The Postman (film)
Encyclopedia
The Postman is an American post-apocalyptic epic
film based on the 1985 novel of the same name
by David Brin
. It was filmed in northeastern Washington (Metaline Falls
), Fidalgo Island
, Washington, central Oregon
and Tucson, Arizona
, and was directed by Kevin Costner
, who also stars in the film. The film co-stars Will Patton
, Larenz Tate
, Olivia Williams
, James Russo
, Daniel von Bargen
, Tom Petty
, Scott Bairstow
, Roberta Maxwell
, Mary Stuart Masterson
and George Wyner
.
The film is set in the northwestern United States
after an unspecified apocalypse has left a huge impact on human civilization. A nomadic survivor flees a warlord's army while unknowingly inspiring hope of restoring peace.
The film was released on Christmas Day 1997 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
), wandering the flatlands of Oregon
. Needing food and water, he trades performances of Shakespearean plays (with his co-star mule, Bill), in every small settlement he finds. A neo-fascist army run by General Bethlehem (Will Patton
), which takes supplies and prisoners, captures the nomad and decides to add him into the army's ranks. The Holnists are a remnant force formerly under farmer-turned-general, Nathan Holn, who had long since died. Bethlehem (a former copier salesman) has since taken command of the army.
Each member of the large army is branded on the arm with a figure "8." Bethlehem's command staff is loyal, specifically a captain, Idaho (James Russo
), who is particularly cruel. The force is held together through fear, with death as the only punishment for infractions. Bethlehem sees the nomad as a threat and an asset, due to his obvious intelligence and self-confidence. He nicknames the nomad "Shakespeare", due to his abilities to quote the Bard
. The nomad is not impressed by Bethlehem, and does not want to fight in the army. Knowing that he will be killed if he leaves, he bides his time, waiting for a chance to escape.
Eventually, "Shakespeare" is selected for a hunting expedition for a lion spotted earlier. He finds the body of a scout and, while bringing the body back to camp, makes his escape by jumping into a river. He later takes refuge in an abandoned mail carrier van with the skeleton of the postal carrier still inside, he takes a bag of undelivered mail, reads some of the letters and changes into the warm postal uniform. After burying the postal carrier he sets off, arriving at Pineview, a settlement in lower Oregon
. He claims to be an actual postman, from the newly restored government, to gain entry. He claims the new capital is based in Minneapolis and led by a new president named Richard Starkey
. He's able to produce a letter addressed to a member of the town, written by her sister in Denver 15 years earlier. While some are still skeptical, the majority seem convinced, wanting to believe in newly a restored nation. They proceed to give the Postman more mail to deliver.
The Postman inspires a teenager named Ford Lincoln Mercury
(Larenz Tate
), and swears him into the faux restored postal service. One night, the Postman is approached by Abby (Olivia Williams
), a woman seeking a "bodyfather" to impregnate her due to her husband's infertility. Initially hesitant, but with her husband's blessing, the Postman spends the night with Abby before fleeing the town. Days later, during a raid of Pineview, General Bethlehem learns of "the Postman" and his tales of restored government. He considers it an act of treason, not realizing that "Shakespeare" and "the Postman" are the same man.
Bethlehem burns the American flag and new post office. Later, he kills Abby's husband when refused permission to have sex with her. Bethlehem eventually discovers the Postman during a battle with the towns of Benning, Oregon, whose citizens made a stand after being inspired by the Postman. Abby is rescued from Bethlehem's army, and the two narrowly escape into the surrounding mountains, though the Postman has been badly wounded.
The Postman and Abby hide in an abandoned cabin in the Blue Mountains
. Although he wants to stay there and avoid trouble, Abby convinces him to return. Abby tells the Postman she is pregnant with his child. As spring arrives, the two cross the range and run into a young girl, who claims to be a postal carrier. It is revealed that Ford Lincoln Mercury has left Pineview and organized a postal service of his own, connecting the area's communities. They help towns and settlements to communicate and inadvertently spread the fictional tales of a restored government.
