HAVANA, MAY 8, 2014 Cuban soap operas at a crossroads Author: Diana Ferreiro | diana@granma.cu / May 7, 2014 A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann. After Tierras de fuego, you would have thought any Cuban soap opera capable of filling up the evenings of [channel] Cubavisión. I mean, after Tierras de fuego, you could watch a prime-time animé version of Shiralad and barely notice the difference. The fact that the recently premiered Playa Leonora also fails to meet the needs of most TV viewers can be considered, say, a hereditary condition caused by a gen which has infected –barring very few cases, like Diana, for one– almost every Cuban soap opera since El balcón de los helechos. It may even be older than that, this virus that not only our producers and scriptwriters have long incubated; it has also sabotaged the performances of many great Cuban actors. That Playa Leonora, for instance, casts names like Aramís Delgado or Manuel Porto is useless when their roles fall victim to an incoherent script brimming with largely unattractive stories based on poorly conceived and often far-fetched situations that neither hook nor motivate the audience. Judging by the latest releases, the attempts, at times forced, to “reflect” in these programs the problems facing our society –too many to fit into one hundred 27-minute-long installments– turns this soap opera into a string of events portrayed as messages for the public good that always end the same way: wrongs are righted and ways are mended. To wit, the guy who steals from the cooperative is stabbed to death at the end (Tierras de fuego); or the clothes seller becomes a playwright and the drug addict falls in love with the prostitute (Aquí estamos), which eventually gets them both out of a really tight spot. Playa Leonora’s plot describes the construction of a vacation resort on the outskirts of the town Las Brisas and the possible environmental impact that the works and the explosion of a boat’s fuel tank may have, in addition to the “mystery” that gave rise to the name of the place. So far the story has been anything but a crowd puller, revolving almost exclusively around the arguments between Félix (Lieter Ledesma), the engineer in charge of the project, and the police investigators; scuba divers searching we don’t know exactly what; and the inquiries of a journalist who seems to be quite an expert on “dealing” with her sources. Some of the subplots, actually more likable, involve the townsfolk of this small, humble coastal community, typical of any Cuban province: there’s a TV center and a hospital where a teenager’s leg is amputated –with no visible psychological aftereffects– and Sofía (Camila Arteche) has her sudden and rather illogical disease looked after. With merely 55 episodes aired, Playa Leonora has got bogged down, its rare action passing off amidst dominoes, business deals and fights. As fate would have it, the acting –for the most part in the hands of a long established cast– has not become infected with the epidemic that Tierras de fuego could not escape from. Production budget-related issues are still the most common excuse or explanation, but let’s face it: it’s not just about having settings made of something other than cardboard; the script and direction are the icing of the cake. Aware as we are of the gender under discussion and in light of what we’ve been fed in the last twenty years, there’s no denying that Cuba has made some respectable soap operas, such as Pasión y prejuicio, Tierra Brava, Las huérfanas de la Obrapía, or Al compás del son, to mention just a few. However, one has to admit that Playa Leonora has what every recent Cuban soap opera has not been able to go without: woes of the heart, social indiscipline, trivial puzzles, bosses and subordinates, and glimpses of sexual diversity. Let’s bear in mind that a soap opera is essentially characterized by stock melodramatic situations dotted with love stories of dissimilar narrative qualities, intrigue, complications and unexpected turns. Besides, in recent times the Cuban soap operas have tried to foster reflection on a given social problem. That they not always succeed is a different story. COMMENTS Name Your comment Your comments must be respectful