Fiction vs. Fiction: The Postman (1997)

 After Waterworld, Kevin Costner needed to rebound.  

Sadly, this didn't do much to help.

This Film has come recommended to me for a long time by my Father, who actually saw it in Theaters with my Grandpa.

I only just now saw it.

Oh, and I read the Book.  That's the whole point of this, isn't it?

What's the Same?

In the Year 2013, the Earth is pretty messed up.

Society has collapsed.  Technology is gone.  Everyone lives like a mash-up of The Old West and Feudal Europe.

In the Book (written in 1985), there's no year given.  So far so good otherwise.

Our Hero is not named in the Film.  He is just called either 'The Postman' or 'Shakespeare.'

In the Book, his name is Gordon.

We meet him right away being ambushed by Raiders and trying to track them down to restore his stuff.

He goes to a Village and wows the people- well, most of them- by performing MacBeth.

This does happen in the Book...much later.

The Village is attacked by the Film's big bad, who captures and conscripts our Hero into his Holnist (named after Nathan Holn) Army.

General Bethlehem is a cruel conqueror.

What's Different?

None of this happens in the Book.  

The Army is real- led by a man named Macklin- but he doesn't meet up with the Postman/Gordon until at least halfway into the Book.

He never conscripts him to the Army.

He is attacking Villages for resources in both Versions.

The Postman eventually makes an escape from the Army while out on Patrol.

As we near the Hour mark, he seeks Shelter in a Postman's abandoned vehicle and puts on the uniform.

In the Book, he finds it on Page 22 (of 302).

The Postman (the skeleton- to be clear) was also not wearing the jacket at the time, so the clothes are clean (and not covered in dead guy flesh that rotted for a decade).

In both versions, he starts a long con to get food and shelter as he travels across Oregon.  He spreads the happy lie of the Restored United States Government.

One day they will help.

He also meets up with a young lady and agrees to help her conceive, as her Husband cannot due to radiation poisoning.

In the Book, we don't really touch upon them again- other than a brief bit at the end.

In the Film, the General shows up after The Postman left and kills the Husband when he won't offer him Prima Nocta (Droit du Seigner if you're a snooty French Person).

She's also taken captive and later escapes with The Postman.

After he recovers over the Winter (from being shot), the Postman and Abby (Olivia Williams from The Crown, Rushmore and The Sixth Sense) discover that Jefferson- who he met earlier- has founded a Postal Service of young people.

In the Book, he forms this- alongside the closest Character to this one.

This seems to be a version of how Dena (a character not in the Film) formed a Women's Militia.  Presumably she was also conflated with Abby for the Film version.

Again- Abby is barely a thing in the Book.  She's the 3rd lead in the Film.

The Film also excises two major elements from the Book...

A bunch of Scientists run Cyclops, a super computer that plans out actions for survival.  This turns out to be a lie, as the computer is actually dormant and they run it like The Wizard in The Wizard of Oz.

Macklin- the Holnist Leader- is also revealed to be a Super Soldier- one of four- that was made via military experiments pre-War.

The Climax of the Book involves Gordon watching as General Powhatan battles Macklin.  He is also a Super Soldier- because why not.

In the Film, he rallies an Army of Postmen.

Since The Postman was conscripted, he challenges Bethlehem to a fight to lead the Army.  That Plot point from nearly 90 minutes ago pays off.

Did I mention that the Film is nearly 3 hours yet?

In the Book, Powhatan defeats Macklin- after taking out the other Super Soldiers in the Book equivalent of Off-Screen (Off-Page?).

This signals the end of this front of the Battle against the Holnists.

In the Film, we then jump to 30 years later and society is mostly better.  A Statue is made for The Postman- who is now dead- and his work lives on.

In the Book, he rides off to California, for a Sequel that- to my knowledge- does not exist.

Final Thoughts

I'm torn on this one.

The Sci-Fi Elements in the Book are a mixed bag.  I like the stuff with Cyclops, since it acts as a parallel to Gordon spreading hope as The Postman.

I'm not sad that they cut the Super-Soldier thing.  At all.

I think the biggest overall change is really just to make this a Film for Kevin Costner.

Lots of stuff is changed- like him briefly having a Mule that he is sad to see die- and the whole focus is different.  The Book is all about how Gordon is a leader by INSPIRATION- not by his deeds.

He needs Powhatan- Super Soldier silliness aside- to be a Military Leader and figurehead.  He doesn't end up defeating the villain.

Am I surprised to see this change for Costner?  No.

They also turn Abby into- let's be honest- the same Character as Helen from Waterworld and Stands With a Fist/Christine from Dances with Wolves.

It is very blatant.
I'm happy to see Tom Petty at least.

The Film is fine, if too long and too preachy.
The Book is quite good, if kind of weird and silly by the end.

I give a tentative recommendation to the Book over the Film.