Review by D. D. Shade   —   August 11, 1998

Yes, some things could have been done to improve the movie, but the movie did capture the most important theme from the novel - People need something to believe in, even if it's a lie. And if they believe long enough, good intentions can make the lie a dream for which to live (my interpretation). Gordon Krantz believed in the United States, though it was dead. He stole a postman's uniform to stay warm and told a lie he thought would provide food and shelter in his search for someone, someplace who was taking authority and making things right again.

Gordon didn't realize that his simple lie would spark hope in the lives of the people with whom he came in contact. He had no way of knowing that his lie would spin a web of additional lies so strong that the only way out was to become the person he said he was, the Postman, a Representative of the Restored United States of America. What is awe inspiring to me, is that something as simple as a Postman's uniform and the receipt of a letter, can stir the souls of men and women into necessary action. I believe Gordon would have said that getting a letter made you feel a part of something bigger than yourself (from the movie trailer).

Gordon Krantz is the Thomas Covenant of post-apocalyptic fiction. He had no desire to lead or be followed. Krantz would have been satisfied to let others engineer the rebuilding of America. All he really wanted was safety, company, and to waste away in Margaritaville. Every heroic thing the Postman does in the novel is done with a great degree of reluctance. But in defense of Gordon Krantz, recall what Miss Maudie said to Scout and Gem in To Kill A Mockingbird, " . . . there are some men in this world who were born to do our unpleasant jobs for us." Gordon Krantz was such a man. Forced by circumstances and his own vulnerability to put his life on the line for the good of others and hating every step of the journey is what makes Gordon Krantz so believable. We can all identify with his desire to leave the world in someone else's, more capable hands.

Why you should read "The Postman" even if you hated the movie or did not see it because your local newspaper gave it a 2-star rating. Seen though Gordon Krantz's eyes, The Postman is a very rational look at how American might react in a post-apocalyptic period. Yes, there are mercenaries, followers of Nathan Holn (a white, male supremacist) but they are well organized, and a real threat (at one place in the book Krantz remarks to himself that had pre-war society stockpiled foodstuffs as well as bullets, the Holnists would be no threat). There are pockets of people living in fortified towns and villages to protect themselves from the Holnist armies and these hard-working, intelligent, people actually farm the land rather than living off a never ending supply of canned food. One can also find a community of scientists trying to maintain their fraternity and serve the public through the last of the intelligent, Super Computers, which may or may not hold the answer to many key questions. Mutations result most commonly in sterility and children with Down's Syndrome. And the most rational threat of all is famine!

Women, especially, should be interested in The Postman. There are three vivid portraits of women in this novel. There are the women who belong to the Holnists and are treated like chattel or prostitutes, depending on their attractiveness. There are the traditional women living in the tight-nit communities doing more or less what women did before the war (except for going to the office - farming and hunting are the main occupations). And then there is Dena with her original feminist theory and her warrior scouts. These are not women modeled after Xena, Hercules' sometime TV girlfriend. Dena comes from a community run by scientists and professors. She is well educated, having read all that is available on the 20th century.

Dena's radical feminist theory is, alone, enough justification for reading the novel. Dena's theory, in part, states in her own words:

"It's clear that male human beings should never have been left in control of the world all these centuries. Many of you are wonderful beyond belief, but too many others will always be bloody lunatics. Your sex is simply built that way. Its better side gave us power and light, science and reason, medicine and philosophy. Meanwhile, the dark half spent its time dreaming up unimaginable hells and putting them into practice . . . The second thing we . . . have realized. . is that we have one last chance to stop the bastards ourselves. We are going to do our job at last . . . to CHOOSE among men, and to cull out the mad dogs (from a letter to Gordon Krantz, the Postman)."

Dena's theory, although written by a man, seems very plausible to me. It is the flip side of the "women the oppressed" theory and states that women did not do enough - that they turned their back and let men run the world. Although Dena outlines an exact role woman should have played before the war, I will leave the details for you to discover*.

As far as the book is concerned, Dena has no trouble recruiting "clear-eyed" women into her army of "scouts." All of this appears rather weak until one sees for oneself the horrible sacrifice Dena and her scouts make to stop the Holnist army's invasion of Oregon. It is both glorious and heartbreaking at the same time, having the feel of Pickett's charge at Gettysburg, or the 54^th Massachusetts assault on Fort Wagner, or perhaps the "Charge of the Light Brigade."