of other people’s views. Do not offend or use vulgar or obscene against anyone. We reserve the right to moderate the language of any comment out of keeping with the rules. Final del formulario olgarita said: 1 May 8, 2014 08:42:20 A very good review! I don’t like this soap opera at all; the only good thing about it is Alain Daniel’s theme song. Crisanto Díaz said: 2 May 8, 2014 09:08:53 You cannot be snobbish and sincere at the same time. Diana was not a soap opera, but a pilot series directed by Cuban critics’ pet Rudy Mora, whom the general public rarely understood. Our housewives and working women never managed to figure out all the to-ing and fro-ing and visual effects, nor could they come to terms with the fact that the heartthrob was a slovenly stutterer. Mind me, these mistakes will not be corrected as long as they keep approving those hastily written scripts and refuse to make adaptations of great contemporary works of proven success. Playa Leonora’s script came from a renowned professional, but the version for TV has left much to be desired. Nor should scripts based on family lineage ever be accepted. The director or the producer is likely to get the blame, as usual. Our TV is going through a crisis for lack of resources. Perhaps it’s also high time that those who rubber-stamp the scripts were replaced... Iris Ibarra said: 3 May 8, 2014 09:20:17 I totally agree with your article. I watch this soap opera because of its great casting, but the script makes no sense, there are problems everywhere you look, and there’s a lot of beating about the bush. I’m sure that everything will be solved in the final episode... MARCOS said: 5 May 8, 2014 10:20:51 Good ingredients don’t make a great dish. This soap opera is backed by a constellation of TV stars in supporting roles. For instance, Lieter Ledesma seems to have caught the Hollywood Virus: irresistible and ready to appear shirtless to warm our souls, despite some out-of-place expressions and wrong intonations... Armando Tomey's performance is terrible as usual... But there are other great figures of Cuban theater that deserve all of our respect... We’ve seen worse, but we’ve also seen better... Is there a shortage of good Cuban directors or scriptwriters? I don’t think so, but how’s that for bad luck! Canoso said: 7 May 8, 2014 11:13:28 I had been awaiting comments about the current Cuban soap opera, and I think the journalist's assertions are an understatement. This is one of the worst soap operas ever, what with its nonsensical plot and absurdities. Lieter’s speech is hard to understand and, by the way, he’s married to that checked shirt. His scene with the guy who also loves the hospital patient is terrible… to say nothing of a small town hospital with an elevator and where they amputate limbs! And most importantly, there’s excessive violence in almost every episode. In short, a complete disaster! yady said: 8 May 8, 2014 12:09:11 I believe Cuban TV should encourage the development of educational scripts that help our children be better persons and defend our convictions and values –of which we have plenty– perhaps about simple or cultured people, or say, a self-employed Cuban, rather than stories with touches of sexual diversity and cockamamie situations. We who all the time criticize foreign programs which hold that you will only fulfill your dreams if you are rich and/or famous should also make it clear that you can also live with dignity in Cuba. We may be broke but we have shown our worth. Yoaldo said: 9 May 8, 2014 12:23:19 The latest Cuban soap operas, barring the “period” serials, have a common denominator: vulgarity. I don’t waste my time on them anymore. |