Bethlehem orders the execution of the postal carriers, and the ensuing fights escalate into a running small-scale war. The Postman gets help from a Vietnam War
veteran, who teaches him guerrilla warfare
tactics. However, his postal carriers are mostly teenagers pitted against a better-equipped enemy. The mounting casualties dismay the Postman, who orders everyone to disband. He writes one last letter to be delivered to Bethlehem, saying the postal service is over and that the restored government is gone. Ford volunteers to deliver the message, knowing that he will be killed afterward. Bethlehem reads the letter but does not believe it is over, and he plans to kill Ford and another captured deliverer. When the two captured postal men meet, however, they do not know each other: The other man introduces himself as a postman from California, meaning that other areas of the country are beginning working toward restoration as well (likely inspired by the Postman's example). Bethlehem realizes that the ideal of a rebuilding (with the postmen as catalyst and product of restoration) is loose and unable to be contained, and that Ford's death will stop nothing. He decides to keep Ford as a hostage, but murders the other postman.
The Postman, Abby and a small group of postal carriers travel west, away from the Holnists' territory. They come to Bridge City, built on an old dam wall. The settlement is run by a celebrity from before the war, Tom Petty
(though never mentioned by name, it is alluded to that he was "famous once."). Seemingly trapped between the dam and Bethlehem's scouts, the enclave leader helps the Postman to escape on a cable car to find volunteers for an army to fight Bethlehem's forces. Before leaving, the Postman and Abby spend their last moments together, as they have fallen in love.
The Postman gathers a large number of volunteers in a last-ditch attempt to end the conflict. Using King Henry V's speech prior to the Battle of Agincourt
, the Postman manages to rally his troops. However, not wanting any actual casualties from the battle, the Postman personally challenges Bethlehem for Holnist leadership, invoking "Law 7," which he learned of during his time in the conscript army. The law states any Holnist member can challenge the leader and if victorious, take his spot. Bethlehem realizes that the Postman and "Shakespeare" are the same man; he accepts the challenge but is defeated. He does not accept his loss and tries to shoot the Postman, but is killed by his former first officer (Joe Santos
). The officer then surrenders himself to the Postman, and the rest of the Holnists follow. After Abby and the Postman settle in Bridge City, she gives birth to a baby girl, whom she names Hope.
The story concludes 30 years later, when Hope (Mary Stuart Masterson
), attends a tribute in St. Rose, Oregon, to her late father. From the modern clothing and signs of modern technology, it is suggested that the country has grown in development to approximate its pre-war status. A statue is unveiled with the inscription, "He delivered a message of hope embraced by a new generation,". A man and his wife stare at the statue of the Postman catching a letter from a small boy—echoing a scene from earlier in the movie—and the man quietly whispers, "That was me."
reveals that while the studios were bidding for The Postman, his wife decided during a screening of Field of Dreams
that Kevin Costner
should portray The Postman. Brin agreed that the emotions invoked by Field of Dreams matched the message he intended to deliver with his novel. A decade later, after learning Costner would be cast as the lead, Brin said he was "thrilled" - more so when Costner's interpretation of the Postman's character was similar to Brin's. Costner threw out the old screenplay (in which the moral message of the novel had been reversed) and hired screenwriter Brian Helgeland
; Brin says the two of them "rescued the 'soul' of the central character" and reverted the story's message back to one of hope.
In an interview with Metro
before filming began, Brin expressed his hope that The Postman would have the "pro-community feel" of Field of Dreams instead of the Mad Max
feel of Costner's other post-apocalyptic film Waterworld
. Brin said that, unlike typical post-apocalyptic movies that satisfy "little-boy wish fantasies about running amok in a world without rules", the intended moral of The Postman is that "if we lost our civilization, we'd all come to realize how much we missed it, and would realize what a miracle it is simply to get your mail every day."
The science fiction and gender roles story lines involving Cyclops, the genetically engineered super-soldiers, and Dena's warriors are absent, the first two perhaps due to the overly optimistic pace of technological development envisioned by Brin in the original work. Brin had posited fully sentient artificial intelligence
and cybernetic technology as an invention of the mid 1990s, which might have been awkward for a movie going audience in the 1990s. The Holnists also serve a very different role; in the novel they are the root cause of the collapse of society, where in the movie they developed as a result of it. Additionally, the movie has a completely different, more final ending.
