The Bottom Line: Highly recommended. A moving story of friendship and romance, featuring outstanding performances by the two leads and gorgeous Aegean cinematography.
Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.
This film owes its life most especially to its star, Massimo Triosi. The British/Australian director Michael Radford was hand-picked to direct and co-script Il Postino by Triosi. The centerpiece of the film is the friendship that develops between two men with little in common but their humanity – a world famous Chilean poet in exile and a simple, tongue-tied postman. It is an exercise in sentiment that mixes a variety of elements into a fairly cohesive and downright enchanting package. It touches on friendship, romance, politics, poetry, humor, and loss.
Historical Background: The Chilean poet featured in this film was a real person, though the specifics of the story featured in Il Postino were likely fictional. It was based on a novel entitled Burning Patience by Chilean writer Antonio Skarmeta. Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was the pen name of a man born Neftali Ricardo Rayes Basoalto in Parral, Chile. He took up writing at the tender age of thirteen. He was also active in government and politics, receiving honorary consulships from 1927-1935 that took him to many parts of the world. During the Spanish Civil War, he supported the Republicans. He returned to Chile in 1937 but was recalled to Consul service in France and in Mexico from 1939-1943. After returning once again to Chile in 1943, he was elected as a senator and joined the Communist Party of Chile. His opposition to President Videla’s repressive policies toward workers forced him underground in Chile in 1947 and into exile in Europe from 1949-1952. It is this exile period that is the subject matter of Il Postino. Neruda’s poetry was known for its odd mix of sensuality and surrealism.
The Story: The story opens with fishing vessels returning at dusk to a small fishing village on an island off the coast of Italy. Later, Mario Ruoppolo (Massimo Triosi) shares dinner with his father, explaining in disjointed, uncertain sentences how much he hates fishing because the boats make him nauseous. His father, who seems mostly lost in his soup, seems disinterested and would likely be more than content if Mario would take any kind of job at all.
There is a bit of excitement brewing in this tiny village. The Italian government has agreed to allow a famous Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda (Phillippe Noiret), a Communist in exile from his native country, to stay in Italy provided he remain at a remote villa on the island where Mario resides. Neruda’s arrival at a train station, shown on television, is a mob scene, packed mostly with adoring women. It seems that Neruda writes sensuous love poems that appeal especially to feminine sensibilities! Despite being neither young nor handsome, Neruda is greatly admired. Mario can only look on with envy.
Mario spots a notice pinned to the door of the post office. The postmaster is looking to hire a man with a bicycle to deliver mail. This will be a special route, however, with just one customer – Pablo Neruda. Mario takes the job. He is not at all surprised when he notices that most of the letters to Neruda are from women.
Mario duly delivers Neruda’s mail each day and takes every opportunity he can invent to ingratiate himself to the poet. One day he asks Neruda to autograph a copy of his book; another day he poses questions about poetry – learning for the first time about metaphors. Gradually the two strike up an acquaintance and later a friendship. Mario admires Neruda’s mastery of words, his obviously loving relationship with his wife (or mistress), and even his politics. Neruda plays the father figure, mentor, and teacher for his young protégé.
One day, Mario encounters the voluptuous, black-eyed, and saucy Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta), niece of the owner of the local restaurant and bar. Poor Mario is simultaneous thunder struck and tongue-tied. This is the love of his life and he begs Neruda to help him learn to speak to her poetically – remembering the magical power of Neruda’s words over women. Neruda muses that the name Beatrice has previously inspired poets – such as Dante Alighieri. Still, he insists that Mario find words of his own.
Themes: I suppose the main theme here is that friendship can thrive between people of entirely distinct backgrounds and talent levels if there is mutual respect. Although Neruda is a renowned poet and Mario barely literate, Mario has the soul of a poet without the education or talent to give it voice. His simple insightfulness is sometimes incredibly stimulating for a man like Neruda. In one interchange about metaphors, for example, Mario asks innocently, “Then the entire world might be a metaphor for something else?” That is the kind of question that a philosopher, poet, or physicist could ponder for months!
Il Postino also touches on political issues, such as corruption and politically-motivated violence, but not in a way that suggests a clear point. The film also has about as much to say as any film about the essence of poetry and the motivations for its creation – both lofty and libidinous.
Production Values: Director Radford maintains a very nice pace for this film. It is leisurely (which fits its emphasis on nostalgia and poetry) but seldom drags. The cinematography takes maximum advantage of the lush, rocky coastline of a small island near Stromboli, Italy where Il Postino was filmed.
The two leads both provide exquisite performances. Triosi literally put his heart into his career-making performance for this film. Triosi had a long-standing heart condition and postponed heart surgery in order to complete Il Postino. Then, he died less than twelve hours after the last photo shoot was wrapped up. Life imitating art, I suppose. Triosi was already a star in Italy, known for self-deprecating comedy roles, though little seen outside of his home country. Triosi’s performance is one of those rare, unforgettable ones – unforced, expressive, and fully believable. Although the awkwardness and vulnerability of Triosi’s character conjures up memories of Tom Hank’s Forrest Gump, Triosi’s Mario is more complex. His intellectual level is closer to normal (but uncultivated) than retarded. Noiret is superlative as the poet. He is a famous French actor, known for his phlegmatic roles but subtle facial expressiveness. He reminds me of Walter Matthau. He appeared notably in The Clockmaker (1973), Coup de Torchon (1981), and Cinema Paradiso (1988).
Bottom-Line:Il Postino is a charming movie, very sentimental, but in an emotionally honest way. It received multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture (very unusual for a foreign language film), Best Actor (Triosi), Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The Collector’s Series DVD includes several extras. There’s a lively and informational commentary by director Michael Redford, the theatrical trailer and TV ads, and a featurette on Neruda that includes readings of his poetry by various celebrities. Il Postino is in Italian with English subtitles. The DVD also provides the option of French dubbing. It has a running time of 113 minutes and is rated PG.
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You might want to check out these other excellent films from Italy:
When a world-famous poet takes up residence on a small Italian island, the local postman figures his access to the great man just might help his reput...More at Buy.com
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