” your smile spreads across your face like a butterfly “
The Postman is a film , a graceful masterpiece , based on the true events of a transformative friendship between a shy postman and the exiled poet , Pablo Neruda . It is a moving tribute to the power and beauty of poetry , a tale of brotherhood , and a charmingly quirky romance filled with metaphors and inspiration , grace and simplicity .
On a tiny island off the coast of Italy in 1953 , the postman has been given the job of delivering mail to the towns new resident. He is astonished by the remarkable amount of mail from women that Neruda receives . He begins a relationship with the poet to learn the secret . Thru their friendship , Neruda not only helps the shy postman capture the heart of the towns most beautiful woman , he also inspires him to see himself and his quiet fishing village in a lyrical way .
symbols and themes
high cliffs and rundown town
ocean waves , letters , poetry
love , friendship , transformation
This film was nominated for many Oscar awards including best original score , best actor , best director and best screenplay. It won the Oscar for best picture of 1995 . Massimo Troisi , who portrayed the postman , had been suffering from a heart ailment and was unable to work more than an hour or two on the filming each day. Sadly , he died in his sleep at the age of 41 the day after shooting ended .
Personal note : how letters become dreams on paper
I received a phone call from a stranger four years after my husband had died . She asked me if I had been Ted’s wife and told me she had a gift for me . We met anxiously and she kindly explained the happenings that now brought her search to me . She had checked out a book , a book of poems , and in between the pages was a handwritten letter with small drawings on the back of the paper. It began with, ” to my little deer ” and ended with just his simple signature, “Ted”. This stranger who had only recently moved to our small town , explained how she and the librarian had traced the last previous date on the check out file to my husband . Instantly , I had recognized his handwriting . As I read his words , the letter became alive as if I were holding a beating heart in my hands . They were loving thoughts with a sadness for an argument we had the previous day and asking for understanding . I knew what he was referring too and the memory breathed again . I don’t know why I had received it when I did , but I believe he knew and that it being found in that particular book and so many years later was his intention . An inspired letter can be as riveting as a stare . He understood life in its miraculous beauty … its poetry … his wish was fulfilled .
.