La venganza
Encyclopedia
La venganza is a 1977 Mexican telenovela
made by Televisa
, produced by Valentin Pimstein and directed by Rafael Banquells, starring Helena Rojo
and Enrique Lizalde. Writing credits belong to Ines Rodena (original story), Maria Teresa Madero (adaptation) and Tere Medina (adaptation). La venganza is a romantic heroine story, combining elements of Charles Perrault
's Cinderella
, George Bernard Shaw
's Pygmalion
and William Shakespeare
's Taming of the Shrew.
Javier Narvaez (Enrique Lizalde) is the handsome son and heir to half the Narvaez family fortune, who is visiting his brother Rafael (Javier Marc) and sister-in-law Carmen (Beatriz Sheridan). Javier is an independent young man and also a successful airline pilot. Rafael and Carmen meanwhile live on the Hacienda and operate the family business, viewing Javier as a sort of prodigal son, undeserving of his share of the family wealth.
María meets and falls in love with Javier during his visit to the Hacienda. María is captivated by Javier, who despite his wealth -and unlike his family- has a good soul and is unconcerned by social standings. Javier in turn, falls in love with María, realizing that her nature is even more attractive than her physical beauty.
However, Carmen and Rafael are against the relationship because Maria is poor. Carmen constantly humiliates Maria, at one point throwing a bracelet into the mud and forcing Maria to retrieve it with her teeth. Later, Carmen sets María's house on fire, hoping to force her to move away. Tragically, María's grandfather dies when her home burns down. María realizes it was an intentional act and bitterly vows to take a revenge against all the Narvaez. Meanwhile, Javier is unaware of Carmen's actions and believes María has left him.
Now homeless and pregnant, María escapes to Mexico City. She arrives at the home of Alexander Balsameda (Roberto Cañedo), a sick elderly man, where she takes a job as his caretaker. Balsameda offers her protection not knowing that María is his long-lost daughter, yet he feels strangely drawn to her with fatherly concern. Once upon a time, Alexsander had also been forced to give up true love by his wealthy hotelier family more concerned with social standings. Now, when that same fate is being repeated with María and after many years of searching for her, destiny has intervened to bring father and daughter together.
After a confused incident, the truth of María's heritage is discovered. Having lost her mother and grandfather, María realizes she still has family in this world. Unfortunately, Alexander soon dies from a heart attack, leaving María the Hotel of Santo Angelo.
Now an heiress, María takes on her rightful birth name, Alejandra Balsameda. She also proves to be a capable businesswoman managing her father's hotel and fortune. Alejandra manages the hotel and has to confront new obstacles when she discovers that her father's business associate, Dupré (Tony Carbajal) and his lover Andrea (Nelly Meden) are stealing from her.
With a new name, nice clothes and wealth, few people recognize her from her past life. Yet her life is still full of hatred and the desire for revenge. Now that she has inherited Alexsander's wealth, María sees it as destiny's way to help her achieve her revenge on the Narvaez family.
Fate seems to set circumstances in María's (now Alejandra) favor to accomplish her revenge. To Alejandra's surprise, the airline has placed employees as permanent residents in her hotel: Javier Narváez, Eduardo (Raymundo Capetillo) and flight attendant Sonia (Marcela Rubiales). Later, at a hotel party, Alejandra encounters Javier. He's struck by the resemblance with María Olivares, but thinks he's mistaken because Alejandra is a refined and elegant woman.
At the party, the Governor of San Angelo (Germán Robles) falls in love with Alejandra, while his daughter Lucy (Karina Duprez) becomes engaged to Javier. Alejandra's beauty also attracts new arrival to San Angelo, the Sultan de Oman (Rogelio Guerra) is also madly in love with Alejandra. However, despite her wealth, refinement and the interest of other men, Alejandra's desire for revenge continues to blind her to opportunities for happiness. Meanwhile, Rafael and his wife Carmen leave Hacienda Narváez to live in San Angelo.
