Amor real


Amor real is a Mexican telenovela produced by Carla Estrada for Televisa, broadcast by Canal de las Estrellas. It originally aired from June 9 to October 17, 2003. Amor real is a historical drama set in the Mexican post-independence period of the mid-19th century. The telenovela aired on Univision in the United States, REN TV in Russia and La 1 in Spain, among others. It was successfully distributed to many countries worldwide. In 2005, Amor real was released on DVD and it became the first telenovela to be released with English subtitles. Televisa has released an abridged DVD version of the telenovela in several countries.
The cast and crew of the telenovela received many accolades, including the TVyNovelas Award for Best Telenovela of the Year at the 22nd TVyNovelas Awards ceremony.

Overview

In the mid-19th century, in a time of Victorian morality, challenging the rules of the aristocracy to which she belongs, Matilde Peñalver Beristáin, falls in love with Adolfo Solís, an army soldier with no fortune; trusting that her father, Hilario – a fair and kind man – will let her marry him. But her mother, Augusta, is determined to force Matilde to marry a rich man to save the family from bankruptcy. Manuel Fuentes Guerra is the perfect candidate. He is an honourable and handsome young man who has just inherited a vast fortune. Augusta ignores the fact that Manuel is the illegitimate son of Joaquín Fuentes Guerra, a powerful landlord who raped a native girl, and who only recognised Manuel as his heir on his deathbed.
Using all kinds of intrigues, Augusta and her son Humberto send Adolfo to prison and convince Matilde to believe that he is married and has children. Overwhelmed and in despair, Matilde surrenders to her mother's pressure and agrees to marry Manuel, especially after she learns that he has paid the family's debts. Adolfo escapes from jail and immediately goes to look for his beloved Matilde, who has just married Manuel. Desperate, Adolfo manages to secretly speak with Matilde to clarify the misunderstandings. Swearing they will love each other forever, they decide to run away, but Manuel discovers them. Deeply hurt, Manuel is not willing to give her up. He forces her to leave with him, despite her love for Adolfo. After arriving at Manuel's hacienda, Matilde has to put up with Antonia, the former administrator's daughter, who is in love with Manuel.
Meanwhile, Adolfo, after an intense and frantic search finds Matilde and, intending to bring her back, poses as Manuel's new administrator. Manuel, unaware of Adolfo's real identity, sympathises with him and gives him a special, friendly treatment. In spite of the situation, Adolfo has to admit that Manuel is a noble, fair man. At that point, Manuel and Matilde discover that they have been victims of Augusta and Humberto's deceit. As time goes by, the subtle attention and Manuel's avid desire end up conquering Matilde's heart. Suddenly one day, she realises that the love she felt for Adolfo has disappeared and that she's fallen in love with Manuel. Matilde tells Adolfo the truth and urges him to leave.
Heartbroken, Adolfo accepts his reality and leaves the ranch the same day, that Matilde announces to her husband that she's pregnant. The couple's happiness does not last long. Manuel discovers who his new administrator was and, in an instant, everything falls apart. Matilde's pleas and explanations cannot convince Manuel, he feels betrayed once again and cannot forgive her. Driven by anger, Manuel doubts his paternity and throws Matilde out of the hacienda. Soon after that, he starts a compromising relationship with Antonia that will later make his reconciliation with Matilde more difficult. Manuel and Matilde's relationship will suffer and prosper during times of civil unrest, political and societal intrigue, and subterfuge. Only time will tell whether or not they find 'Real Love' with each other or with someone new.

Cast

Production

  • Amor Real is an adaptation of the telenovela, Bodas de odio, from 1983, based on the novel of the same name, written by Caridad Bravo Adams. For this version it was adapted by the Italian writer, María Zarattini.
  • The telenovela was filmed at the ex-hacienda of Tetlapayac and the surrounding area in the state of Hidalgo for a lapse of eight months. Because the story takes place in mid-19th century Mexico, sets of buildings and plazas had to be built.
  • The production, required the participation of over 1,000 actors, extras, technicians and artisans.
  • Jorge Avendaño Lührs, Mexican pianist and composer, composed the original score.
  • The opening theme, "Amor Real", was written and performed by the Mexico-based duo, Sin Bandera.

