no fool but has never before been given the tools with which to express the poetry in his heart. He visibly grows in stature as a result of Neruda's patronage. As Neruda, Philippe Noiret conveys a worldly wisdom and the exile's wistful nostalgia for home as much in the expressions that he wears, or in the way that he holds himself, as in the words he uses. And what words they are! It is unfortunate that Noiret is dubbed, but at least physically he embodies the part just about perfectly. The supporting roles are uniformly well played, and the dusty, time-worn Meditteranean island setting itself feels like a character at least as significant as any of the people who inhabit it. The blue sky and glittering sun-kissed sea as a near constant backdrop ensures that this movie gives you a blast of joy simply to look at it.