". Roger Ebert
described The Postman as "good-hearted" yet "goofy... and pretentious". However, Ebert recognized the movie as a failed parable, for which he said the viewers "shouldn't blame them for trying". On the show At the Movies, Siskel
& Ebert gave the film "Two Thumbs Down", with Gene Siskel calling it "Dances with Myself" (in reference to Costner's Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves
) while referring to the bronze statue scene.
According to Rotten Tomatoes
, 10% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 31 reviews, with an average critic rating of 3.8 out of 10. Metacritic
gives the film a metascore of 29 out of 100 based on 14 reviews.
The film was also a notable failure at the box office. Produced on an estimated $80 million budget, it returned less than $18 million.
The Simpsons parodied The Postman in the 1999 episode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love
", where Lisa watches the film on DVD at a new megastore. The movie is depicted as The Postman just walking aimlessly, with Costner repeatedly apologizing for the film on the commentary track.
Epic film
An epic is a genre of film that emphasizes human drama on a grand scale. Epics are more ambitious in scope than other film genres, and their ambitious nature helps to differentiate them from similar genres such as the period piece or adventure film...
film based on the 1985 novel of the same name
The Postman
The Postman , is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by David Brin. A drifter stumbles across the uniform of an old United States Postal Service letter carrier and with empty promises of aid from the "Restored United States of America", gives hope to a community threatened by local warlords...
by David Brin
David Brin
Glen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:...
. It was filmed in northeastern Washington (Metaline Falls
Metaline Falls, Washington
Metaline Falls is a town in Pend Oreille County, Washington, United States. The population was 238 at the 2010 census.-History:Metaline Falls was discovered by natives 12,000 years ago. Eventually by fur traders came in 1810. The town was founded in 1900, with most of its residents then employed...
), Fidalgo Island
Fidalgo Island
Fidalgo Island is an island in Skagit County, Washington, located about north of Seattle. To the east, it is separated from the mainland by the Swinomish Channel, and from Whidbey Island to the south by Deception Pass...
, Washington, central Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, and was directed by Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
, who also stars in the film. The film co-stars Will Patton
Will Patton
William Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University...
, Larenz Tate
Larenz Tate
Larenz Tate is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Tate was born on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, the son of Peggy and Larry Tate. He is the youngest of three siblings whose family moved to California when he was nine years old...
, Olivia Williams
Olivia Williams
Olivia Haigh Williams is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films and television series.-Early life:Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England...
, James Russo
James Russo
James Vincent Russo is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 90 films in three decades.-Early life:...
, Daniel von Bargen
Daniel von Bargen
Daniel von Bargen is an American film, stage, and television actor.Best-known for his roles as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld and Commandant Edwin Spangler on the TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle, Von Bargen's film credits include RoboCop 3, Basic Instinct, Broken Arrow, Universal Soldier: The Return,...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, Scott Bairstow
Scott Bairstow
Scott Hamilton Bairstow is a Canadian-born American actor known for his roles as "Newt Call" on the Lonesome Dove series in Canada and as "Ned Grayson" on the American television drama series, Party of Five...
, Roberta Maxwell
Roberta Maxwell
-Background:Roberta Maxwell began studying for the stage at the age of 12. She joined John Clark for 2 years as the child co-host of his Junior Magazine series for CBC Television, before becoming the youngest actress apprentice at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario,to pursue...
, Mary Stuart Masterson
Mary Stuart Masterson
Mary Stuart Masterson is an American film, stage and television actress and director.-Early life:Masterson was born in New York City to writer/director Peter Masterson and actress Carlin Glynn. She has two siblings: Peter Masterson Jr., and Alexandra Masterson, who are both involved in the...
and George Wyner
George Wyner
George Wyner is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his role as ADA Bernstein on the series Hill Street Blues. Wyner graduated from Syracuse University in 1968 as a drama major, and was an in-demand character actor by the early 1970s. To date, Wyner has made guest...
.
The film is set in the northwestern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after an unspecified apocalypse has left a huge impact on human civilization. A nomadic survivor flees a warlord's army while unknowingly inspiring hope of restoring peace.
