I am no hero or heroine or director fan. I am a fan of good films. I appreciate any good film in any language. Is this movie Charming or romantic or unique or tragic or beautifully acted or sweet spirited or moving or uplifting or funny? I would say it is the combination of all. Il Postino: The Postman is a beautifully directed, written, and filmed in beautiful Italian locations. This is one such film that will lift the mood and brighten the day. Produced and released in 1994, this movie became one of the best movies of the nineties. If you have not watched then do not overlook this little gem. If you have not seen Il Postino: The Postman, see it now.
The film becomes even more interesting by the fact that the lead actor Massimo Troisi as Mario Ruoppolo (19th February 1953 – 4th June 1994) passed away during filming. The performances of each actor in the film are incredible, and Troisi deservedly received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination posthumously.
Rough and simple story line: Exiled Chilean Poet Pablo Nerudo comes to stay at an Italian Island inhabited by fishermen. Local Fisherman’s son Mario doesn’t like fishing. He takes up a temporary job as the island’s cycle postman. The village post office gets most of the mail for the Poet. The cycle postman Mario meets the famous poet to delivers letters & packages almost every day. Thus, they develop good friendship.
However, our ambitious Postman want to become a poet & lover. Generous Pablo helps him. Mario is able to write & marry sweetheart Beatrice whom he meets in Vino e Cucina Tavern. The exiled poet Pablo is allowed to return to Chile. Many years later, Pablo comes to the island to visit Mario. Pablo could meet Mario’s wife Beatrice and her son. Pablo learns that Mario has died in violent demonstrations. Mario just before his death recorded for Pablo a touching audio message. With heavy heart and moist eyes Pablo listens to the message.
Thus, this film itself becomes poetry with its delicate portrayal of a simple man who becomes attuned to the beauty of life, love, and nature, due the influence of his meeting with poet, Pablo Neruda. In real life, hero Massimo died a day after the final shooting. The actor was a severe heart patient. All I can say in conclusion is this: “The whole world is a metaphor for something else”.
About the Author
Dr. K. Raja Gopal Reddy is a seasoned internationally qualified Insurance professional.
What you are reading here, may not answer all the questions we have, but has the absolute power of asking unsettling questions which increase the interest in the strange world, and show the contradictory wonders lying just below the surface of the commonest things of life. Look at this disturbing but beautiful thought of Friedrich Nietzsche “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him”.
Dr. Reddy can be reached at: raja66gopal@gmail.com
