David Brin's Review of the Postman
This web site's manager just got the following note from David Brin who had just attended the world premiere of Kevin Costner's The Postman... 'to which Cheryl & I were invited as very very small fish (e.g. I finally met the executive producer, 12 years after the rights were purchased.)
'Nevertheless, we're pretty happy. It's a good movie that deals with important issues and is more faithful to the book than I would have imagined at any point during the last decade. It is also visually one of the most beautiful motion pictures ever made.
'Mind you, I might have had an idea or suggestion to contribute, if asked. But it's vastly more important that Costner 'got' the basic message of the book. If he wants to make changes -- (the movie's ending, for instance, is all his) -- the man who brings $90 million to the table can make changes! As long as the heart is still there.
'It is. Costner's postman is a man of decency, a calloused idealist who has to learn the hard way about responsibility and what it means to be a hero. The movie is filled with scenes that convey how deeply we would miss the gracious little things, if ever they were gone. In fact, it includes some clever or touching moments that I wish I'd thought of, when writing the book!
'Fans of the book will note that he chose to concentrate on the basic story in the first third of the novel. In fact, that is what I would have advised! 'Talking computers' and 'augments' worked fine in the book but they would have made things too complicated for a film. When all is said and done, the movie tries to convey, with the image of a humble letter carrier, the same sorts of things that Field of Dreams said, using the metaphor of baseball.
'We share something important.
'Science fiction fans might note how the moral message about citizenship is quite different than the one Veerhoven delivered in his satire, 'Starship Troopers.' And yet both films should provoke serious discussion on the same issues.
'Other points about the movie: The music, by James Newton Howard, is excellent. The visuals -- the scenery etc. -- are even more stunning than they were in Dances With Wolves. (If Costner had not been good looking, he would still have won an Academy Award by now, as a cinematographer.)
'Do I have criticisms? Well, I think he missed a good bet having the character comment how wonderful it would be to see an electric light again. The Postman might have spoken for re-opening schools, and there were missed opportunities to have a little fun, hamming up the role (a little.) A few scenes stretch a bit too long, and I might have suggested a couple things for the battle scene.
'But these are all minor authorial quibbles, more than made up for by the film's touching denouement, featuring Costner's son as a little boy so filled with rediscovered hope that it pours from the screen. Only the most hardened or cynical would not be moved.
'A 95% terrific movie simply IS a terrific movie, and that's a fact. Moreover, in these days of solipsism, when so many people seem to be claiming they can do without civilization, the message Costner is telling needs to be heard.
'Here's hoping.
'David Brin'
Just thought I'd let you know. I saw a preview of The Postman last night. Not to give anything away, but it is a movie with some serious problems. It's generally pretty decent, but there are a few scenes (you'll know them when you see them) where the "God Bless America" thing is taken WAY overboard. There were people in the theatre LAUGHING at some of the "uplifting" parts. It may be possible that a bit of serious, unsentimental editing could make it into a good film, but I doubt that will be forthcoming. As a big fan of Brin and the book, it pains me to have to say I don't really recommend the movie. On the bright side, it is very well made, and none of the problems are due to straying from the book. I agree with Brin that while they've heavily modified the plot, the message is much the same. It's just a little overbearing. I have some other thoughts about it, but wouldn't want to spoil any surprise you may have in store. Maybe later. Just had to get this off my chest. I'm sure you (and other Brin fans) will want to see the movie regardless of my feelings or those of any reviewers for newspapers and magazines. I know I would have gone even if I hadn't got to the preview. I won't try to dissuade you, but be forewarned...
Jon Davis
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