The film was released on Christmas Day 1997 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Plot summary
In 2013, global society collapses and nuclear war (it is later revealed that there was a war in Europe) has crippled civilization, leaving only pockets of surviving communities. Into this wasteland comes an enigmatic and nomadic survivor (Kevin CostnerKevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
), wandering the flatlands of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Needing food and water, he trades performances of Shakespearean plays (with his co-star mule, Bill), in every small settlement he finds. A neo-fascist army run by General Bethlehem (Will Patton
Will Patton
William Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University...
), which takes supplies and prisoners, captures the nomad and decides to add him into the army's ranks. The Holnists are a remnant force formerly under farmer-turned-general, Nathan Holn, who had long since died. Bethlehem (a former copier salesman) has since taken command of the army.
Each member of the large army is branded on the arm with a figure "8." Bethlehem's command staff is loyal, specifically a captain, Idaho (James Russo
James Russo
James Vincent Russo is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 90 films in three decades.-Early life:...
), who is particularly cruel. The force is held together through fear, with death as the only punishment for infractions. Bethlehem sees the nomad as a threat and an asset, due to his obvious intelligence and self-confidence. He nicknames the nomad "Shakespeare", due to his abilities to quote the Bard
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. The nomad is not impressed by Bethlehem, and does not want to fight in the army. Knowing that he will be killed if he leaves, he bides his time, waiting for a chance to escape.
Eventually, "Shakespeare" is selected for a hunting expedition for a lion spotted earlier. He finds the body of a scout and, while bringing the body back to camp, makes his escape by jumping into a river. He later takes refuge in an abandoned mail carrier van with the skeleton of the postal carrier still inside, he takes a bag of undelivered mail, reads some of the letters and changes into the warm postal uniform. After burying the postal carrier he sets off, arriving at Pineview, a settlement in lower Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. He claims to be an actual postman, from the newly restored government, to gain entry. He claims the new capital is based in Minneapolis and led by a new president named Richard Starkey
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
. He's able to produce a letter addressed to a member of the town, written by her sister in Denver 15 years earlier. While some are still skeptical, the majority seem convinced, wanting to believe in newly a restored nation. They proceed to give the Postman more mail to deliver.
The Postman inspires a teenager named Ford Lincoln Mercury
Lincoln-Mercury
Lincoln–Mercury was a collective name for the Lincoln and Mercury divisions of the Ford Motor Company, whose vehicles were typically sold side-by-side in a single dealership....
(Larenz Tate
Larenz Tate
Larenz Tate is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Tate was born on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, the son of Peggy and Larry Tate. He is the youngest of three siblings whose family moved to California when he was nine years old...
), and swears him into the faux restored postal service. One night, the Postman is approached by Abby (Olivia Williams
Olivia Williams
Olivia Haigh Williams is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films and television series.-Early life:Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England...
), a woman seeking a "bodyfather" to impregnate her due to her husband's infertility. Initially hesitant, but with her husband's blessing, the Postman spends the night with Abby before fleeing the town. Days later, during a raid of Pineview, General Bethlehem learns of "the Postman" and his tales of restored government. He considers it an act of treason, not realizing that "Shakespeare" and "the Postman" are the same man.
Bethlehem burns the American flag and new post office. Later, he kills Abby's husband when refused permission to have sex with her. Bethlehem eventually discovers the Postman during a battle with the towns of Benning, Oregon, whose citizens made a stand after being inspired by the Postman. Abby is rescued from Bethlehem's army, and the two narrowly escape into the surrounding mountains, though the Postman has been badly wounded.
The Postman and Abby hide in an abandoned cabin in the Blue Mountains
Blue Mountains (Oregon)
The Blue Mountains are a mountain range in the western United States, located largely in northeastern Oregon and stretching into southeastern Washington...
. Although he wants to stay there and avoid trouble, Abby convinces him to return. Abby tells the Postman she is pregnant with his child. As spring arrives, the two cross the range and run into a young girl, who claims to be a postal carrier. It is revealed that Ford Lincoln Mercury has left Pineview and organized a postal service of his own, connecting the area's communities. They help towns and settlements to communicate and inadvertently spread the fictional tales of a restored government.
