The Postman
Short description
Set on a small Italian island, this story follows Mario, a man who takes a job as a mail carrier. His primary duty is delivering letters to Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet living in exile. As the two men form an unlikely friendship, Mario discovers a passion for poetry, which he eventually uses to try and win the affection of a local woman named Beatrice.
Directed by Michael Radford, the film arrived in 1994 as his third feature, following Nineteen Eighty-Four and White Mischief. The cast features Massimo Troisi as Mario, Philippe Noiret as Neruda, and Maria Grazia Cucinotta as Beatrice. A joint production between Belgium, Italy, and France, the movie was made with a budget of 3 million USD and earned 33 million USD at the global box office.
The film is well-received by both audiences and professionals. It holds a rating of 7.8/10 on IMDb based on 41,000 votes and 7.9/10 on TMDB from 1,250 votes. Film critics gave it a slightly higher score of 8.1/10 based on 105 reviews.
What's left behind the scenes
- Massimo Troisi (1953-1994) was so weak that he could not film for more than an hour a day. Almost all of his scenes were shot in one, maximum two takes. The shooting schedule was specifically adapted to him. It was very helpful that his double really looked like him. The double was filmed in all scenes from behind, in long shots, and in almost all scenes riding a bicycle. After editing, director Michael Radford said that even he could not tell which scenes featured Troisi and which featured the double.
- The film was shown in New York cinemas for almost two years. It was screened in theaters even after its release on video and cable television.
- The lead actor and co-writer, Massimo Troisi, refused heart surgery in order to finish filming this movie. The day after filming wrapped, he suffered a heart attack, which caused his death.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
