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Il Postino
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1995 Hollywood
2002 C.A.M.
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Composed, Orchestrated, and Conducted by:
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Luis Bacalov
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Produced by:
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Jeffrey Kimball
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Availability:
The 1995 Hollywood Records album, and its re-prints, are regular U.S. releases. The C.A.M. albums are readily available from their web site, but not through commercial, American retail outlets.
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Awards:
Academy Award and BAFTA winner, 1995
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Il Postino: (Luis Bacalov) Based on the novel "Ardiente
Paciencia" by Antonio Skarmeta, Il Postino tells the lovable tale of
a postman on a small island in Italy who has little reason to be excited
about his isolated job. That is, until he delivers post to the legendary
poet Pablo Neruda in exile and, with the help and inspiration of Neruda's
work, puts the charms on the island's most beautiful young woman. The
heart-warming romance story is tainted by a somewhat disruptive ending, as
typically are bittersweet romances of Mediterranean attitude. Neruda's
poetry sets a memorable mood throughout the film, as does the original score
by Luis Bacalov. The film, much like Life is Beautiful a few years
later, would be a quick phenomenon in America, where its short-lived
momentum would carry it to rare foreign-film success at the Academy Awards.
Most film score fans will recall Bacalov's Il Postino score as that
defeated James Horner's Apollo 13 and Braveheart at the Oscars
in February 1996. The shocking underdog triumphed over Horner's two superior
efforts occurred simply because the supporters of Horner's work within the
Academy split their votes between the two scores. Incidentally, with
Horner's win of an Oscar two years later, many fans released their pressure
and disdain for Il Postino. On its own merit, Il Postino score
did not deserve the Academy Award that year, but it still stands strongly on
its own as a representative of the best that Italian film music has to
offer. It is music that is very reflective of the norm for Mediterranean
output, which, as most film score fans will admit, has gone largely
unnoticed outside of Europe. The film itself is a slice of Italian arthouse
drama that goes equally unnoticed by most American fans, and Bacalov's score
is a perfect match for it. After taking the Academy Award, Bacalov's effort
won the BAFTA achievement award and several other international awards. It's
easy to hear why.
Il Postino's music is surprisingly catchy and
addictive in its ability to convey the lifestyles on this isolated Italian
island. From the authenticity of spirit in the use of mandolins and a
bandoneon to the romantic flavor of the string quartets, every expectation
is played to with pleasant success. To say that the score is small in scale
would be technically correct, but it more than compensates with its
infectious personality. One detraction may be the extremely repetitive
nature of the main theme and auxiliary motifs throughout the effort,
sometimes stretching a person's tolerance on album during the endless
rephrasing of the theme through different instrumental combinations. The
most snazzy performances of theme accompany the cues "The Postman's Dreams"
and "Milonga Del Poeta," which present the theme with extra woodwinds and
percussive accompaniment. In these more developed performances of the theme,
the score is extremely enjoyable. A certain flair in the performances by the
piano also keep the sound fresh. An older pop rendition of a motif, as well
as a straight jazz piece ("Loved by Women") offer breaks from the consistent
statements of the title theme. The score has existed on several albums, both
in America and Italy. The Americans have the album courtesy of Hollywood
Records, and during the production process of the soundtrack, it was
discovered --almost by accident-- that several major actors and actresses
were fans of Pablo Neruda's poetry (led by Julia Roberts), and, as a result,
a collection of poetry read by these artists is included on the album. Set
with Bacalov's intrinsically fitting music in the background, most of these
readings are excellent, though a few of the voices (and Wesley Snipes in
particular) don't have the romantic swing in their voices to pull it off.
The score by itself was presented a few times on album by the C.A.M. label
in Italy. Most recently, they issued a 2002 release with an extra
seven-minute bonus track featuring a performance of the main themes by the
Giovanni Tommaso/Enrico Rava Quartet. Only collectors of Bacalov and the
Mediterranean genre need seek the C.A.M. albums however, because the poetry
and score together will likely hold more interest and appeal to American
audiences. Overall, it's a charming score that's taken far too much abuse
from Horner fans for its Oscar win. ****
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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Track Listings (1995 Hollywood Records Album):
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Total Time: 60:14
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• 1 - 15. Poems and Music Suite: Poems by Pablo Neruda read over Luis Bacalov's music. Appearances include Glenn Close, Ralph Fiennes, Madonna, Sting, Julia Roberts, Anfy Garcia, Miranda Richardson, Willem Dafoe, Welsey Snipes and Samuel L. Jackson.
Original Score:
• 16. The Postman (Titles) (2:40)
• 17. Bicycle (2:25)
• 18. "Madreselva" - song performed by Carlos Gardel (3:13)
• 19. The Postman Lullaby (0:49)
• 20. Beatrice (4:04)
• 21. Metaphors (2:02)
• 22. Loved by Women (3:27)
• 23. The Postman (Trio Version) (2:33)
• 24. Sounds of the Island (2:28)
• 25. The Postman's Dreams (3:19)
• 26. Pablito (0:41)
• 27. Milonga del Poeta (1:13)
• 28. "Madreselva" (Instrumental) (2:17)
• 29. The Postman Poet (3:20)
• 30. The Postman (Harpsichord and String Version) (0:44)
• 31. The Postman (Guitar and Bandoneon Version) (3:10)
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Track Listings (2002 C.A.M. Album):
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Total Time: 42:51
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• 1. Il Postino (Titles) (2:40)
• 2. On Bicycle (2:24)
• 3. Postino Child (0:49)
• 4. Beatrice (4:03)
• 5. Metaphor (2:01)
• 6. Loved by Women (3:26)
• 7. Il Postino (Trio Version) (2:33)
• 8. Sounds of the Island (2:27)
• 9. Il Postino's Dreams (3:18)
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• 10. Pablito (0:40)
• 11. Milonga del Poeta (1:11)
• 12. "Madreselva" (Instrumental) (2:16)
• 13. Il Postino Poet (3:21)
• 14. Il Postino (Harpsichord and String Version) (0:44)
• 15. Il Postino (Guitar and Bandoneon Version) (3:08)
• 16. Despierta Ya (4:25)
• 17. Il Postino (7:01)
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All of the albums' inserts include extra information about the score and/or film.
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