Why you should see the movie even though your local newspaper only gave it 2-star rating, reviewers shredded it, and some of your friends were disappointed. I think it is fair to say that "real" or "true" science fiction fans go to a movie looking for meaning. "Contact" with Jodie Foster seemed to go widely unappreciated by the general public. Movies like the Postman or Waterworld or Gattaca, in my opinion receive poor reviews for a number of reasons. One, the reviewer hates the star/director because he/she's better looking or unatainable. Two, the reviewer has never read an entire science fiction novel - actually they've read a Star Trek novel thinking it was science fiction. Three, the general public is illiterate and have 30-second attention spans from watching too much TV. Fourth, the film didn't follow the Hollywood formula of an action movie - high death count per minute, minimal dialog (James Bond style one-liners are acceptable), and something blows up every fifteen minutes. Fifth, and Hollywood seems to understand this one, movies with R ratings generally, Star Wars excepted, receive higher ratings (see number four). So, my motto is - check with a couple friends whose opinion you trust and ignore the newspapers, TV news reviews, Entertainment Weekly, etc. It would be great if Scott Card had the time to continue to review movies as he did a couple of years ago on hatrack.com. I saw some terrific movies I would have missed save for those recommendations that year. But, I'm sure you all would agree that we'd rather have his books.

In David Brin's own words, "The Postman premiered December 1997, and was promptly killed by both TITANIC and attacks by cynical critics. If you missed it, see the flick in video. It's a flawed and uneven rendition of my story, but ambitious with some underrated and stirring moments that make it well worth looking at. Though I could complain about lots of things, it's far better than the critics said."

Some of those moments include the way the young adults and adolescents swarmed to the call for Postmen. How they risked their lives to get the mail through, Pony Express style. In a broken world, they had nothing with which to identify. The best example being the very first appointed Postmaster who had changed his name to Ford Lincoln Mercury hoping to drive cars someday (the ambition of all teenagers but somewhat misguided in a world without automobiles). Gordon Krantz gave these young people a dream they could believe in and of which they could be part. They willingly gave their lives.

Forgive my sexist perspective, but Abby's stirring farewell to the Postman before he went to find recruits is one of the most moving and romantic scenes I've ever seen. It took a long time for Abby to realize she loved the Postman. So long he'd given up on the Men-In-Uniform-As-Chick-Magnets theory. If any woman would ever speak as Abby spoke; identifying any man's first, best destiny; his life would be forever changed. The sweat lodge ceremony over - the vision given - a life with real purpose realized. Abby, without knowing it, was a part of Dena's army. She recognized the Postman for what he was - one of the good guys and she gave him the courage to go and do what must be done (although Dena and her army are not in the movie).

Even more inspiring is how the Postman chooses to fight the last battle, a method that has been tried in other movies, television shows, and novels but not as successfully as in The Postman movie. A Pickett's charge of one, with 15,000 saved, instead of dead on the battlefield. Although physical, the real struggle was about paradigms or belief systems. The last idealist slugging it out with the last tyrant. There are a couple of plot twists here that are very effective and unexpected. The dialog is cryptic yet powerful.

There are a number of lighter moments that are touching as well. The Postman's bid to stay in the cabin he and Abby found. Doubling back and spurring his horse to a gallop to snatch the letter from a child's upheld hand and the child's grin of triumph. The poignant testimonial to the Postmen given by his daughter at the end of the movie. All testifying that a life lived well is a life lived for others.

Perhaps my favorite quote from the movie, and the one which has become my most recent motto, are the words of the fictitious President Starky quoted by the Postman in an awkward moment when he was being questioned about the 'government' back east. Imagine the following quote from President Starky in classic, Costner "Tin Cup" style:

"Stuff is getting better. Stuff is getting better all the time."

Stuff is getting better. Science fiction is getting better and The Postman is worth your time and effort. Don't be put off by the picture of Kevin Costner on the book's new cover. And when yous ee the movie, don't do what I did, spend the first half-hour saying, "This isn't like the book."

The Postman has not been ignored by the literary community other than John Clute and Peter Nicholls' discussion of David Brin in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. They spend nearly a page on Brin and don't even list The Postman as one of his publications. However, The Postman won David Brin the John W. Campbell Memorial Award in 1985 for the best new science fiction writer of the year. The Postman was also recognized that year through a Nebula Award nomination and for being included in the Locus recommended reading list. In 1986 The Postman was nominated for the Hugo Award and was ranked number one on the Locus Reader's Poll. Finally in 1987, Brin's book was included in the American Library Association's "Best of the 80's." I would say The Postman has been certified as a book worth reading.

Best Regards, D. D. Shade

*To this date, none of my women friends who have read this novel have been angered or frustrated by David Brin's alternate theory of feminism (for want of a better term). If you feel differently, please read The Postman, and then write to me.

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