'Il Postino', The Italian Romantic Comedy Is An All-Time Great Soul-Charmer!
Introduction: If we have a 'throbbing Heart', a Passionate Love for Life, a sensuous bend of mind without being vulgar and a love of music and art, then this film is sure to be an irresistable soulful-treat for us.
Let's see what makes this Movie an Exceptional one:
I. A Neat Plot:
a) In this lyrical tale, Pablo Neruda ( played by Philippe Noiret ), one of the world's most romantic poets of the 20th century , is exiled to a small Italian island for political reasons. On the island, the unemployed, bored Mario ( played by the Italian actor Massimo Troisi) is hired as an additional postman to hand-deliver the celebrity's bundles of mail to him. He suddenly falls in love with Beatrice Russo, the inn-help (played by Sicilian fashion model Maria Grazia Cucinotta). So goes the story leading to Mario's 'emotional discovery'.
b) The Film shows how the Postman's dreams come true and how a shy tongue-tied Postman who doesn't stand a chance with the island's most beautiful woman wins her heart & hand. It's all the Power of Words, Metaphors, rhythm & Imagery .
II. The Blossoming Of a Beautiful & sincere Friendship between Mario and Neruda:
a) Mario finds Pablo receiving a deluge of mails & almost everyone of it is invariably from his female admirer. 'He observes him dancing the tango with a woman in red (his wife Matilde) and sees first hand the maestro's easy sensuality'. He couldn't understand how 'despite his advancing age', the poet has such magical power over women & makes them crazy & fall for him. So he tries, with his simple way of thinking, to understand all the secrets of the exalted poet,
b) At first, Neruda shows no personal interest in Mario. Later, finding his critical observations about his poems and his eagerness to learn, he takes a liking for him. Mario seeks guidance from Neruda and inspiration from his poetry. The great poet of love 'gave him the courage to follow his dream and words to win her heart'. Mario becomes a bit of a poet himself to attract the prettiest girl in town, But he finds his own words not matching his ambitious romantic mission and appropriates Neruda's sensuous poems to impress his lady. When caught, he protests saying ''Poetry doesn't belong to those who write it, but to those who need it.''
III. The Story of True Love Between Mario & His Lady-love 'the fascinating Neapolitan beauty Beatrice Russo'
a) The First Meeting: Mario meets the woman of his dreams, Beatrice, the niece of the local innkeeper. The scene is one of the best of its kind. Touched by her astonishing beauty, Mario is spell-bound and continues to stare at her knowing not what to say. This makes Beatrice react with the sneering remark, 'What's up, never seen a woman before?'
b) The First Encounter:
Beatrice is alone, playing Fooze Ball in a low cut dress. The 'hypnotized Mario is drawn into her game' & he knocks the white ball out of the machine. Mario searches the floor in vain only to find the ball locked between her beautiful lips. Mario fetishizes the ball & later, asks Neruda to write a poem to Beatrice keeping it as an object of his inspiration.
C) His Overture:
He says To Beatrce,
'Your smile spreads
across face like a butterfly.'
(Obviously, 'the lyrical words fascinate the sensual bombshell').
Then Mario lyrically waxes forth:
'Your laugh is a rose...
a spear unearthed,
crashing water.
Your laugh is
a sudden silvery wave.'
'I'm happy to be
next to a pure young woman.
Like being on the shores
of the white ocean.'
I like it when you're silent...
because it's as though
you're absent.'
When Neruda asks him to name the most beautiful thing about the island, Mario says, ''Beatrice Russo'. Such is his love and admiration for her.
III. The Course of True Love never Runs Smooth.
Beatrice's disapproving aunt Donna Rosa, the inn-keeper, sees red in Mario 'contaminating' her niece with 'metaphors'. In those memorable scenes, she interrogates/berates/chides the day-dreaming Beatrice.
Here are some of her down-to-earth outbursts on the love affair:
1. What 'metaphors' did he do to you?
2.He has heated her up like an oven with his metaphors
3.Your postman, as well as a mouth, has two hands
- Enough, my child. When a man starts to touch you with words, he's not far off with his hands.
5.One stroke of his finger & you're on your back.
- ''When it comes to bed, there is no difference between a poet, a priest, or even a communist!''
Later aunt Donna Rosa snatches Mario's poem 'Naked' from her cleavage and is horrified by its ''metaphors'' and takes it to the priest for evaluation. She never allows her niece to go out.
IV.Neruda's Poetry Looks Like another major Character. This film introduces us to Pablo Neruda's soul-stirring poetry,
Here are just two samples of his sensuous poems.
a) His Poem On 'The Sea':
It spills over from time to time.
It says yes, then no...then no.
In blue, in foam, in a gallop...
it says no, then no.
It cannot be still.
My name is sea, it repeats...
striking a stone
but not convincing it.
Then with the seven green tongues
of seven green tigers...
of seven green seas...
it caresses it, kisses it, wets it...
and pounds on its chest,
repeating its own name.
b) His Poem, ''Naked...
you are as simple
as one of your hands...
smooth, terrestrial, tiny...
round, transparent.
You have moon-lines, apple paths.
Naked, you are as thin
as bare wheat.
Naked, you are blue
like a Cuban night.
There are vines and stars
in your hair.
Naked, you are enormous
and yellow...
like summer in a gilded church.''
V. Some Other Salient Features of the Film:
a) The setting: is as beautiful as it is poetic.
b) Music is its another asset. 'Luis Bacalov's tuneful background music adds to the film's rich texture.'
c) The magnificent cinematography of Franco di Giacomo who captures the island in all its splendor is another asset to the movie. The Scenery is breathtaking.
d) Filming & Dramatization: Top Class.
e) Characterization & Action: Superb. The Priest & Aunt Donna Rosa play minor (supporting) roles with success.
f) Direction:Hats off to Michael Radford for his 'poetic view of the lonely place where two people meet and are changed forever'.
g) Introduction to 'Living (non-verbal) metaphors':
In Mario's poetic message of sound bytes we come across the living metaphors like the sound of the ocean, the wind, the church bell, his unborn child's heartbeat.
h)A Sensuous Quote:
The poetry will have left the mark of its seditious saliva on the virgin's nipples.
VI. Conclusion:
'IL Postino'is an exceptional Italian movie (with sub-titles in English) in a heightened language that 'stands tall in its own right as a 'must-see' movie. It compels us to treasure, watch repeatedly, drink deep & cherish it forever.
Dear Friends:
Thank you for your time & interest in the topic. I invite you all to come up now with your comments on the review & on the movie after viewing it.
I'm all eyes & ears.
Over to you.