Now that Alejandra has gotten restitution from Dupré and she is 100% owner of the hotel, Andrea becomes her employee, ally and confidant. Alejandra begins to plan her revenge with Andrea's help. During a visit to the hotel, Rafael meets Andrea and falls in love with her. Andrea gets Rafael drunk and takes to the hotel's casino every night.
Eventually, Rafael becomes addicted to gambling and alcohol, loses all his money and Andrea - following Alejandra's orders - makes him sign an IOU with the Hacienda Narvaez as collateral, which he also loses. With Rafael's great debt to the hotel, Alejandra demands payment, otherwise she will take possession of Hacienda Narvaez.
When Carmen finds out her husband's predicament, she begs for mercy from Alejandra. Alejandra tells her to show up at the hotel the following day, where she will give her back the IOU. Before Carmen arrives, Alejandra orders a mud pit be built at the hotel and invites the governador, his daughter and Javier as witnesses. When Carmen arrives, Alejandra tells her in front of everyone that she will give her the IOU and forgive the debt if Carmen picks up the document from the mudpit with her teeth. Deperate and crying, Carmen throws herself toward the mudpit. However, Alejandra reaches for the IOU and retrieves it before Carmen humiliates herself, explaining that she cannot be as cruel as Carmen had been with her years before. Now that her identity has been revealed, everyone realizes that Maria and Alejandra are one and the same. Then Sultan de Oman was attempt by some of people of his agents and after that he was pull down from his kingdom.
Javier wants to reestablish his relationship with Alejandra, but she says no. Javier decides to marry Sofía (Luz Adriana), who owns the lands next to his property at Hacienda Narvaez. Alejandra, utilizing a middleman buyer(Estela Chacón), makes an offer to Rafael Narváez for the Hacienda, which he accepts to avoid bankruptcy caused by his addictions. Carmen dies run over by a car, Rafael becomes an alcoholic and Alejandra returns as owner of Hacienda Narváez. Finally, Javier se divorces Sofía, begs Alejandra's forgiveness and they marry.
Telenovela
A telenovela is a limited-run serial dramatic programming popular in Latin American, Portuguese, and Spanish television programming. The word combines tele, short for televisión or televisão , and novela, a Spanish or Portuguese word for "novel"...
made by Televisa
Televisa
Televisa is a Mexican multimedia conglomerate, the largest mass media company in Latin America and in the Spanish-speaking world. It is a major international entertainment business, with much of its programming airing in the United States on Univision, with which it has an exclusive contract...
, produced by Valentin Pimstein and directed by Rafael Banquells, starring Helena Rojo
Helena Rojo
Helena Rojo is a leading Mexican film, theater and television actress.-Biography:She began her career as a model in the early-1960s. Toward the end of the decade, she studied drama with renown Mexican directors Carlos Ancira and José Luis Ibáñez, making her film debut in 1968 in the film El club...
and Enrique Lizalde. Writing credits belong to Ines Rodena (original story), Maria Teresa Madero (adaptation) and Tere Medina (adaptation). La venganza is a romantic heroine story, combining elements of Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault
Charles Perrault was a French author who laid the foundations for a new literary genre, the fairy tale, with his works derived from pre-existing folk tales. The best known include Le Petit Chaperon rouge , Cendrillon , Le Chat Botté and La Barbe bleue...
's Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
, George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
's Pygmalion
Pygmalion (play)
Pygmalion: A Romance in Five Acts is a play by Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. Professor of phonetics Henry Higgins makes a bet that he can train a bedraggled Cockney flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, to pass for a duchess at an ambassador's garden party by teaching her to assume a veneer of...
and William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Taming of the Shrew.
