Il Postino: The Postman (PG, 1995)

In this fictional account of the Chilean poet's exile in Italy, Pablo Neruda helps a simple man find new purpose and joy through the beauty and inspiration of poetry. The dialogue is in Italian, with subtitles. Life in a quaint fishing community takes on new meaning for Mario Ruoppolo (Massimo Troisi) when he accepts a job as a postman for a single address, that of the famous Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret). Seeking refuge from an arrest warrant on this small Italian island, the exiled Chilean poet is inundated with mail, so the two see each other often. The poet's words so enflame Mario's heart that he falls in love with the beautiful Beatrice (Maria Grazia Cucinotta). To win her over, Mario borrows a few of the Maestro's lines to great success. Even after the warrant is lifted and Neruda returns to his homeland, Mario carries with him -- through the love for his wife and son and his own impassioned acts -- the values their friendship has stamped on him.

IL POSTINO (The Postman) is one of those rare and passionate movies that make you want to rush out to a bookstore and lose yourself in endless shelves of printed pages. It so eloquently captures the spirit of the creative mind that seeing it might even inspire teenagers with an aversion to poetry to give it another try.

The Nobel Prize-winning poet and diplomat Pablo Neruda wrote about the beauty of everyday life, and gave voice to those with no outlet for their own joys and sorrows. Played wonderfully by Philippe Noiret, he exudes a warmth and a passion that far exceed his girth. The movie's tender humor comes mostly in his exchanges with the postman and aspiring communist Mario. The poet always has concrete answers to his curious friend's questions, even sticklers like "How do you become a poet?" And, there's a hint of Cyrano de Bergerac to this story, in that Mario relies on his friend's words to seduce his love until he gains confidence in his own voice.

Studio: Miramax
Director: Michael Radford
Cast: Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Massimo Troisi, Philippe Noiret
Genre: Drama
Run time: 108 minutes
Theatrical release: June 14, 1995
DVD release: January 14, 2003
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: Parental Guidance Suggested