I will save my thoughts on how much I enjoyed the content of Bolivar for later writings, as for now I would like to simply give some thoughts on what the first episode had to offer. Bolivar tells the story of the historically true revolutionary leader Simon Bolivar who successfully liberated most of South America from Spanish control. Knowing that there was a real life figure named Simon Bolivar who, to some extent, lived out the plot of the telenovela definitely lends the story credibility in spite of its expected dramatizations. The consequences of the actions that are depicted by the plot of Bolivar amount to the geopolitical world we experience today. It is through Simon Bolivar's leadership that Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, and Bolivia exist independently from Spain, and this makes the viewer feel more impelled to care about what is happening in the story. Executed well or not, by featuring historically accurate elements and characters, Bolivar will make the viewer ask questions about how one man could accomplish the battlefield success that he did.
This, however, brings about a different kind of viewing experience than commonly found in a telenovela. Instead of merely being able to drown oneself in the dramatics of attractive people's relationship issues, Bolivar requires the viewer to consider the historical time period that the story takes place, and maybe even do a little prior research. This is needed to understand the various emotions and tensions displayed by the characters, as their behaviors and beliefs are derived from a social landscape that precedes ours. Bolivar's intermixing of truth and fiction serves as the story's primary mechanism to pull in the viewer.
Bolivar begins with majestic scenery and grand music as a man rides a horse through a beautiful field. This visually appealing opening illustrates a romanticizing of war and the brave individuals who fight in them. That is very common in a lot of war movies or shows and is certainly not surprising to see in a show like Bolivar that wants to highlight Simon Bolivar's heroism. The first scene of Bolivar communicating with another military leader quickly draws a distinction between Bolivar and his peers. When arguing about how to proceed in battle, Bolivar proposes a risky journey through the Andes while the other leader assumes a more conservative stance. Bolivar does not try to run from risk, and he shows an unwavering passion to undergo any amount of difficulty needed to win the war. Bravery is probably the most prominent trait in any hero, and right away it is clear that Simon Bolivar is this show's hero. Bolivar's plan eventually wins out and this establishes him as an authoritative figure. His authority is further expanded upon in a later scene where Bolivar must use his words to inspire his men to keep pressing through the harsh conditions of the Andes. At first his men appear doubtful, but as he continues to speak, the confidence in his men slowly grows until everyone is solidly on his side.
What these early scenes tell us about Simon Bolivar is that he is heroic, brave, and a strong leader. He is also filled with pride; both national and personal pride. He speaks of punishing the Spanish for how they treated his people and revels in the idea of forming new and independent nations. He also talks a lot about "glory", and he communicates to his troops that by enduring the hardships of battle, they can ultimately receive the glories of victory and the respect of everyone around them. It will be interesting to see how the show expands upon these motivations for Simon to fight as hard as he does. Will these remain his only motivations or will new motivations appear?
In Bolivar's monologue which concludes the first part of the first episode, he finally connects all the talk about war and glory to the one thing all telenovelas share in common; romance. Bolivar compares the happiness he expects to experience from defeating the Spanish to the happiness he felt on his wedding day. Scenes of the wedding are shown as Bolivar professes his unconditional love to his wife. This leads the viewer to expect a romantic element to the plot and it sparks intrigue on what will eventually happen to this relationship. It is at this moment that the story shifts from an older and more experienced Simon Bolivar to a Simon Bolivar in his youth.
The non-linear timeline generates anticipation among the viewers about what will cause the character to go from where they began to what they know the character will become. Young Simon is presented as being very naive and childlike. His mother expresses concern on what will become of him because he behaves in such a carefree manner. This is an example of dramatic irony because the viewer knows that the mother's concern will not come to fruition. What is very interesting about young Simon is his socioeconomic class. His family are wealthy landowners who not only own a lot of land but also own a lot of African slaves. Simon comes from the upper echelon of his society, and this is rather unique for someone who will grow up to be a populist leader that fights against systems of power. Simon, however, does appear to implicitly reject the ideas that most slaveholders maintain. For instance, Simon befriends a young slave girl and treats her as if she was just like him. This reveals that Simon has an inherent sense of respect for everyone and believes that all people deserve to be treated with dignity. Even from a young age, Bolivar is portrayed as behaving notably different from his surroundings, and this repudiation of dominant ideals foretells his eventual transformation into a revolutionary.
Every hero needs to undergo hardship, and while young Simon may have had the privilege of growing up wealthy, he did not have the benefit of a stable family to support him. His father died when he was young and the first episode shows his mother dying from a disease leaving him without any parents. His grandfather steps in to take care of him but he dies as well, placing Simon in the hands of his money grabbing Uncle. From an early age Simon understands the hardship of death and losing loved ones; something that is very prevalent in war. He is also destitute of parental guidance, meaning that he will be forced to struggle mightily as he grows up into a man. This leaves the viewer with a lot of questions about how Simon Bolivar will overcome this childhood trauma. We know that he will be successful, because we know for a fact that he will one day liberate large portions of South America. But with how dire his situation looks right now, it will be very interesting to see what he must endure to get there.
Hi Marco,
ReplyDeleteI like what you said about Bolivar being portrayed as a person who cares about equality, even as a young boy. I found it interesting in the show when Simon is faced with the idea that a free republic cannot just include freedom for Creoles; he seems to struggle with this idea since he considers many people on the plantation to be family. On the other hand, he’s grown up with a status that allows him to give orders to these same people, regardless of their age and experience. It seems that he understands that enslaved people like Dionisio would not stay in this position if given a choice. This same nuance isn’t given to many of the other characters throughout the show, except maybe his brother’s relationship with a woman below his social status. Like you mentioned, the show really paints Simon as a hero in every era of his life. It’s very in line with both the traditional telenovela hero, as well as his historical title as “El Libertador.”