Some movies stay with you for a very long time. They touch your soul and are forever remembered. This is the way I feel about the film “Il Postino” (The Postman) by Michael Radford and the late Massimo Troisi.
It is a very poetic and moving film that tells the fictional story of the friendship that develops between a postman named Mario, living on a small Italian island, and Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, who spends time in exile in this idyllic Italian setting. Neruda teaches Mario to appreciate life as poetry, so there is a metaphor for every description in life, and for each ingredient of the recipe that follows.
The beautiful soundtrack of the film won an Academy Award in 1994. I often listen to it for inspiration while I’m creating my art. The original soundtrack cd also contained Neruda’s poems recited by well-known actors. If you can find it, it's a real gem and well worth it.
Poetry and Music together - a wonderful, “createful” combination to fuel your creativity. Try the delicious recipe that follows after you’ve watched the film and have a real “cine-cena” evening. Enjoy!
Poetic Spaghetti
Ingredients (makes 6 servings):
500 g spaghetti
6 artichokes "dressed like warriors, in pomegranate bronze"
6 large tomatoes "visceral red"
2 cloves of garlic "precious ivory"
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a few basil leaves
salt and pepper
Clean the artichokes by removing the hard outer leaves and the "beard" inside. Slice them very finely and cook them in the olive oil until they are soft.
Peel the tomatoes and dice them. Add them to the artichokes and crush with the tines of a fork on the bottom of the pan.
Mix, add the basil and the garlic (whole, to be removed before serving), season for salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes. Strain the spaghetti, mix in the sauce and serve hot.
(Recipe from Marina Malvezzi)
