St.Ali Italian Film Festival
The ST. ALi Italian Film Festival ends on a high note with the screening of the latest film starring the great Massimo Troisi, Il postino (The Postman) (1994).
To the great late Neapolitan actor, cabaret artist, director and screenwriter, who died prematurely in 1994 at just 41 years old, and who would have turned 70 this year, the Festival has already dedicated a retrospective including some of his films that were most appreciated by the general public,
Ricomincio da tre (I’m Starting from Three), Splendor, Non ci resta che piangere (Nothing Left to do but Cry), as well as the recent documentary by Mario Martone dedicated to the actor, Laggiù qualcuno mi ama (Somebody Down There Likes Me).
Il postino (The Postman) explores love, poetry and friendship in 1950s Italy. When exiled Cuban poet Pablo Neruda (Philippe Noiret) arrives on a tiny Italian isle, there’s so much new mail that Mario (Massimo Troisi), an unemployed, uneducated layabout, is hired as a postman. His job is simply to deliver Neruda’s daily mail. Mario soon becomes a student of the poet, learning the art of poetry to woo a local barmaid (Maria Grazia Cucinotta) and tell about the struggles of the working-class villagers. A firm friendship develops, and the postman turns into a changed man.
Posthumously nominated for two Oscars, Massimo Troisi, who the day after the production wrapped, delivers a standout performance as the awkward Mario in this heartfelt and lyrical romantic comedy, based on true events and Antonio Skarmeta’s novel Ardiente paciencia (Burning Patience), 1985.
Information and booking: https://www.italianfilmfestival.com.au/films/the-postman