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Dona Barbara (Telemundo series)
Dona Barbara (Lady Barbara) is a Spanish-language telenovela produced by the United States-based television network Telemundo, Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) and RTI Colombia. This limited-run series is set to debut in the third quarter of 2008. [*] Gabriela Spanic and Christian Meier are expected to star in this adaptation of the 1929 novel by Venezuelan author Romulo Gallegos. [*]
Set in the plains of Los Llanos, this melodrama features a courageous, beautiful and strong-willed woman who must rise above heartbreak, betrayal and tragedy. Her troubled past haunts her, as she confronts her own deep-seeded vulnerabilities in the face of an impossible love. She falls passionately for a dashing man and must face her memories head-on. She must fight to keep her secrets from destroying her chance of happiness, fulfillment and true love. [*]
"The best stories feature strong women," says the show's English trailer. "This is the story that started it all. [*]
Story
''This summary is based on Telemundo's May upfront presentation. Storylines may change dramatically by the time this series airs.
Barbara is an attractive woman raised in the thick jungle by a band of Venezuelan smugglers in the jungle. She was madly in love with the handsome Asdrubal until tragedy smashed everything. When her beau is butchered by the same bandits who raped her, she is poisoned by a mad desire for vengeance against men. [*]
Barbara seduces the wealthy landowner Lorenzo Barquero and steals his fortune. Grief-stricken, he descends into misery and alcoholism. Their destructive relationship produces a lovely daughter, Marisela, who is forced to live in despair with her tormented father. [*]
Fifteen years later, Lorenzos dashing cousin Santos Luzardo opens old wounds. This ambitious attorney from Caracas returns to claim ownership of the family land. He soon discovers Dona Barbara controls the area with an iron glove, using sorcery and seduction to force her will on the locals. [*]
Santos refuses to surrender and fights to save his cousin and educate young Marisela. Barbara falls in love with Santos while he falls for her daughter Marisela. Dona Barbara must either accept defeat or she sacrifice her daughter to keep the man she loves. [*]
Production
Telemundo is expected to air the serial from Monday to Friday over about 26 weeks. As with most of its soap operas, the network will broadcast English subtitles as closed captions on CC3. Dona Barbarais shot in Colombia and Hugo Leon Ferrer is executive producer. SPTI will distribute Barbara'' in North and South America, while Telemundo International will handle distribution throughout Europe, Middle East, Africa, Australia and Asia. [*]
This is the third telenovela based on Romulo Gallegos' heroine. Previous versions appeared in Venezuela in 1964 and in Peru in 1975. Universal Pictures, now part of the corporate family that includes Telemundo, co-produced a film version in 1998. [*]
Cast
Gabriela Spanic .... Dona Barbara - main heroine
Christian Meier .... Santos Luzardo - main hero
External links
Telemundo teaser trailer (Spanish with English subtitles)
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Dona Barbara (Telemundo series)
