Review by elgorrion

I agree wholeheartedly with the other commentator regarding the comparison of this film to "Il Postino", and am not surprised to see that Michael Radford claims the credit for the latter, just as he did with "White Mischief", which has a less complete story than the superior TV film "The Happy Valley". I have no problem with re-makes as such, but there was a complete failure to acknowledge the originals of both these films. If "Ardiente Paciencia" was available on DVD I would buy it; I would not even watch "Il Postino" again on TV. This film has freshness and vitality, and the character of the postman is played with openness and innocence, and feels more true than the sickly portrayal in "Il Postino"; the relationship with Neruda is more natural; Neruda is not the stuffed shirt of the re-make.