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The Postman

Play trailer Poster for The Postman PG 1995 1h 56m Romance Biography Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 105 Reviews 94% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
Mario Ruoppolo, the mailman on an Italian island, pines from afar for a beautiful waitress. But when exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda comes to live on the island, Ruoppolo delivers Neruda's mail and picks up lessons on love, life and poetry.

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The Postman

The Postman

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Critics Consensus

The Postman movingly explores themes of love and friendship through sensitively depicted -- and beautifully acted -- relationships in 1950s Italy.

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Critics Reviews

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Elizabeth Renzetti Globe and Mail Feb 23
3.5/4
Gazing at the surface, it would seem to have "dogerrel" written all over it. By some wondrous alchemy -- the same process that joins dull words and turns them into poetry -- the disparate parts have been fashioned into a sublime whole. Go to Full Review Derek Elley Variety Feb 23
Troisi gives a warm, ironic performance to treasure. But with little extra assist from Radford’s by-the-numbers direction, and a script that starts to become very diffused about halfway through, the bottom line is it’s a performance in a vacuum. Go to Full Review Jami Bernard New York Daily News Feb 23
4/4
The Postman applauds the power of art while bridging the stubborn gulf between the simple and the erudite. Go to Full Review Marylynn Uricchio Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Feb 23
4/4
The Postman is a splendid movie, gentle and warm as a Mediterranean breeze. Go to Full Review Jack Garner Rochester Democrat and Chronicle Feb 23
9/10
It's a film about the sensuous metaphors and magnetism of poetry. But its lyrical beauty is laced with sadness for those who know the story behind the film. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Clare L 2d Lovely film, I loved the innocent boy-like nature of Mario. At the same time, he is curious and strives to open his mind. The setting is beautiful along with the music. It has an artsy feel. There is humour sprinkled in too. The ending caught me by surprise and gave me a bit of a shock. I was sad Neruda didn’t write to him, I think he did care about him and he knew how much a letter here or there would have meant to him…so I felt sad for Mario that he didn’t care enough to do that. Neruda’s influence brought Mario out of his shell, opened his mind and creativity and helped him to meet and marry his love. It also helped him later on to see the beauty in his island that he once overlooked as he was longing for other places. Both the plus and downside of Neruda's influence on him is that he helped Mario find his voice and stand up for what he believes in and to self-actualise, but then this strength and glow-up led to his demise as his protest speech rally led to his death. Bittersweet. See more Mo S. @9mr_0 Dec 7 لطيف جدا و القصه جميله لكن قرات ان بطل العمل مات ايضا في الحياه الواقعيه See more Alec B @Alec97 10/13/2023 Slightly charming but this is typical Miramax awards bait. See more Leaburn O 04/11/2023 This film was charming 👍🏼 See more Mark A 12/16/2022 An engaging, small foreign film. See more Jorge M @Jorge199999 09/04/2022 photography on this is beautiful and the story very well told See more Read all reviews
The Postman

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Radford

Director

Massimo Troisi

Mario Ruoppolo

Philippe Noiret

Pablo Neruda

Maria Grazia Cucinotta

Beatrice Russo

Linda Moretti

Donna Rosa

Renato Scarpa

Telegrapher

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The Postman

The Postman (1994) The Postman (1994) The Postman (1994) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Mario Ruoppolo, the mailman on an Italian island, pines from afar for a beautiful waitress. But when exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda comes to live on the island, Ruoppolo delivers Neruda's mail and picks up lessons on love, life and poetry.
Director
Michael Radford
Producer
Gaetano Daniele, Vittorio Cecchi Gori, Mario Cecchi Gori
Screenwriter
Anna Pavignano, Michael Radford, Furio Scarpelli, Giacomo Scarpelli, Antonio Skármeta, Massimo Troisi
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax, Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinema
Rating
PG
Genre
Romance, Biography, Comedy, Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Jun 14, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 17, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$17.1M
Runtime
1h 56m
Sound Mix
Surround
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