Il Postino (The Postman) (1994)

93% of critics liked it
(28 reviews)
92% of users liked it
(20,335 ratings)

In this remake of the 1983 Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skarmeta, the time and place have been changed to Italy in the 1950s, but the relationship between the Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda and Mario (Massimo Troisi), the postman who delivers his copious mail, is still the focus of… More In this remake of the 1983 Ardiente Paciencia by Antonio Skarmeta, the time and place have been changed to Italy in the 1950s, but the relationship between the Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda and Mario (Massimo Troisi), the postman who delivers his copious mail, is still the focus of attention. In this version of the story, scripted by a collective of Anna Pavignano, the director Michael Radford, Troisi himself, and a few others (based on Skarmeta's original story), Neruda is an aloof and slightly elitist figure who is seeking solitude on an island off the coast of Italy, taking a respite from political problems at home. Mario is a poet at heart and employs every measure he is capable of inventing to win his way into the affections and attention of the great author. As his efforts start to bear fruit and Neruda unbends and begins to share conversation and philosophy with Mario, the postman idolizes the poet all the more. Eventually, Neruda shares his leftist political philosophy as well -- and helps him win over the captivating Beatrice, the woman of Mario's dreams. When Neruda leaves, Mario enters into high gear as he prepares material for the next time he sees Neruda -- his ardor and patience, alluded to in the original title -- are essentially indestructible. (Massimo Troisi) was fated never to know that Il Postino would receive worldwide acclaim and be nominated for an Oscar for "Best Picture" in 1995 (the first foreign film nominated in that category since Ingmar Bergman's Cries and Whispers 22 years earlier). Suffering from a heart ailment and unable to work more than an hour or two on the filming of Il Postino each day, he died in his sleep at the age of 41, the day after shooting ended on the film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 56 min.
Directed By: Michael Radford
Written By: Michael Radford, Anna Pavignano
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Sep 1, 1994 Wide
On DVD: Mar 14, 2000

Critic Reviews

Scott G. Mignola, Common Sense Media
Romance, gorgeous words, and the beauty of Italy.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
One of the most romantic movies ever made.
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com
A mildly charming fable, about an Italian postman who eins the heart of a local girl through the heartfelt poetry of a legendary port, the film became cause celebre when star Massimo Troisi died one day after the shoot was over.
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
Zzzzzzzzzzzz.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
Works on so many different levels--as a tribute to the power and beauty of poetry; as a tale of brotherhood; and as a charmingly quirky romance.
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks
A sweet and likable romantic fable until the finale strains for import.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
Overrated, but powerful.

Read all 7 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jan Marc M

The Postman is a beautiful fictional work that reveres words, metaphors, and inspiration. A solemn praise to poetry, grace, and simplicity. Treasured.
AJ V

I watched this in my Spanish class once for some reason, it's in Italian, though. We also saw the play the film was based on. It's a good romance story, funny, sad, happy, everything a romance should be, I guess. Overall, this is a good movie, but the play is better.
danny d

a wonderful tale of a man with nothing but becomes something because of his interaction with the famed poet pablo neruda. many of the details about the life of neruda are true, but the story is very much fictional. its a bit bizarre really, a man marries an amazingly beautiful woman… More
a wonderful tale of a man with nothing but becomes something because of his interaction with the famed poet pablo neruda. many of the details about the life of neruda are true, but the story is very much fictional. its a bit bizarre really, a man marries an amazingly beautiful woman only to obsess over his bromance with a much older man, but there is something very beautiful about the story. the cinematography and dialogue were brilliant throughout, and the film was altogether touching and thoughtful.
Arash X

I really felt sorry for Massimo Troisi himself & his character in the movie at the same time
Pierluigi P

Massimo Troisi's last big goodbye. great soundtrack by Luis Bacalov. the simplicity and beauty of Italy at its best. A lovely, touching, marvel of a film
Alec B

Its not entirely bad, its just harmless fluff, but in the end it was simply one of many, many films from foreign countries, that made audiences and critics alike cheer, were delightful romantic comedies with a touch of drama, had an improbable love story, viewed themselves as harsh… More
Its not entirely bad, its just harmless fluff, but in the end it was simply one of many, many films from foreign countries, that made audiences and critics alike cheer, were delightful romantic comedies with a touch of drama, had an improbable love story, viewed themselves as harsh satires but were really simplistic, got a bushel of oscar nominations and were churned out by Miramax at a hectic pace from the mid 90s to the early 00s like they were made off an assembly line.
Marcus W

The first half of is this movie is wonderfully charming in a charmed and wonderful way as the naive postman discovers poetry, finds his voice and marries the one he loves. The second half decides to turn "arthouse". So we have politics and it gets all serious and is shot in… More
The first half of is this movie is wonderfully charming in a charmed and wonderful way as the naive postman discovers poetry, finds his voice and marries the one he loves. The second half decides to turn "arthouse". So we have politics and it gets all serious and is shot in black and white and people stand in lakes staring at swans, and it doesn't have a happy ending