Noiret plays Neruda as part father-figure, part dreamer, and part realist. Philipe Noiret's Pablo Neruda is the perfect foil for Mario - a kindred spirit with all the experience and talent that the postman lacks. The Postman is about Mario, and Troisi imbues him with a captivating humanity. He occasionally makes some startlingly insightful observations, such as 'the whole world is a metaphor for something,' often without realizing how thought-provoking his comments are. In this post- Forrest Gump era, it would be easy to compare him to the Tom Hanks character, but Mario is really a more complex individual. Hesitant, shy, and uncultured, Mario has the heart of a poet, but little talent with words.

In the final performance of a great career, Massimo Troisi (who died at the age of 41, shortly after completing this picture) gives us a memorable character. This picture is affecting because, instead of relying on Hollywood's sledgehammer tactics of toying with an audience, it plumbs a wellspring of deeply-felt, honest emotion. One could argue that all films seek to manipulate in the case of The Postman, it is done with the utmost skill. Radford has a subtle touch that draws out the best from characters and situations.

The final thirty minutes change this film from a good little movie to a great little movie. This begins an unusual collaboration, with Mario providing a sounding board for Neruda's ideas and Neruda teaching Mario about poetry and its relationship to life.Īlthough all of The Postman is wonderfully engaging, the last act lends added resonance to everything that has come before. Eventually, after delivering Neruda's mail for a while, he gets up the courage to engage the poet in a conversation about writing. Mario is curious about this new resident who, despite his advancing age, has a seemingly magical power over women. Arriving there in 1953 is famed Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret), exiled from his native country for espousing communist doctrine. Mario (played by the late Italian writer/director/actor Massimo Troisi) is a postman in a fishing village on a small island off the coast of Italy. Best of all, these elements flow together seamlessly in a production characterized by solid acting, balanced pacing, and eye-catching cinematography. There's a little of everything here: poetry, politics, humor, love, and heartbreak.

Victoria's Secret Compartment: Beatrice hides her love letters there.The Postman, an Italian film from British director Michael Radford ( White Mischief, The Elixir), is a charming piece of cinema that takes several comfortable formulas and expands upon them in ingenious and emotionally-satisfying ways.Someone to Remember Him By: Mario dies before his son is born.Later releases title it Il Postino: The Postman. as The Postman in 1995 New York City theaters retained its original Il Postino title. Later, the warrant for his arrest is revoked and he gets to return home. Noble Fugitive: Pablo Neruda fled Chile to evade arrest.Distant Finale: Neruda meets Mario's family a few years after the main story.The film was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture (one of the few foreign language films to earn that nomination), Best Actor (Troisi), Best Director (Radford), Best Screenplay Adaptation, and Best Original Score (Luis Bascalov) it won Best Original Score. It owned the longest first-run theatrical run in New York City's history, even running longer than Titanic (1997) it was in theaters for over two years, long into the film's home video and then cable exhibition tenure. He comes to Neruda, asking his advice, when he falls in love with a woman named Beatrice. Mario starts delivering Neruda's mail and discovers the wonders of poetry. A simple fisherman named Mario Ruopollo becomes a postman. Before the film, he had surgery in Houston which failed to replace a valve, leaving him extremely thin, so he resolved to shoot and finish Il Postino before having his next surgery which tragically never came.Ĭhilean Poet Pablo Neruda is living in exile on a small Italian island. Troisi had long suffered heart problems according to his partner Nathalie Caldonazzo, Troisi had 'the heart of a 70 year old', and had surgery when he was 20. The film starred Massimo Troisi, who died of a heart attack within hours of finishing the film. A 1994 Italian film directed by Michael Radford, Il Postino ('The Postman', and originally released under that title in the U.S.) is based on the 1985 novel Ardiente paciencia.

Italian film postman