Already on my Christmas list is the dvd set of Ciudad Bendita. It seems to be entertaining, I fell in love with Marisa Román (in an admiring fan sort of way), and I greatly respect the work both her and Leonardo Padrón. Ciudad Bendita seems to be one of the best productions of both the actress and the writer. Dr. A's research reveals the strong following this particular telenovela acquired from its fans, and for good reason.
I am drawn to watch the same telenovela that swept up hearts across Venezuela, but I am surprised by the awareness most latin american viewers lack. They are unaware of the social messages underlying carefully crafted novela scripts, specifically those by Padrón, and yet they watch and wait for his next novela release. They have not realized that it is Padrón's scripts' intelligent, wholesome qualities that attract them as consumers.
As much as Padrón tries to use tv to speak real messages to latinamericans, there is a disconnect. Dr. A said viewers are more hyper-sensitive to political messages written in novelas, and yet in real life it seems they are unaware of ways in which Chávez is mistreating the poor. The people accustom themselves to the "below model par" looks of the male protagonist in Ciudad Bendita, yet they cannot grasp the same message for the female protagonist--her physique (including her limp) is beautiful even with its "imperfections."
Makes me wonder, how many U.S. media messages are we missing? How far do we disconnect from the script-writer's intent? Are we so obsessed with our own political stances and social expectations that we refuse to change and see change in our own television shows?
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I've had such an educational and pleasant experience in this class, I believe that I would want to keep watching telenovelas after this class. Talking about the story plots and seeing snippets of the episodes made me interested to continue on a telenovela journey. In particular, I'd like to get my hands on Ciudad Bendita, Juana la Virgen, Yo Soy Betty La Fea, Cosita Rica, and Sin Tetas No Hay Paraiso. I'd like to watch them, analyze them, and see for myself all the different elements and underlying social messages Dr. A talks about in class. I'd be able to watch these telenovelas with a deeper understanding of societal values and issues. Cool! I hope others will carry a telenovela journey of their own too...
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