As someone with virtually no knowledge of Simon Bolívar past his title as “The Liberator” of Latin America, the plot of Bolivar is completely new to me, and I have many questions about where the show will go. I think that’s really the point, though; he’s an extremely famous historical figure, but his life beyond his political and military career is more mysterious for the average viewer.
Like many bionovelas, Bolivar begins at the end. We see our namesake character as a general planning a daring ambush, then as a smiling groom on his wedding day, and finally as a young boy running through a plantation in Venezuela. This introduction to the show caught my attention – though the marketing on Netflix showed thumbnails of intimate scenes between Simon and two different women, the audience isn’t introduced to that piece of the plot at all at the start of the show, and likely won’t be for quite a few more episodes. Instead, we see a Creole family in crisis as disease breaks out, infecting both those enslaved and the matriarch of the household. By the end of the episode, Simon is the heir to much of the family wealth, but he’s in mourning and dreading his new home with his greedy uncle.
Though romance isn’t immediately at the forefront of the story, other elements of a more traditional telenovela appear within the first episode. Many of the characters fall easily into “villain” and “hero” types from the beginning. As mentioned before, Simon's uncle falls firmly into the former category, regularly trying to cheat him and his brother out of the family business. Our protagonist, on the other hand, appears to treat people with kindness regardless of social station, despite his privileged upbringing. Though the historical context of chattel slavery and social clashing should allow for more depth when considering the characters, we are still able to see many of them as inherently good or bad, at least at the beginning of the series.
Bolivar does feel different from telenovelas rosas, though, and that is because the tone and content are so heavy. The first episode is almost entirely about the deaths of two of Simon’s family members, as well as the many sick people on the plantation who are sent to die from their illness far away from their families. His mother also stresses to Simon that he is Creole, not Spanish, as they encounter classism from Spaniards while trying to secure the inheritance from his deceased father. While I am engrossed in the story, I also find it difficult to keep straight the details of Simon's situation at the pace of the show. I’m interested to see if that changes as the show begins to include more romantic plotlines, but Bolivar does not shy away from the difficult topics, which is a strong start for a telenovela de ruptura.
me personally I find historical shows like this very interesting almost like those netflix series on famous people! I didn't know very much about Simon Bolivar other than like the bare minimum facts from world history class, but this makes me want to watch this show. I feel like maybe it would give me another perspective other than what I was taught in school! Also when you were talking about the pace of the show I completely agree my telenovela La Reina del Sur is also very fast paced and I also have a hard time keeping up with it's plot so maybe it's a common theme for most novelas or maybe it's because we all don't speak spanish and we just have a hard time keeping up, either way it's still fun to watch and learn!! looking forward to another update and hope you enjoy your novela!! :)
ReplyDeleteI was pleased to learn all these facts about the famous historical figure, Simon Bolivar. It is amazing to see how a telenovela production can so vividly emulate the life of a man with such big ambitions. It makes me wonder where history would have taken us if he had achieved his goals such as the creation of "Gran Colombia" which aimed to unite a lot of South America. Given the historical value of this telenovela, I think that his love life takes a secondary role in the portrayal of his story. Nevertheless, I think that incorporating these love stories makes for a great bionovela, as it adds dimension to the plot and shows us different sides of the protagonist's personality. The love stories keep viewers captivated and interested in seeing a different, more personal part of an influential figure's life. One more thought comes to mind when thinking about this telenovela is the production. I'm sure the costumes and sets are full of antiquities, elegant traditional wear, and historically significant decor. As we discussed in class, telenovelas are a big business and I'm sure that recreating such a realistic representation of history required lots of funding! It is definitely worth it though because the setting and wardrobe are a big part of what makes the scenes come together so beautifully.
ReplyDeleteHi Bailey!
ReplyDeleteI’m glad that you chose to watch Bolívar as I was debating between Celia and Bolívar for my own personal telenovela. I enjoy being able to witness your experience with this bionovela, and based on your post, I’m definitely putting Bolívar on my to be watched list. As someone who appreciates learning about history, I’m excited to see telenovelas exploring the lives of prominent Latino figures. It’s interesting to see their lives and challenges played out within the format of a telenovela. For instance, I also noticed in Celia that romance is not the central focus–at least, not for the first few episodes. I appreciate this deviation from traditional telenovelas as it ensures the story is focused on the actual protagonist. Romantic relationships are certainly part of these figures’ lives; however, they’re not the drive behind the protagonists’ actions and legacies. By understating the romance, the show can be what it should be: a character study.
Aside from the romantic angle, I also appreciate how bionovelas emphasize realistic obstacles as opposed to the needless drama that plagues traditional telenovelas. As bionovelas are based on actual lives, I believe they should remain true to the source material by focusing on the challenges endured by their titular protagonists. For example, even though Celia was not born into high society like Bolivar was, they both must endure classism based on their heritage, an issue that shapes them into the figures they become. It’s these true conflicts that define the protagonists’ legacies, and it is the responsibility of bionovelas to ensure that these legacies shine through.
Hello Bailey,
ReplyDeleteI am watching Bolivar as well and I am also surprised by how dark the opening was. The sickness and the dying did leave a bad feeling in my stomach and that is certainly not a bad thing as that is what the writers probably intended. That time period was filled with a lot of disturbing features such as disease and slavery and other issues such as classism which still exist today. I am glad that the Telenovela has a more realistic tilt to it and does not only focus on the romance and the hero doing heroic things. The story has depth to it and even parts that make the viewer feel uncomfortable. There are still the usual telenovela tropes present because the show would not be a telenovela if otherwise, but I do feel that effort was put into differentiating Bolivar from other shows of its kind.