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Il Postino
(The Postman)
by
Karl Bowman
Metaphors are
just series of words strung together, but in the hands of a master,
these phrases spark our senses and inspire emotion. When the poet
tells his love: “Your laugh is a rose, a spear unearthed, crashing
water…Your laugh is a sudden silvery wave,” she feels
instantly special. The Italian film Il Postino (The Postman) is
all about these poetic metaphors, but is also a filmic metaphor
for our own mortal journeys.
Mario Ruoppolo
(Massimo Troisi), a resident of a small Italian island, hates the
life of a fisherman. His poor father doesn’t understand, but
urges him to get a job – any job – instead of sitting
around all day. Mario soon finds work at a local post office. Besides
menial office duties, his main assignment is to deliver mail to
one household – the home of exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda
(Phillipe Noiret), recently arrived on the island. The two men,
from opposite worlds, become friends and change each other’s
lives in ways they never imagined.
Mario Ruoppolo:
I’d like to be a poet too.
Pablo Neruda:
No, it’s more original being a postman. You get to walk a
lot and don’t get fat. We poets are all fat.
Mario Ruoppolo:
Yes, but with poetry, I could make women fall for me. How do you
become a poet?
Pablo Neruda:
Try and walk slowly along the shore as far as the bay and look
around you.
Mario Ruoppolo:
And will they come to me, these metaphors?
Pablo Neruda:
Certainly.
Mario is so
child-like in his innocence and humility. But in other ways, his
existence leaves a lot to be desired. He is ignorant to the world
outside his tiny village and socially unskilled. On the other hand,
Neruda is easily the most world-savvy, intelligent and charming
person Mario has ever met. He immediately wants to become like Neruda.
After buying a book of the poet’s writings, Mario finds himself
full of questions. Instead of rejecting his idiotic requests, Neruda
becomes a patient and caring teacher, opening his eyes to the beauty
around him.
Pablo Neruda:
(after reciting a poem about the sea) Well, what do you think?
Mario Ruoppolo:
It’s weird.
Pablo Neruda:
What do you mean, weird? You’re a severe critic.
Mario Ruoppolo:
No, not your poem. Weird…how I felt while you were saying
it.
Pablo Neruda:
How was that?
Mario Ruoppolo:
I don’t know. The words went back and forth.
Pablo Neruda:
Like the sea then?
Mario Ruoppolo:
Exactly. Like the sea.
Pablo Neruda:
There, that’s the rhythm.
Mario Ruoppolo:
I felt seasick, in fact.
Neruda is the
catalyst that opens Mario’s world to the wonder of life, something
he has always taken for granted. But the relationship doesn’t
stop there. Neruda literally gives Mario the words to express his
deepest feelings. When Mario falls in love for the first time, he
is so tongue-tied he can only mutter a few words. Since it’s
harder than he thought to make up his own metaphors, Mario “borrows”
his romantic lines from Neruda.
Mario Ruoppolo:
Poetry doesn't belong to those who write it; it belongs to those
who need it.
Italian comic,
Massimo Troisi, gives the performance of his career in Il Postino,
toning down his improvisational skills to fit the demanding dramatic
role. He is fascinating to watch; so gentle, but maintaining a precise
timing. His eyes are the windows to a deep soul, and he magically
uses his hands to convey his inmost desires. When appropriate, Troisi
uses his comic training to good effect and the film has several
laugh-out-loud moments. Troisi really believed in this film, helping
to shepherd it and taking part in the writing. That passion comes
through in his performance.
Phillipe Noiret
is equally fantastic. He is the perfect complement to Troisi and
even shares a significant physical resemblance with Neruda. At times,
we forget we are watching a movie and are somehow privileged to
eavesdrop on a real relationship.
Michael Radford
is an international director who has worked several times in Italy.
His task on this film was nothing to envy. Not only did his stars
speak different languages (Noiret is French), but during the first
week of production, Troisi collapsed. Production was halted and
they discovered that Troisi had a severe heart problem that could
only be cured by a heart transplant. Radford was ready to let the
film go, but Troisi championed the cause and urged the team to press
forward. It was easier said than done. Radford had to rewrite and
rework the film for a star who could hardly walk, much less ride
the Postman’s bicycle. But within these constraints, he found
the soul of the movie. The “drama” takes place inside
the actors, so the long, static takes that he devised actually serve
the film beautifully. With the help of a stunt double who appears
in almost every scene, Radford pulls off an amazing, even poetic,
film.
Another “master”
artist in the film is its composer, Luis Enrique Bacalov. The music
is so right for this movie with its blend of nostalgia, joy, and
sorrow, that it almost becomes another character. Radford asked
for a memorable theme and he got it. The music is so memorable that
Bacalov won the Oscar for Best Original Score. In fact, it was the
only Oscar the movie won, despite being honored with Best Picture,
Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay nominations in 1996.
Beatrice
Russo: There’s nothing wrong with words.
Her Mother:
Words are the worst things ever!
Romance between
Mario and Beatrice Russo blooms, but alas, as her mother foresees,
words can sometimes get us into trouble. Not only does Pablo Neruda
influence Mario’s romantic life, but also his political life.
Mario decides he will vote for the Communist party like his hero.
This leads to life-changing consequences for him and his family.
But it is in these events where we discover the whole point of the
movie. Would it have been better for Mario never to have met Neruda
or is his life better because of Neruda? This is the great paradox
with “words”, or more specifically, knowledge. As we go
through our own journeys, we have the choice to remain ignorant
or to learn precept by precept. Ignorance may be bliss, but it leads
us nowhere, whereas the risk of knowledge is that it can lead us
anywhere. But only by stepping out into the unknown does growth
occur.
Massimo Troisi
died just hours after finishing his last reshoots for the film.
He never saw the finished product, but his spirit lives through
the Postman. It is a movie you will not forget.
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Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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