L'incroyable histoire du facteur Cheval

This amazing film of a true story is a unique masterpiece of its kind, like no other film, while the associations you get are mainly to the stylistic refinery of Carl Th. Dreyer, who had a knack of making quiet films with sustained inner life all through in spite of minimal action, thus producing a very high level of consistently serene style. The postman here is just an ordinary postman, he walks 32 kilometers every day to deliver his mail, when at the age of 53 he gets the idea to build a dream castle for his daughter. He has no talent but for dreaming, and yet he accomplishes in 33 years of daily toil an architectural wonder comparable with the cathedral of Antonio Gaudí, stone by stone, day by day, in incessant obstinacy against all objections by his wife and neighbours to his work, calling him a madman. Yet his life's work is there still standing today after 150 years, designed a national monument by the state. The film has tuned in perfectly to his mood and reticent character, it is a slow motion picture but of infinite poetry and beauty, and the true story is like a universal sermon that could but benefit anyone. It ends in serenity, crowning the poetical character of the film with an extra sense of timeless beauty.

The kind of movie that is very moving! A film that respects the intelligence of moviegoers: things can be guessed at, without the director feeling obliged to point them out to us in broad strokes, thus respecting the moviegoers who are going to see the film. The photography is remarkable, the performance of all the actors and actresses is sublime and the makeup work (aging) is perfect. The music, not bad but too ordinary compared to the whole, inhabits the scenes a little too much. We come away moved, overwhelmed and, despite everything, imbued with a feeling of tenderness towards humanity. A great film!

Just watched this story on TV with little to tell me what it was about.

It is quite amazing but also a little slow and rather sombre. In my youth I spend a holiday camp in the 'departement' de la Drome, however I did not recognise anything and further more the epoch is really way before my time!

Yes somehow I found it rather depressing but was rather mesmerised by this character resillience who however had mostly burried is feelings and emotions deep inside himself.

What saved the story for me was the fact it is a true story.

I left the country I think the year Andre Malraux made an official recognition of this extraordinary work.

I think he got it right when he stated that he was not for this world. Yet he was loved by some as he was and he really deserved it.

Well worth watching.

Yes the authentic story of this countryside mail man, Postman, who, decades after decades picked up stones during his walk to keep tose stones and using them to build up some kind of gigantic palace. he was a dreamer, a man out of the real world. A very Moving movie pulled by an awesome Jacques Gamblin. Destined to anyone, but unfortuntely not a feature that anyone will appreciate. Such a shame.

The persistence of a man who keeps his feelings mainly to himself, to build a palace mainly from stones in the countryside, guided by pictures on postcards he delivered on his daily 32 km round through beautiful countryside, is awesome. The project took 33 years whilst still doing his postman's duties by foot. The palace still stands today in Hauterives, France.