Bethlehem orders the execution of the postal carriers, and the ensuing fights escalate into a running small-scale war. The Postman gets help from a Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
veteran, who teaches him guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
tactics. However, his postal carriers are mostly teenagers pitted against a better-equipped enemy. The mounting casualties dismay the Postman, who orders everyone to disband. He writes one last letter to be delivered to Bethlehem, saying the postal service is over and that the restored government is gone. Ford volunteers to deliver the message, knowing that he will be killed afterward. Bethlehem reads the letter but does not believe it is over, and he plans to kill Ford and another captured deliverer. When the two captured postal men meet, however, they do not know each other: The other man introduces himself as a postman from California, meaning that other areas of the country are beginning working toward restoration as well (likely inspired by the Postman's example). Bethlehem realizes that the ideal of a rebuilding (with the postmen as catalyst and product of restoration) is loose and unable to be contained, and that Ford's death will stop nothing. He decides to keep Ford as a hostage, but murders the other postman.
The Postman, Abby and a small group of postal carriers travel west, away from the Holnists' territory. They come to Bridge City, built on an old dam wall. The settlement is run by a celebrity from before the war, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
(though never mentioned by name, it is alluded to that he was "famous once."). Seemingly trapped between the dam and Bethlehem's scouts, the enclave leader helps the Postman to escape on a cable car to find volunteers for an army to fight Bethlehem's forces. Before leaving, the Postman and Abby spend their last moments together, as they have fallen in love.
The Postman gathers a large number of volunteers in a last-ditch attempt to end the conflict. Using King Henry V's speech prior to the Battle of Agincourt
Battle of Agincourt
The Battle of Agincourt was a major English victory against a numerically superior French army in the Hundred Years' War. The battle occurred on Friday, 25 October 1415 , near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France...
, the Postman manages to rally his troops. However, not wanting any actual casualties from the battle, the Postman personally challenges Bethlehem for Holnist leadership, invoking "Law 7," which he learned of during his time in the conscript army. The law states any Holnist member can challenge the leader and if victorious, take his spot. Bethlehem realizes that the Postman and "Shakespeare" are the same man; he accepts the challenge but is defeated. He does not accept his loss and tries to shoot the Postman, but is killed by his former first officer (Joe Santos
Joe Santos
Joe Santos is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Santos was born Joseph Minieri in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Rose and Joseph Minieri. He began his film acting career in the mid-1960s, appearing in films directed by his cousin, Joseph W...
). The officer then surrenders himself to the Postman, and the rest of the Holnists follow. After Abby and the Postman settle in Bridge City, she gives birth to a baby girl, whom she names Hope.
The story concludes 30 years later, when Hope (Mary Stuart Masterson
Mary Stuart Masterson
Mary Stuart Masterson is an American film, stage and television actress and director.-Early life:Masterson was born in New York City to writer/director Peter Masterson and actress Carlin Glynn. She has two siblings: Peter Masterson Jr., and Alexandra Masterson, who are both involved in the...
), attends a tribute in St. Rose, Oregon, to her late father. From the modern clothing and signs of modern technology, it is suggested that the country has grown in development to approximate its pre-war status. A statue is unveiled with the inscription, "He delivered a message of hope embraced by a new generation,". A man and his wife stare at the statue of the Postman catching a letter from a small boy—echoing a scene from earlier in the movie—and the man quietly whispers, "That was me."
Cast
- Kevin CostnerKevin CostnerKevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
as The Postman (Gordon Krantz) - Will PattonWill PattonWilliam Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University...
as General Bethlehem - Larenz TateLarenz TateLarenz Tate is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Tate was born on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, the son of Peggy and Larry Tate. He is the youngest of three siblings whose family moved to California when he was nine years old...
as Ford Lincoln Mercury (John Stevens) - Olivia WilliamsOlivia WilliamsOlivia Haigh Williams is an English film, stage and television actress who has appeared in British and American films and television series.-Early life:Williams was born in Camden Town, London, England...
as Abby - James RussoJames RussoJames Vincent Russo is an American film and television actor. He has starred in over 90 films in three decades.-Early life:...
as Captain Idaho - Daniel von BargenDaniel von BargenDaniel von Bargen is an American film, stage, and television actor.Best-known for his roles as Mr. Kruger on Seinfeld and Commandant Edwin Spangler on the TV comedy Malcolm in the Middle, Von Bargen's film credits include RoboCop 3, Basic Instinct, Broken Arrow, Universal Soldier: The Return,...
