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The Postman (1997)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
25 December 1997 (USA)
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Tagline:
It is 2013. War has crippled the Earth. Technology has been erased. Our only hope is an unlikely hero.
Plot:
Post-apocalyptic America. What begins as a con game becomes one man's quest to rebuild civilization by resuming postal service. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
5 wins
&
5 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(36 articles)
Waterworld Blu-ray Review
(From Collider.com. 15 November 2009, 9:14 AM, PST)
Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy Confirmed for 'Mad Max'
(From Cinematical. 30 October 2009, 7:03 AM, PDT)
(From Collider.com. 15 November 2009, 9:14 AM, PST)
Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy Confirmed for 'Mad Max'
(From Cinematical. 30 October 2009, 7:03 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Well... I am glad to see that I am not the only person who liked this film
more (336 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Kevin Costner | ... | The Postman |
 | Will Patton | ... | General Bethlehem |
 | Larenz Tate | ... | Ford Lincoln Mercury |
 | Olivia Williams | ... | Abby |
 | James Russo | ... | Idaho |
| Daniel von Bargen | ... | Pineview Sheriff Briscoe |
| Tom Petty | ... | Bridge City Mayor |
 | Scott Bairstow | ... | Luke |
 | Giovanni Ribisi | ... | Bandit 20 |
| Roberta Maxwell | ... | Irene March |
 | Joe Santos | ... | Colonel Getty |
| Ron McLarty | ... | Old George |
| Peggy Lipton | ... | Ellen March |
 | Brian Anthony Wilson | ... | Woody |
 | Todd Allen | ... | Gibbs |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
177 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Alphacine)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Iceland:14 |
Iceland:16 (video rating) |
Canada:13+ (Quebec) |
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) |
Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) |
Canada:AA (Ontario) |
Australia:M |
Canada:PG (Manitoba) |
Singapore:M18 (re-rating) |
Singapore:PG (cut) |
Philippines:PG-13 |
Finland:K-14 |
France:U |
Germany:12 |
Hong Kong:IIA |
Netherlands:16 |
Norway:15 |
Portugal:M/12 |
Spain:13 |
Sweden:15 |
Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) |
Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) |
UK:15 |
USA:R |
South Korea:18 |
Brazil:Livre
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The cities of Pineview and Benning where both filmed in the small town of Metaline Falls, Washington. Tons of dirt was brought in to turn the paved roads into dirt roads and a lot of work was put into to make the buildings look old and distressed.
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Goofs:
Factual errors: General Bethlehem is drinking lemonade in Pineview, and the lemonade has fresh cut lemons. Lemons are grown in tropical environments and trade has not been established in the movie with tropical places. Lemons can't grow in the American West shown in the movie - especially in a post apocalyptic world.
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Quotes:
General Bethlehem:
You see the reason you don't want to die for anything is because you have nothing to die for. That's the difference between you and me. You don't believe in anything.
The Postman: I believe in the United States.
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The Postman: I believe in the United States.
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Movie Connections:
Referenced in Swing Vote (2008)
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Soundtrack:
This Perfect World
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (336 total)
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I truly do NOT understand why The Postman was attacked as viscously as it was by the film media (there films much more worthy of the Golden Raspberry Awards in 1997). I loved this film and was very impressed with the loving amount of dedication that it demonstrates on the part of the actors, writers and director. This was a GOOD movie: it had a strong and intelligent story; excellent and interesting characters; and real feel for the post-Apocalypse genre. I felt that Kevin Costner's everyman act worked beautifully in this film and created a sense of reality for the character and of his situation.
As far as the sci-fi novel by David Brin, this film exceeded it in every way possible. Where Brin had to rely on cheezy sci-fi standards (like supersoldiers) to resolve his story, this film does using only two men, both frauds, and both with radically different understandings of what constitutes a proper society. That is what made this film great (and I rarely use the term great), that this film was essentially an examination of America and what America means. It was a parable of sorts about the types of men Americans are and what they are capable of (notice that the head bad-guy had a traditional, classical education, while Costner did not; he appreciated these things but they were not at the center of his belief system... I wonder why).
While I do not agree with every aspect of this film (I am a Medievalist and a Platonist, so I don't necessarily feel the same way about the Western Canon that the film-maker may have), I still find it to be a beautiful reflection on the psyche of the American everyman. America has a tradition of rejecting the absolutist ideals of the past in favor of the pragmatic relativism of today, and I think that this film is a parable of the divorce of America from the traditions of Europe.
Overall, this is a complex and entertaining film and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in examinations of American culture and tradition, perhaps as a double feature with Citizen Cane (I am not, however, claiming that the Postman was as good a film as Citizen Cane, only that they have a similar theme... what does it mean to be an American?).