TELENOVELAS IN THE CLASSROOM: MY STUDENTS' TIME TO PRESENT IV

Continuing with my students’ presentations, today I bring two that focus on two telenovelas that are considered landmarks in the industry: Los Ricos También Lloran y Corazón Salvaje.


Presenter: Jenny Reid

Topic: The impact of Los Ricos También Lloran

Objective: Although Los Ricos También Lloran were broadcast before the Internet boom, what traces can we find today in the Internet regarding how this telenovela was received?

Sources: Internet blogs and message boards

Findings and conclusions:
- This telenovela had immense success in post-communist Russia. From members of the working class to the political elite, Los Ricos También Lloran was watched by almost everyone.
- By today standards Los Ricos También Lloran has modest production values. In addition, its plot is pretty predictable. However, Internet messages suggest that this telenovela is still one of the all-time favorites.
- There have been several remakes of this story, and they have also been successful.

My thoughts: Among the many questions that I’m constantly asking and trying to answer regarding telenovelas is: How do these stories “work” within a specific historic moment of consumption? For instance, in Venezuela Cosita Rica’s success was linked to the country’s polarized and hiper-politicized reality during 2003 and 2004. The success of Los Ricos También Lloran in post-communist Russia begs the question: What were the characteristics of this sociocultural formation that determined, at least in part, the audience’s attention? In addition, why do its remakes work so well time after time? Why is it that these cinderella-stories work most of the times? Is this related to the global phenomenon of the feminization of poverty? Or is it that the dream of socioeconomic ascent is universal?








Presenter: Amanda Young

Topic: The consumption of Corazón Salvaje

Objective: Understand why Corazón Salvaje is considered by the public “unforgettable”

Sources: Internet Blogs and message boards

Findings and conclusions:
- Two main reasons determined Corazón Salvaje’s success: The work of actor Eduardo Palomo and the chemistry between his character, Juan del Diablo and Mónica (Edith González).
- Eduardo Palomo was, at first, considered an unattractive protagonist. However, his character hooked the audience. There are messages that extoll his performance, the nuances of his character, and, above all, his powerful gaze.
- Many consider that the chemistry between these protagonists hasn’t been surpassed yet.
- Juan del Diablo was the defining character in Eduardo Palomo’s career.

My thoughts: There are characters that become unforgettable for the audience. These characters also leave their mark on the actor's career. This is the case of Eduardo Palomo and Juan del Diablo. By the same token, there are telenovela couples that captivate the public. They penetrate the audience's imaginary. This also happened in Corazón Salvaje, in which the love triangles not only rotated (Juan del Diablo begins in love with Aimee, and ends up falling in love with Mónica), but also permutated (Triangle 1: Andrés-Aimée-Mónica . Triangle 2: Juan-Mónica-Aimée). What factors determine a perfect engagemente between actor, character and audience? There are actors who've been marked by a particular character. Case in point is Eduardo Palomo and Juan del Diablo. There are others who have the ability to leave their mark and be marked by several of the characters they have interpreted. Moreover, these characters also remain in the public's mind. For example Venezuelan Gledys Ibarra has given us Eloina Rangel, Luna Camacho, Patria Mia and La Diabla. All of them women from a popular socioeconomic level, all different, all unforgettable.