as Pineview Sheriff Briscoe - Tom PettyTom PettyThomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
as Bridge City Mayor (a future version of himself) - Scott BairstowScott BairstowScott Hamilton Bairstow is a Canadian-born American actor known for his roles as "Newt Call" on the Lonesome Dove series in Canada and as "Ned Grayson" on the American television drama series, Party of Five...
as Luke - Giovanni RibisiGiovanni RibisiGiovanni Ribisi is an American actor. His film credits include Gone in 60 Seconds, Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan, The Mod Squad, The Gift, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Lost in Translation and more recently, Public Enemies and Avatar...
as Bandit 20 - Roberta MaxwellRoberta Maxwell-Background:Roberta Maxwell began studying for the stage at the age of 12. She joined John Clark for 2 years as the child co-host of his Junior Magazine series for CBC Television, before becoming the youngest actress apprentice at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario,to pursue...
as Irene March - Joe SantosJoe SantosJoe Santos is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Santos was born Joseph Minieri in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Rose and Joseph Minieri. He began his film acting career in the mid-1960s, appearing in films directed by his cousin, Joseph W...
as Colonel Getty - Ron McLartyRon McLartyRon McLarty is an American actor, playwright and author. He began his career in theatre during the early 1970s with one his earliest professional performances being the role of Lucky in Michael Weller's Moonchildren for the play's American premiere at the Arena Stage in Washington D.C. in November...
as Old George - Brian Anthony WilsonBrian Anthony WilsonBrian Anthony Wilson is an American film and television actor. He first appeared in the 1997 film The Postman as Woody....
as Woody - Peggy LiptonPeggy LiptonPeggy Lipton is an American television actress. She played "Julie Barnes" in The Mod Squad, and Norma Jennings in Twin Peaks.- Personal life and background :...
as Ellen March - Rex LinnRex LinnRex Maynard Linn is an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Frank Tripp in the television series CSI: Miami.-Early life:...
as Mercer - Shawn HatosyShawn HatosyShawn Wayne Hatosy is an actor with over 40 film and television credits to his name.-Personal life:Hatosy was born in Frederick, Maryland, the son of Carol , a loan officer, and Wayne Hatosy, a graphic designer and event planning director...
as Billy - Ryan HurstRyan HurstRyan Douglas Hurst is an American actor who perhaps most notably starred as Gerry Bertier, an All-American linebacker in Disney's Remember the Titans and as Alison's brother, Michael, in the show Medium. He also played the role of football player Lump Hudson in The Ladykillers, appeared in the...
as Eddie March - Charles Esten as Michael
- Anne Costner as Ponytail
- Ty O'NealTy O'Neal-Career:He is best known for playing the ice-skating cowboy, Dwayne Robertson, in D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks. In 2001 he portrayed real life outlaw Clell Miller in American Outlaws along side Colin Farrell, Scott Caan and Gabriel Macht....
as Drew - Andrew Babel as Captain Strikard
- Cary Jordan as Dr. Stevens (Psychologist)
- Ellen GeerEllen GeerEllen Ware Geer is an American actress, professor, screenwriter, film director and theatre director.-Personal life:Geer was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of actors Herta Ware and Will Geer. She is currently married to children's musician Peter Alsop, and was previously married to...
as Pineview Woman - Tom BowerTom Bower (actor)Tom Bower is an American actor who has appeared in a wide variety of television and film roles from 1973 to present. He played physician-husband Curt on The Waltons. He has held a number of prominent supporting roles including Dan Miller in the 2000 film Pollock and the gas station attendant in...
as Larry - Lily Costner as Lily March
- Joe Costner as Letter Boy
- Judy HerreraJudy HerreraJudy Herrera is an American actress. She graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Manhattan.-Cinema:*The Postman , directed by Kevin Costner : Carrier*Melting Pot , directed by Tom Musca : Dolores...
as Carrier - Greg SeranoGreg SeranoGreg Serano is an American actor. He was most known for his role of Pablo Betart on Wildfire.-Filmography:*Undocumented *Felon .... Officer Diaz*Beer For My Horses .... Tito Garza...
