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The Postman (1997)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
25 December 1997 (USA) moreTagline:
It is 2013. War has crippled the Earth. Technology has been erased. Our only hope is an unlikely hero.Plot:
Post-apocalyptic America. What begins as a con game becomes one man's quest to rebuild civilization by resuming postal service. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
5 wins & 5 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(32 articles)
The Postman Brings the Future to Blu-ray on September 8th (From MovieWeb. 13 May 2009, 8:37 AM, PDT)
New Angels and Demons Images
(From Beyond Hollywood. 21 April 2009, 9:51 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Well... I am glad to see that I am not the only person who liked this film moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Kevin Costner | ... | The Postman | |
| Will Patton | ... | General Bethlehem | |
| Larenz Tate | ... | Ford Lincoln Mercury | |
| Olivia Williams | ... | Abby | |
| James Russo | ... | Idaho | |
| Daniel von Bargen | ... | Pineview Sheriff Briscoe | |
| Tom Petty | ... | Bridge City Mayor | |
| Scott Bairstow | ... | Luke | |
| Giovanni Ribisi | ... | Bandit 20 | |
| Roberta Maxwell | ... | Irene March | |
| Joe Santos | ... | Colonel Getty | |
| Ron McLarty | ... | Old George | |
| Peggy Lipton | ... | Ellen March | |
| Brian Anthony Wilson | ... | Woody | |
| Todd Allen | ... | Gibbs |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
177 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Philippines:PG-13 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R | South Korea:18 | Brazil:LivreFun Stuff
Trivia:
The crew referred to the film as "Dirt World". moreGoofs:
Crew or equipment visible: As The Postman and General Bethlehem are starting their parley in the climactic scene, a cameraman and camera are visible on the rock face behind the General. moreQuotes:
[end of the movie; introducing The Postman to her baby]Abby: This is your daughter... her name is Hope.
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Soundtrack:
Come And Get Your Love moreFAQ
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I truly do NOT understand why The Postman was attacked as viscously as it was by the film media (there films much more worthy of the Golden Raspberry Awards in 1997). I loved this film and was very impressed with the loving amount of dedication that it demonstrates on the part of the actors, writers and director. This was a GOOD movie: it had a strong and intelligent story; excellent and interesting characters; and real feel for the post-Apocalypse genre. I felt that Kevin Costner's everyman act worked beautifully in this film and created a sense of reality for the character and of his situation.
As far as the sci-fi novel by David Brin, this film exceeded it in every way possible. Where Brin had to rely on cheezy sci-fi standards (like supersoldiers) to resolve his story, this film does using only two men, both frauds, and both with radically different understandings of what constitutes a proper society. That is what made this film great (and I rarely use the term great), that this film was essentially an examination of America and what America means. It was a parable of sorts about the types of men Americans are and what they are capable of (notice that the head bad-guy had a traditional, classical education, while Costner did not; he appreciated these things but they were not at the center of his belief system... I wonder why).
While I do not agree with every aspect of this film (I am a Medievalist and a Platonist, so I don't necessarily feel the same way about the Western Canon that the film-maker may have), I still find it to be a beautiful reflection on the psyche of the American everyman. America has a tradition of rejecting the absolutist ideals of the past in favor of the pragmatic relativism of today, and I think that this film is a parable of the divorce of America from the traditions of Europe.
Overall, this is a complex and entertaining film and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in examinations of American culture and tradition, perhaps as a double feature with Citizen Cane (I am not, however, claiming that the Postman was as good a film as Citizen Cane, only that they have a similar theme... what does it mean to be an American?).