I loved Il Postino, for me it's one of the most beautiful and stirring films around. Of course it helps that I really like Pablo Neruda's poetry, but the film does stand proudly alone.

Il Postino is the story of the local island postman who has a passion for the beautiful barmaid he sees every day. However he's a meek and mild mannered man who wouldn't have the faintest idea of how to approach a lady. Then along comes the famous poet Pablo Neruda who has been exiled from his beloved country (a real life event for his political poetry) and begins to teach the man about love and passion.

With this the postman woes the heart of the barmaid and begins to win her over. The problem is that the heart that Neruda has opened in the postman has much more passion than for love alone.

The story is made even sadder by the fact that the man who played the postman, Massimo Troisi was very ill during filming and died soon after, before it was even screened.

It's a gorgeous tale, and if you haven't seen it I whole heartedly recommend it. However, and here's a word of warning, don't go and read the source article from The Guardian for this story as they give the entire film away!

However the sadness doesn't end there, the beach on which some of the films scenes take place has been eroded due to its popularity. Tourists have gone their in droves and the beach has largely disappeared. It's a shame that it has happened, but one positive point is that the beach is preserved on film.

Okay, so it was a thin story to get a mention of Il Postino in here! Did you know that for several years it was the highest grossing foreign film and took home several Oscars.