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LA HABANA, 8 DE MAYO DE 2014 La crisis de la telenovela cubana Autor: Diana Ferreiro | diana@granma.cu 7 de mayo de 2014 Acotaciones sobre Playa Leonora, que ocupa el horario estelar en la pequeña pantalla Luego de Tierras de fuego, uno pensaría que cualquier telenovela cubana puede llenar sin dificultad las noches de Cubavisión. Quiero decir, luego de Tierras de fuego, se podría ver en ese horario una versión anime de Shiralad sin notar apenas la diferencia. El hecho de que Playa Leonora, la más reciente producción, tampoco satisfaga las expectativas de muchos de quienes nos sentamos frente a la pantalla en ese horario, puede considerarse, digamos, un mal hereditario, un gen fácilmente transferible, salvo contadas excepciones —Diana, por poner un ejemplo— de novela a novela desde El balcón de los helechos. Tal vez antes. Un virus que ha alcanzado no solo a realizadores y guionistas, sino que ha logrado sabotear las actuaciones de grandes actores cubanos. De nada le sirve a Playa Leonora, por ejemplo, contar con Aramís Delgado o Manuel Porto, cuando sus roles sucumben ante las incoherencias del guion. Historias poco atractivas, cuya relación, muchas veces impuesta, no engancha ni motiva al televidente. A juzgar por las últimas propuestas, el intento a veces forzado de “reflejar” en este espacio los problemas de nuestra sociedad —que son más de los que caben en los habituales cien capítulos de veintisiete minutos— convierte a la telenovela en una retahíla de hechos expuestos como mensajes de bien público y que terminan siempre de la misma manera: con la rectificación del error o la corrección de la postura. O sea, el que roba en la cooperativa al final es apuñaleado (Tierras de fuego), el vendedor de ropa se vuelve teatrista (Aquí estamos) y el drogadicto se enamora de la jinetera (Aquí estamos), amor que eventualmente los sacará del hoyo a ambos. Playa Leonora sustenta su trama en la construcción de una villa vacacional a las afueras del pueblo Las Brisas, y las posibles implicaciones medioambientales que la obra y la explosión de una lancha cargada de combustible pudieran tener, además del “misterio” que da origen al nombre del pueblo. Historia que hasta el momento no engancha, y que evoluciona casi exclusivamente a través de las discusiones entre Félix (Lieter Ledesma), ingeniero al frente de la obra y los investigadores, las zambullidas de los buzos en busca aún no sabemos exactamente de qué, o las investigaciones de una periodista que al parecer sabe “lidiar” muy bien con las fuentes. Más sugestivas, algunas de las sub-tramas son protagonizadas por los habitantes del pueblo. Un modesto pueblecito en la costa de cualquier provincia de la Isla, que posee un telecentro y un hospital que asume la amputación de la pierna a una adolescente —sin posteriores traumas psicológicos visibles— o la repentina enfermedad de Sofía (Camila Arteche), sin mucha lógica. Para sus escasos 55 episodios, Playa Leonora no avanza. La poca acción transcurre entre juegos de dominó, negocios y peleas. Las actuaciones —en su mayoría legitimadas ya desde hace tiempo—, por suerte o por cosas del destino no se contagiaron de la epidemia a la que no escapara Tierras de fuego. El tema del presupuesto de la producción sigue siendo una justificación o explicación, pero reconozcamos que no se trata solamente de mejorar los escenarios donde transcurre la trama —en su mayoría de cartón—; el pollo del arroz es el guion y la dirección. Teniendo claro el género del que estamos hablando y considerando los últimos veinte años, debemos reconocer que se han hecho en Cuba algunas telenovelas respetables como Pasión y prejuicio, Tierra Brava, Las huérfanas de la Obrapía, o Al compás del son, por solo mencionar algunas. Aunque debemos admitir que Playa Leonora tiene lo que ha de tener toda telenovela cubana últimamente: conflictos amorosos, indisciplina social, jefes, subordinados, intrascendentes misterios y pinceladas de diversidad sexual. No perdamos de vista que la telenovela, según sus bases originarias, es un género fundamentalmente melodramático, donde siempre encontraremos una o varias historias de amor, mejor o peor contadas, con intrigas, enredos o giros inesperados. En los últimos tiempos, además, las telenovelas cubanas han intentado crear una reflexión en torno a una problemática social. Que no siempre lo consigan es otra historia. ========================================================= http://www.granma.cu/cultura/2014-05-07/la-crisis-de-la-telenovela-cubana |
olgarita dijo:
1
8 de mayo de 2014
08:42:20
Crisanto Díaz dijo:
2
8 de mayo de 2014
09:08:53
Iris Ibarra dijo:
3
8 de mayo de 2014
09:20:17
emmanuel dijo:
4
8 de mayo de 2014
10:19:45
MARCOS dijo:
5
8 de mayo de 2014
10:20:51
ROBERTO dijo:
6
8 de mayo de 2014
10:23:03