The Postman Il Postino The Postman (Il Postino) Soundtrack CD

The soundtrack to IL POSTINO includes celebrity poetry readings which were not part of the original motion picture.
Includes liner notes by Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein.
Personnel: Luis Bacalov (piano); Carlos Gardel (vocals); Riccardo Pellegrino (mandolin, violin); Héctor Ulises Passarella (bandoneon).
Audio Mixers: Fred Vogler; Marco Streccioni; Joseph Magee.
Liner Note Authors: Harvey Weinstein; Bob Weinstein.
Recording information: Studio Forum, Rome, Italy.
The theme tune from this movie is gorgeous: sweet, melancholy, unmistakably Italian. It won composer Luis Bacalov a well-deserved Best Dramatic Score Oscar. But buyers should be cautious about slapping down 16 dollars for this CD, for two reasons: First of all, while it's not easy to get tired of that poignant melody, this CD tries its darndest to get the listener good and sick of it. The leitmotif is repeated in almost every one of the 30 tracks: in the piano version, the harpsichord and string version, the guitar and bandoneon version, etc. The second reason for consumer caution is that half of the CD is a "Poetry and Music Suite" featuring a parade of superstars reading Pablo Neruda's poems (Neruda is one of the characters in this semi-historical drama). Julia Roberts, Sting, Ethan Hawke, Samuel L. Jackson, Rufus Sewell, Madonna, and a half-dozen others each take turns in this digital poetry slam. The performances are often quite alluring, and Bacalov's music meshes beautifully with Neruda's sweet, sweaty lyricism. But listeners who use their CDs for background music -- and those who like to use the random "shuffle" feature on their CD players -- might want to think twice before buying this disc. ~ Darryl Cater