The Italian movie Il postino (1994) was shown in the U.S. with the translated title The Postman. It was directed by Michael Radford, an English director. Massimo Troisi, the star of the movie, is listed as collaborating director.
Massimo Troisi plays Mario Ruoppolo, a quiet fisherman who falls in love with Beatrice Russo (played by Maria Grazia Cucinotta). He is a humble man, and Beatrice is the most beautiful woman on the island, so everyone assumes that this will be unrequited love.
However, the great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is living in exile on the island. (Neruda is portrayed by the French actor Philippe Noiret.) Mario enlists Neruda to be his Cyrano de Bergerac. Neruda's task is to give Mario the words by which to woo and win Beatrice.
This film is a comedy, and it's funny. However, it has a sad undertone to it. The fishermen are ignored by their political representative, who only shows up at election time. Everyone is overworked and underpaid. Communism appeals to people, but we know now what they didn't know then--life in a Communist country is not an escape from the scourges of capitalism.
Another sad point is that Massimo Troisi was an extremely sick man when he acted in this film. He was supposed to have a heart transplant, but he decided to appear in the film instead. Maybe he was just counting on good luck, or maybe he wanted to be remembered in death for this excellent movie. Troisi died the day after filming was completed.
We saw this movie on DVD. It would work better in a theater because of the glorious scenery. However, it worked well enough on the small screen.
Il Postino has a very strong IMDb rating of 7.7. I think it's even better than that. Find it and see it.
P.S. I learned about this film from a young woman named Beatrice. Her mother saw this movie, and she was so moved that she told everyone that if she had a daughter, she would name her Beatrice. That's exactly what happened.
Massimo Troisi plays Mario Ruoppolo, a quiet fisherman who falls in love with Beatrice Russo (played by Maria Grazia Cucinotta). He is a humble man, and Beatrice is the most beautiful woman on the island, so everyone assumes that this will be unrequited love.
However, the great Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is living in exile on the island. (Neruda is portrayed by the French actor Philippe Noiret.) Mario enlists Neruda to be his Cyrano de Bergerac. Neruda's task is to give Mario the words by which to woo and win Beatrice.
This film is a comedy, and it's funny. However, it has a sad undertone to it. The fishermen are ignored by their political representative, who only shows up at election time. Everyone is overworked and underpaid. Communism appeals to people, but we know now what they didn't know then--life in a Communist country is not an escape from the scourges of capitalism.
Another sad point is that Massimo Troisi was an extremely sick man when he acted in this film. He was supposed to have a heart transplant, but he decided to appear in the film instead. Maybe he was just counting on good luck, or maybe he wanted to be remembered in death for this excellent movie. Troisi died the day after filming was completed.
We saw this movie on DVD. It would work better in a theater because of the glorious scenery. However, it worked well enough on the small screen.
Il Postino has a very strong IMDb rating of 7.7. I think it's even better than that. Find it and see it.
P.S. I learned about this film from a young woman named Beatrice. Her mother saw this movie, and she was so moved that she told everyone that if she had a daughter, she would name her Beatrice. That's exactly what happened.