Plot
María Olivares (Helena Rojo) is a beautiful but poor young provincial woman. Never having known her father and orphaned at a young age, she is raised by her maternal grandfather, Don Maximiliano (José Luis Jiménez). Her grandfather is a peasant farmer living in a hut on the grounds of his employers'land, a wealthy family, owners of Hacienda Narváez.Javier Narvaez (Enrique Lizalde) is the handsome son and heir to half the Narvaez family fortune, who is visiting his brother Rafael (Javier Marc) and sister-in-law Carmen (Beatriz Sheridan). Javier is an independent young man and also a successful airline pilot. Rafael and Carmen meanwhile live on the Hacienda and operate the family business, viewing Javier as a sort of prodigal son, undeserving of his share of the family wealth.
María meets and falls in love with Javier during his visit to the Hacienda. María is captivated by Javier, who despite his wealth -and unlike his family- has a good soul and is unconcerned by social standings. Javier in turn, falls in love with María, realizing that her nature is even more attractive than her physical beauty.
However, Carmen and Rafael are against the relationship because Maria is poor. Carmen constantly humiliates Maria, at one point throwing a bracelet into the mud and forcing Maria to retrieve it with her teeth. Later, Carmen sets María's house on fire, hoping to force her to move away. Tragically, María's grandfather dies when her home burns down. María realizes it was an intentional act and bitterly vows to take a revenge against all the Narvaez. Meanwhile, Javier is unaware of Carmen's actions and believes María has left him.
Now homeless and pregnant, María escapes to Mexico City. She arrives at the home of Alexander Balsameda (Roberto Cañedo), a sick elderly man, where she takes a job as his caretaker. Balsameda offers her protection not knowing that María is his long-lost daughter, yet he feels strangely drawn to her with fatherly concern. Once upon a time, Alexsander had also been forced to give up true love by his wealthy hotelier family more concerned with social standings. Now, when that same fate is being repeated with María and after many years of searching for her, destiny has intervened to bring father and daughter together.
After a confused incident, the truth of María's heritage is discovered. Having lost her mother and grandfather, María realizes she still has family in this world. Unfortunately, Alexander soon dies from a heart attack, leaving María the Hotel of Santo Angelo.
Now an heiress, María takes on her rightful birth name, Alejandra Balsameda. She also proves to be a capable businesswoman managing her father's hotel and fortune. Alejandra manages the hotel and has to confront new obstacles when she discovers that her father's business associate, Dupré (Tony Carbajal) and his lover Andrea (Nelly Meden) are stealing from her.
With a new name, nice clothes and wealth, few people recognize her from her past life. Yet her life is still full of hatred and the desire for revenge. Now that she has inherited Alexsander's wealth, María sees it as destiny's way to help her achieve her revenge on the Narvaez family.
Fate seems to set circumstances in María's (now Alejandra) favor to accomplish her revenge. To Alejandra's surprise, the airline has placed employees as permanent residents in her hotel: Javier Narváez, Eduardo (Raymundo Capetillo) and flight attendant Sonia (Marcela Rubiales). Later, at a hotel party, Alejandra encounters Javier. He's struck by the resemblance with María Olivares, but thinks he's mistaken because Alejandra is a refined and elegant woman.
At the party, the Governor of San Angelo (Germán Robles) falls in love with Alejandra, while his daughter Lucy (Karina Duprez) becomes engaged to Javier. Alejandra's beauty also attracts new arrival to San Angelo, the Sultan de Oman (Rogelio Guerra) is also madly in love with Alejandra. However, despite her wealth, refinement and the interest of other men, Alejandra's desire for revenge continues to blind her to opportunities for happiness. Meanwhile, Rafael and his wife Carmen leave Hacienda Narváez to live in San Angelo.
Now that Alejandra has gotten restitution from Dupré and she is 100% owner of the hotel, Andrea becomes her employee, ally and confidant. Alejandra begins to plan her revenge with Andrea's help. During a visit to the hotel, Rafael meets Andrea and falls in love with her. Andrea gets Rafael drunk and takes to the hotel's casino every night.