as California Carrier - Mary Stuart MastersonMary Stuart MastersonMary Stuart Masterson is an American film, stage and television actress and director.-Early life:Masterson was born in New York City to writer/director Peter Masterson and actress Carlin Glynn. She has two siblings: Peter Masterson Jr., and Alexandra Masterson, who are both involved in the...
as Hope, the Postman's daughter (uncredited) - Joseph McKenna as Holnist Captain
- George WynerGeorge WynerGeorge Wyner is an American film and television actor. He is probably best known for his role as ADA Bernstein on the series Hill Street Blues. Wyner graduated from Syracuse University in 1968 as a drama major, and was an in-demand character actor by the early 1970s. To date, Wyner has made guest...
as Benning Mayor
Soundtrack
- Main Titles
- Shelter In The Storm
- The Belly Of The Beast
- General Bethlehem
- Abby Comes Calling
- The Restored United States
- The Postman
- "Almost Home" - Performed by Jono Manson
- "It Will Happen Naturally" - Performed by Jono Manson
- "The Next Big Thing - Performed by Jono Manson
- "This Perfect World" - Performed by John Coinman
- "Once This Was The Promise Land" - Performed by John Coinman
- "I Miss My Radio" - Performed by Jono Manson and John Coinman
- "Come And Get Your Love" - Performed by John Coinman
- "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" - Performed by Amy GrantAmy GrantAmy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
and Kevin Costner
Cast and crew information
On his personal website, author David BrinDavid Brin
Glen David Brin, Ph.D. is an American scientist and award-winning author of science fiction. He has received the Hugo, Locus, Campbell and Nebula Awards.-Biography:...
reveals that while the studios were bidding for The Postman, his wife decided during a screening of Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson and is from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella...
that Kevin Costner
Kevin Costner
Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J...
should portray The Postman. Brin agreed that the emotions invoked by Field of Dreams matched the message he intended to deliver with his novel. A decade later, after learning Costner would be cast as the lead, Brin said he was "thrilled" - more so when Costner's interpretation of the Postman's character was similar to Brin's. Costner threw out the old screenplay (in which the moral message of the novel had been reversed) and hired screenwriter Brian Helgeland
Brian Helgeland
Brian Thomas Helgeland is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He is most known for writing the screenplays for L.A...
; Brin says the two of them "rescued the 'soul' of the central character" and reverted the story's message back to one of hope.
In an interview with Metro
Metro (Associated Metro Limited)
Metro is a free daily newspaper in the United Kingdom published by Associated Newspapers Ltd . It is available from Monday to Friday each week on many public transport services across the United Kingdom.-History:The paper was launched in London in 1999, and can now be found in 14 UK urban centres...
before filming began, Brin expressed his hope that The Postman would have the "pro-community feel" of Field of Dreams instead of the Mad Max
Mad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
feel of Costner's other post-apocalyptic film Waterworld
Waterworld
Waterworld is a 1995 post-apocalyptic science fiction film. The film was directed by Kevin Reynolds and co-written by Peter Rader and David Twohy. It is based on Rader's original 1986 screenplay and stars Kevin Costner, who also produced it. It was distributed by Universal Pictures...
. Brin said that, unlike typical post-apocalyptic movies that satisfy "little-boy wish fantasies about running amok in a world without rules", the intended moral of The Postman is that "if we lost our civilization, we'd all come to realize how much we missed it, and would realize what a miracle it is simply to get your mail every day."
Differences from the novel
Aside from a few characters' names and the names of locations, and the overall setting, it bears almost no relation to the book, whether thematically or in regards to its almost entirely different internal story. It casts the character of the postman as the sole savior of society, whereas in the book he is merely one of many. It is also of note that in the novel a resistance was already ongoing and was in fact winning, driving the holnists into the region where the story takes place. In the Novel, the postman inspires the northern Oregon people to join the rebellion and fight back, whereas in the movie he is the catalyst of the entire conflict. Of particular note, the way in which Gordon begins his false postman act is very different; where in the book it was a simple misunderstanding that Gordon used to help save a village that later grew out of his control, in the movie the lie is portrayed as much more of an intentional con job that morphs into a perpetuated lie.The science fiction and gender roles story lines involving Cyclops, the genetically engineered super-soldiers, and Dena's warriors are absent, the first two perhaps due to the overly optimistic pace of technological development envisioned by Brin in the original work. Brin had posited fully sentient artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
and cybernetic technology as an invention of the mid 1990s, which might have been awkward for a movie going audience in the 1990s. The Holnists also serve a very different role; in the novel they are the root cause of the collapse of society, where in the movie they developed as a result of it. Additionally, the movie has a completely different, more final ending.
