Strong and Moving!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Absolutely the worst movie.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

The subtext of Pablo Neruda's (Philippe Noiret) Communism was brought up a distractingly excessive number of times in the movie, and wasn't even necessary to tell the story, except that it was the reason for Neruda's exile. His romantic views of Communism obviously looked askance at the dehumanizing effect the ideology has which promotes subservience to a governmental authority. There's no poetry in that to my mind, but somehow he got many believers to hear his message. Other than that, this is a gentle story that reveals a developing relationship between Neruda and his dedicated postman Mario Ruoppolo (Massimo Troisi) on an Italian island. I liked the way their friendship evolved over the course of the story, and how Mario came to be a lover of poetry. So much so that he asks for Neruda's help in writing a poem that would win him the heart of a pretty waitress in town. Though it didn't appear that the lovely Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta) had any other romantic prospects available, I personally didn't quite understand the connection she felt for Mario. Obviously uneducated with a limited grasp of reading and writing, Mario didn't have much to offer Beatrice in the way of comfort and security. However once he proclaimed that her smile spread like a butterfly, she was a goner. I hate to be cynical, but I think it would have taken more than that to close the deal with someone of Beatrice's bearing and Mario's lack of. There's a disturbing sense of closure to the story when it's revealed that Mario died shortly before the birth of his son, with Neruda gone and Beatrice raising their young boy alone. Mario was never able to reconcile with the loss of his friend, who returned to his home country of Chile when an arrest warrant against him was revoked. It's strongly suggested that Mario died at the hands of authorities while protesting his pro-Communist leanings at a demonstration that got out of hand. For such a tragic ending, no metaphors are sufficient.

Simple Italian postman learns to love poetry while delivering mail to a famous poet; he uses this to woo local beauty Beatrice.Some have called this film a "romance between two men", albeit two men who love the ladies. Perhaps it might be better to call it a bromance in today's parlance. But even that is not strictly accurate. In many ways this parallels "Cyrano de Bergerac" or "Roxanne".It was interesting to see Pablo Neruda brought to the big screen. I admit I am not all that familiar with his work, and those who have little interest in poetry probably no him even less. But he is a historical figure that could be interesting in a historical context... thank you to the Italians for bringing this to the world.

Mario Ruoppolo is uneducated and tired of being a fisherman. He picks up a job as the extra postman to deliver mail to famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. He has just been exiled to the island with his wife. He is interested in the amount of mail from women and hounds Pablo to teach him to write poetry. He falls for the sexy Beatrice Russo and enlists Neruda's help.Am I the only one who found Mario creepy? He's suppose to be the lovable loser but I found him stalkery. I wish Massimo Troisi had more childlike innocence quality about him. I'm sorry to see he died soon after but he looked gaunt. He does grow on me a little and after awhile, I realize he wasn't going to turn into a serial killer. The second half has some interesting poignant moments. It has a quiet charm and a powerful turn at the end.

'Il Postino' is one of the most authentic love stories on screen. Set in a beautiful exotic Italian island, director Radford tells the story of a poet and a postman. Poetry brings them together and poetry is what creates a strong bond between them. I loved how the story is treated with such sincerity. Radford cleverly avoids clichés and keeps the movie pure. 'Il Postino' is an incredibly romantic film and yet it doesn't appear syrupy or corny, a risk most films of this genre run into. Radford avoids showing the romance between Beatrice and Mario under an overtly sentimental light. He captures the landscape marvelously through first-rate camera-work. The soundtrack too is one of the most romantic ones I have ever heard and it beautifully supports the movie like scent does to flowers. Philippe Noiret brings wisdom and compassion as poet Pablo Neruda. Maria Grazia Cucinotta sizzles on screen with a natural sex appeal. But, 'Il Postino' belongs to the late Massimo Troisi who delivers a memorable final performance. It is indeed very sad that he died just twelve hours after completing shooting but I admire his courage and passion to go on making this film. The end of the film also echoes the departures of this fine actor. Neruda's poetry is also wonderfully utilized within the story giving the film a poetic rhythm. This movie should be shown in poetry class. 'Il Postino' is one of the finest of its genre, a classic lyrical gem.