Reception

Mexico's television ratings

While on the air in Mexico, the telenovela registered very high ratings, especially in the final weeks of its airing when the telenovela showed an average of 35 points. During the whole five-month run in Mexico, it remained on the No. 1 spot, with a 60% market share, as reported by Ibope Mexico. Due to the enormous popularity of Amor Real, the entire telenovela was reruned for the second time after a public demand, only four months after the original airing finalized.

International success

Besides the success in Mexico and Latin America, Amor Real was internationally successful, too. When the telenovela aired during prime time on Univision, it frequently managed to beat leading U.S. networks in the ratings. The series aired on Univision in the U.S. with no subtitles, however. It ranks among Univision's highest rated telenovelas of all time. The telenovela also had successful results when it aired in Spain, on the Spanish national television, TVE, where it was shown in the afternoon, in 2005. In 2005, Amor Real was released on DVD and it became the first telenovela to be released with English subtitles. The DVD release had very successful sales in the U.S. The international DVD release of the telenovela, also included countries such as Canada, Puerto Rico, France, Italy and Spain.

Awards and nominations

Here are some of the nominations and wins for Amor Real:
YearAwardCategoryNomineeResult
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding ProductionCarla EstradaWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceAdela NoriegaWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceAna Bertha EspínWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceAna MartínWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceBeatriz SheridanWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceChantal AndereWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceErnesto LaguardiaWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceFernando ColungaWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceMariana LevyWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceMario Iván MartínezWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceMauricio IslasWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding PerformanceRafael RojasWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsOutstanding Screenwriting CareerMaría ZarattiniWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsBest Direction of the CamerasAlejandro FrutosWon
2003Califa de Oro AwardsBest DirectorMónica MiguelWon
2003Arlequin AwardBest ProductionCarla EstradaWon
2003Mexico's National Association
of Broadcasters		Micrófono de Oro AwardsCarla EstradaWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best ProductionCarla EstradaWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best ActressAdela NoriegaWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best ActorFernando ColungaWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Antagonist ActressMaya MishalskaWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Antagonist ActorMauricio IslasWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Leading ActressHelena RojoWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Leading ActorMauricio HerreraWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Co-lead ActressChantal AndereWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Co-lead ActorErnesto LaguardiaWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Supporting ActressAna Bertha EspínWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Supporting ActorMario Iván MartínezWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best Male Special PerformanceRafael RojasWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Artistic Lifetime Achievement – Award to an ActressMaty HuitrónWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Artistic Lifetime Achievement – Award to an ActorRicardo BlumeWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best DirectionMónica MiguelWon
2003Sol de Oro Awards Best AdaptationMaría ZarattiniWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest TelenovelaCarla EstradaWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest ActressAdela NoriegaWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest ActorFernando ColungaWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest Antagonist ActressChantal AndereNomitated
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest Leading ActressAna MartínWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest Leading ActorCarlos CámaraWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest Supporting ActressAna Bertha EspínWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest Supporting ActorErnesto LaguardiaWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest Musical ThemeSin Bandera
Nomitated
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest Original Story or AdaptationMaría ZarattiniWon
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsBest DirectionMónica Miguel
Eric Morales		Nomitated
200422nd TVyNovelas AwardsSpecial Award for Telenovela with the Highest Rating in 2003Amor realWon
2004Laurel de Oro AwardsBest TelenovelaCarla EstradaWon
2004Laurel de Oro AwardsBest ActressAdela NoriegaWon
2004Laurel de Oro AwardsBest ActorFernando ColungaWon
2004Laurel de Oro AwardsBest Supporting ActressAna MartínWon
2004Laurel de Oro AwardsBest Supporting ActorMario Iván MartínezWon
2004Laurel de Oro AwardsArtistic Lifetime Achievement AwardHelena RojoWon
2004Laurel de Oro AwardsArtistic Lifetime Achievement AwardMauricio HerreraWon
2004Universidad Autónoma MetropolitanaSpecial AwardAmor realWon
2004100 Mexicanos DijeronVIP AwardAmor realWon
2004Principios AwardSpecial AwardAmor realWon
2005ACE AwardsBest Scenic ProgramCarla EstradaWon
2005ACE AwardsBest ActressAdela NoriegaWon
2005ACE AwardsBest ActorFernando ColungaWon
2005ACE AwardsBest DirectionMónica MiguelWon
2005Plaza de las EstrellasLuminaria de OroAmor realWon
2005Plaza de las EstrellasLuminaria de OroCarla EstradaWon
2005----