Reception
The Postman received negative reviews. The New York Times Stephan Holden gave a scathing review criticizing the movie for its "bogus sentimentality" and "mawkish jingoismJingoism
Jingoism is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as extreme patriotism in the form of aggressive foreign policy. In practice, it is a country's advocation of the use of threats or actual force against other countries in order to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests...
". Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
described The Postman as "good-hearted" yet "goofy... and pretentious". However, Ebert recognized the movie as a failed parable, for which he said the viewers "shouldn't blame them for trying". On the show At the Movies, Siskel
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies from 1975 until his death....
& Ebert gave the film "Two Thumbs Down", with Gene Siskel calling it "Dances with Myself" (in reference to Costner's Oscar-winning film Dances With Wolves
Dances with Wolves
Dances with Wolves is a 1990 epic western film directed by and starring Kevin Costner. It is a film adaptation of the 1988 book of the same name by Michael Blake and tells the story of a Union Army Lieutenant who travels to the American frontier to find a military post, and his dealings with a...
) while referring to the bronze statue scene.
According to Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, 10% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 31 reviews, with an average critic rating of 3.8 out of 10. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
gives the film a metascore of 29 out of 100 based on 14 reviews.
The film was also a notable failure at the box office. Produced on an estimated $80 million budget, it returned less than $18 million.
The Simpsons parodied The Postman in the 1999 episode "Monty Can't Buy Me Love
Monty Can't Buy Me Love
"Monty Can't Buy Me Love" is the twenty-first episode of The Simpsons tenth season. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on May 2, 1999. In the episode, Mr Burns is jealous of megastore owner Arthur Fortune, who is beloved by the people of Springfield...
", where Lisa watches the film on DVD at a new megastore. The movie is depicted as The Postman just walking aimlessly, with Costner repeatedly apologizing for the film on the commentary track.
Awards and nominations
| Award | Subject | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturn Award | Best Science Fiction Film Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film The Saturn Award for Best Science Fiction Film is a Saturn Award given to the best film in the science fiction genre by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.-Winners:-External links:*... |
The Postman | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Will Patton Will Patton William Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University... |
||
| Best Actor Saturn Award for Best Actor The Saturn Award is an award presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films to honor the top works in science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, television, and home video. The Saturn Awards were devised by Dr. Donald A. Reed, who felt that films within those genres... |
Kevin Costner Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J... |
||
| Razzie Award | Worst Actor | ||
| Worst Director | |||
| Worst Picture | Kevin Costner Kevin Costner Kevin Michael Costner is an American actor, singer, musician, producer, director, and businessman. He has been nominated for three BAFTA Awards, won two Academy Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. Costner's roles include Lt. John J... Steve Tisch Steve Tisch Steven "Steve" Tisch is an American businessman. He is the Chairman and Executive Vice President of the New York Giants, the NFL team co-owned by his family, as well as a film and television producer... Jim Wilson Jim Wilson (producer) Jim Wilson is a film producer. He won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1990 for Dances with Wolves, which he shared with fellow producer Kevin Costner.-Producing:... |
||
| Worst Screenplay | Eric Roth Eric Roth Eric Roth is an American screenwriter. He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for Forrest Gump . He also co-wrote the screenplay for Michael Mann's The Insider , the Steven Spielberg film Munich , and David Fincher's film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button , all of which were nominated for... Brian Helgeland Brian Helgeland Brian Thomas Helgeland is an American screenwriter, film producer and director. He is most known for writing the screenplays for L.A... |
||
| Worst Original Song | The entire song score | ||
| Worst Picture of the Decade | The Postman |
External links
- The Postman: The Movie, an impression by the author of the original novel, by David Brin.