Eventually, Rafael becomes addicted to gambling and alcohol, loses all his money and Andrea - following Alejandra's orders - makes him sign an IOU with the Hacienda Narvaez as collateral, which he also loses. With Rafael's great debt to the hotel, Alejandra demands payment, otherwise she will take possession of Hacienda Narvaez.
When Carmen finds out her husband's predicament, she begs for mercy from Alejandra. Alejandra tells her to show up at the hotel the following day, where she will give her back the IOU. Before Carmen arrives, Alejandra orders a mud pit be built at the hotel and invites the governador, his daughter and Javier as witnesses. When Carmen arrives, Alejandra tells her in front of everyone that she will give her the IOU and forgive the debt if Carmen picks up the document from the mudpit with her teeth. Deperate and crying, Carmen throws herself toward the mudpit. However, Alejandra reaches for the IOU and retrieves it before Carmen humiliates herself, explaining that she cannot be as cruel as Carmen had been with her years before. Now that her identity has been revealed, everyone realizes that Maria and Alejandra are one and the same. Then Sultan de Oman was attempt by some of people of his agents and after that he was pull down from his kingdom.
Javier wants to reestablish his relationship with Alejandra, but she says no. Javier decides to marry Sofía (Luz Adriana), who owns the lands next to his property at Hacienda Narvaez. Alejandra, utilizing a middleman buyer(Estela Chacón), makes an offer to Rafael Narváez for the Hacienda, which he accepts to avoid bankruptcy caused by his addictions. Carmen dies run over by a car, Rafael becomes an alcoholic and Alejandra returns as owner of Hacienda Narváez. Finally, Javier se divorces Sofía, begs Alejandra's forgiveness and they marry.
Cast
- Helena RojoHelena RojoHelena Rojo is a leading Mexican film, theater and television actress.-Biography:She began her career as a model in the early-1960s. Toward the end of the decade, she studied drama with renown Mexican directors Carlos Ancira and José Luis Ibáñez, making her film debut in 1968 in the film El club...
as María Olivares / Alejandra Balmaseda (Marimar) - Enrique Lizalde as Javier Narvaez (Sergio)
- José Luis JimenezJosé Luis JiménezJosé Luis Jiménez Marín is a professional Chilean footballer who currently plays as a Forward for Universidad de Concepción.-Club Career:...
as Maximiliano (Pancho) - Azucena Rodríguez as Rosa
- Raymundo Capetillo as Eduardo (Arturo)
- Aurora Cortes as Santa
- Luz Adriana as Sofia (Inocencia)
- Nelly Meden as Andrea (Brenda)
- Beatriz SheridanBeatriz SheridanBeatriz Sheridan was a Mexican actress and director. She died from a heart attack.-Biography:Elizabeth Ann Sheridan Scarbrough was born in 1934 in Mexico City, Mexico, to an English mother and a Mexican father...
as Carmen Narvaez (Angelica/Antonieta) - Tony Carbajal as Dupre (Duarte)
- Javier Marc as Rafael Narvaez (Renato)
- Karina Duprez as Lucy (Natalia)
- Patricia Davalos as Isabel (Isabel)
- German RoblesGermán RoblesGermán Robles is a Mexican film, theater, television, and voice actor. He came to Mexico when he was 17, after Spain's civil war. His slim figure contrasts with his deep, calm, elegant voice....
as Gobernador de St Angelo (Fernando) - Rogelio Guerra as Sultán de Omán (Rodolfo)
- René MuñozRené MuñozRené Muñoz was a Cuban actor and screenwriter of telenovelas and the cinema of Mexico.He is most remembered for his role in the Spanish film Fray Escoba.-Biography:...
as Mohamed - Eugenia D'Asil as Esther
- Miguel Angel Ferriz as José Luis
- Roberto Cañedo as Alejandro Balmaseda (Gustavo)
- Héctor GómezHéctor GómezHéctor Alexis Gómez is a major league baseball shortstop currently on the Colorado Rockies active roster....
as Victor - Laura ZapataLaura ZapataLaura Zapata is a Mexican telenovela actress. She has acted in Televisa productions most of her life.- Family :...
