Il Postino

Rating:
Summary: I really tried to like this movie...
Review: but I ended up turning it off minutes before the end, out of sheer and desperate boredom. I really did not like the main "common man" character guy--he annoyed me. The story dragged on and on until I feared it would never end.

Rating:
Summary: How refreshing!
Review: What a wonderful film. Beautiful cinematography, good acting, and a sweet story. How nice to actually sit through a movie that had a storyline. I am rarely fond of subtitled movies, but am glad I made an exception here. I recommend this film to anyone, particularly anyone who is generally dissatisfied with what is coming out of Hollywood these days. "Il Postino" is a refreshing change.

Rating:
Summary: A must-see film about the simplicity and beauty of love.
Review: This movie is more than a film about love. It's a film about friendship. This film shows the way two very unlikely people from entirely different backgrounds can become great friends. The dialogue and manner of speech of both Troisi and Noiret are stupendous. This is a modern romantic film for all time.

Rating:
Summary: "MAN HAS NO BUSINESS WITH THE SIMPLICITY OF COMPLEXITY"...
Review: What a poignant and bittersweet Italian comedy about the friendship between exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and his shy postman (played by Troisi), made so in no small measure by Troisi's quietly contained but gripping performance.

The lyrical screenplay perfectly balances the intimate story of a local postman with the social and political realties of 1950s Italy, suggesting that the backwater, impoverished Italian "Mezzogiorno" could find new potentials just like the movie's protagonist.

In weaving its leisurely unfolding tapestry (hint: the movie may feel slow to people who're used to Hollywood's wham-bam), the film works on many different levels -- a tribute to the power and beauty of poetry; a tale of brotherhood; a charmingly quirky romance (between Troisi and barmaid Maria Grazia Cucinotta).

Unfortunately, the ending of the film is somewhat mishandled with couple of unnecessary scenes, but it is this very ending that I found the most memorable because it eerily corresponds with the tragedy of real life behind cameras.

Couldn't recommend this lyrical gem highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable and delightful film!
Review: Massimo Troisi's last work as Il postino became his undesired cinema testament. His acting became in one of the most expressive performings ever given : amazing, charming, overwhelming , powerful and sincere.
Noiret is a multiple skill gifted actor ; his presence literally invades the whole screen and his performance as Neruda is top notch.
The landscapes are arresting : the plot is full inspired and the direction is towering . Radford got a sublime work : an unforgettable artistic work. Besides the music is another brilliant actor: even there is a jazz version of the Yellowjackets.
And don't forget the funny and clever statement of il postino : "The poem doesn't own to the poet but whom needs it*

Rating:
Summary: A gentle, yet passionate film
Review: "Il Postino" ("The Postman") tells the story of the friendship between Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and the shy postman who delivers his mail while Neruda is living in Italy. This Italian film, directed by Michael Radford, is a beautiful and gentle work of art that celebrates love, friendship, and the power of poetry.

The performances are outstanding. Massimo Troisi brings an awkward charm to his role as the postman, Mario, and Phillipe Noiret is both majestic and appealingly down-to-earth as the revered poet. The supporting players are also superb, but it is the chemistry between Troisi and Noiret that really brings magic to the film.

The dialogue of "Il Postino" thoughtfully explores such issues as fame, political commitment, and the art of poetry. I especially love the line, "Poetry doesn't belong to those who wrote it, but to those who need it." But this is also a wonderfully funny film. Some of the scenes gave me some hearty belly laughs! The romance between postman Mario and a local girl is a particularly rich source of comic material.

If you are one of the millions who love the passionate poetry of Pablo Neruda, you should really see this film. And if you see the film before having read Neruda's work, I recommend that you read some of Neruda's poetry. To sum up, I highly recommend "Il Postino."

Rating:
Summary: If you can't see the beauty of this story, you need a life.
Review: Those reviewers who were disappointed in this movie must be from another planet. What is not to like about this touching tale of the power of poetry and love? If you think this is somehow a political movie, you've missed the point entirely.

Rating:
Summary: hail comrad
Review: This movie boils down to how wonderful some communist are, and how bad most others are. If the people that made this c--p were proud of this film, they should have mentioned what it really was, in discriptions on line and on film cover. If you get all warm feeling thinking of stalin, you will love this movie.

Rating:
Summary: The Magic of Poetry
Review: Although this movie tracked a man who took a postal job, the movie also tracks are common preconceptions about poetry. After watching this movie, I can easily see why it won so many awards.

If this were merely a love story, it would have stopped a lot sooner. After taking a job as a postal delivery man, Mario meets, and later befriends, a famous poet who has moved to their small Italian town due to exile. Mario believes that poetry will win him a wife, so he solicits help from his new friend and woos Beatrice.

But Mario's story doesn't end for us here. The poet goes home, and people comment about how he seems to have forgotten them. The townspeople, especially Mario, are thinking new thoughts. They are questioning authority. This is where the director, and by extension the author, show us how poetry does more than woo women. Poetry has the power to move us, and this movie does a fine job of showing us that.

I would highly recommend watching this movie.


Rating:
Summary: Big dissapointment
Review: I bought the movie based on many good reviews on this site. Wow, what a mistake! The movie is extremely slow and the central character dull & boring. I've bought and enjoyed many foreign movies from Amazon (Belle Epoque, Malena, Life is beautiful among others); but do yourself a favor and stay away from this one...