as Violeta - Odiseo BichirOdiseo BichirOdiseo Bichir is a Hispanic television actor and son of Alejandro and Marisol Bichir.-References:...
as Caleta - Hector CruzHéctor CruzHéctor Louis Cruz is a former outfielder/third baseman in Major League Baseball who played for the St. Louis Cardinals , Chicago Cubs San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds...
as Nazario - Marcela Rubiales as Sonia
- Otto SirgoOtto SirgoOtto Sirgo is a Cuban actor and director of Mexican telenovelas and theater. He is the son of Magda Haller and is married to Maleni Morales, both actresses.-Telenovelas:...
as Alfonso del Olmo - Magda Haller as Doña Clementina
- Rebeca Silva Graciela Bernardos as Daniela
- Jorge Fink as Padre Julian (Padre Porres)
Other versions/Remakes
- La indomable, 1974 original version made in VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, starring Marina Baura and Elio Rubens.
- Rosa SalvajeRosa salvajeRosa salvaje is a Mexican telenovela that was broadcast in 1987. It starred the popular Mexican actress Verónica Castro, who played the main character, "Rosa", co-starring with Guillermo Capetillo as her love interest and Laura Zapata as the villain of the story.This telenovela was a huge success...
, 1987 remake, starring Verónica CastroVerónica CastroVerónica Castro is a Mexican actress, singer and television host. She is the mother of singer Cristian Castro and filmmaker Michelle Sáinz Castro and the sister of actress Beatriz Castro,and telenovela producer José Alberto Castro....
, as well as Laura ZapataLaura ZapataLaura Zapata is a Mexican telenovela actress. She has acted in Televisa productions most of her life.- Family :...
, who also appeared in La Venganza.
- Marimar, 1994 remake by Televisa in Mexico, starring ThalíaThalíaAriadna Thalía Sodi Miranda , known simply by the mononym Thalía , is a Mexican singer and actress. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide...
and Eduardo CapetilloEduardo CapetilloEduardo Capetillo is a Mexican actor and singer. He was born in Mexico City, Mexico. He belongs to the Capetillo family, who have a long tradition of being bullfighters....
.
- Gata SalvajeGata SalvajeGata Salvaje was a telenovela which aired first on Venevisión in Venezuela on May 16, 2002 and some days later was released on the Spanish station Univision from mid-summer of 2002 until May 2003, and later aired in Mexico on El Canal De Las Estrellas from January 2003 to December 2003...
, 2003 remake by Venevísión in Venezuela, starring Marlene FavelaMarlene FavelaSilvia Marlene Favela Meraz is a Mexican actress. She studied at "Centro de Educación Artística de Televisa in Mexico City and is also a model...
and Mario CimarroMario CimarroMario Antonio Cimarro Paz is a Cuban actor.-Biography:Cimarro was born in Havana, Cuba to Antonio Luis Cimarro and Maria Caridad Paz. He has one sister, Maria Antonia Cimarro Paz...
.
- MariMarMariMar (Philippine TV series)MariMar was a Philippine drama previously being broadcast in GMA Network, starring Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes.Though a remake-adaptation of a Mexican telenovela the setting and some of the storylines were altered. Directed by Joyce E. Bernal and Mac Alejandre, the series premiered on August...
, 2007 remake by GMA 7, starring Marian RiveraMarian RiveraMarian Rivera is a Filipina actress and occasional singer-dancer. Her first TV role came in 2005 via TAPE Inc.'s afternoon drama, Kung Mamahalin Mo Lang Ako in the lead that was aired in GMA Network. In 2007 she was cast for the title role in the Philippine remake of MariMar...
and Dingdong DantesDingdong DantesJose Sixto Raphael Gonzalez Dantes III, popularly known as Dingdong Dantes, is a director/actor and model, born on August 2, 1980 in Quezon City, Philippines.- Early years :...
.