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Mandrake (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Mandrake is an original series created for the Brazil
ian branch of the HBO
Latin America
. The series was produced by HBO's local partner, Conspiração Filmes, with a budget of USD
$6.5 million. It first aired on October 30, 2005, being broadcast on Sundays at 11 O'clock pm
(local Brazilian time: UTC
-3).
The first ever HBO original series produced in Brazil, Mandrake was adapted from the character created by Brazilian novel
ist, Rubem Fonseca
. Fonseca is known for his analysis of Rio de Janeiro
's diverse society in his book A Grande Arte (The Great Art). Fonseca was actively involved in the adaptation of his work for TV, and the general direction of the project was entrusted to his own son, José Henrique Fonseca.
The series was met with great enthusiasm by critics. A second batch of five episodes was produced in mid 2007, and began airing on November 18, 2007. This is expected to complete a 13-episode first season. A second season was, at first, neither confirmed nor denied, with HBO quoted as saying they would be focusing on producing an international series immediately after the Mandrake first season ends. Finally, on May 20, 2007, HBO announced that it was beginning production of a 5-episode second season of the show
As part of a broader plan of distribution, the episodes were immediately dubbed in Spanish
, so that HBO could distribute the show to its other Latin America
n branches.
lawyer
from Rio de Janeiro
played by Marcos Palmeira
. His line of work consists mainly of helping wealthy individuals who are facing trouble with the shadier elements of the local society (such as rich men who may be being blackmail
ed by corrupt cops). Mandrake's job is to act as a go-between Rio's subculture and his clients.
He works out of a small, but highly respected, practice, where he has a partner, seventy-year-old Wexler, a Jewish
lawyer who was Mandrake's late father's associate in the same practice. In it, Wexler is responsible for the Civil
cases, whereas Mandrake (as was his father before him) is responsible for the Criminal ones. Completely honest, Wexler often scolds Mandrake, who he treats like his own son, for his unorthodox and sometimes not completely honest dealings and methods.
Mandrake is also a womanizer, often dating two women at once and having numerous one night stand
s. Other than women, his other confessed addictions are Cuba
n cigar
s and Portuguese
wine
s.
The episodes are punctuated by narrations in off by Mandrake, where he ponders about the many aspects of human nature and life in modern society. Besides that, he also has informal discussions about life in general with some colleagues at a local bar, named Bar do Zé.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian branch of the HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. The series was produced by HBO's local partner, Conspiração Filmes, with a budget of USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
$6.5 million. It first aired on October 30, 2005, being broadcast on Sundays at 11 O'clock pm
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
(local Brazilian time: UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
-3).
The first ever HBO original series produced in Brazil, Mandrake was adapted from the character created by Brazilian novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
ist, Rubem Fonseca
Rubem Fonseca
Rubem Fonseca is a Brazilian writer.He was born in Juiz de Fora, in the state of Minas Gerais, but he has lived most of his life in Rio de Janeiro. In 1952, he started his career as a low-level cop and, later became a police commissioner, one of the highest ranks in the civil police of Brazil...
. Fonseca is known for his analysis of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
's diverse society in his book A Grande Arte (The Great Art). Fonseca was actively involved in the adaptation of his work for TV, and the general direction of the project was entrusted to his own son, José Henrique Fonseca.
The series was met with great enthusiasm by critics. A second batch of five episodes was produced in mid 2007, and began airing on November 18, 2007. This is expected to complete a 13-episode first season. A second season was, at first, neither confirmed nor denied, with HBO quoted as saying they would be focusing on producing an international series immediately after the Mandrake first season ends. Finally, on May 20, 2007, HBO announced that it was beginning production of a 5-episode second season of the show
As part of a broader plan of distribution, the episodes were immediately dubbed in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, so that HBO could distribute the show to its other Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n branches.
Overview
The series focuses on the character of Mandrake, a criminalCriminal law
Criminal law, is the body of law that relates to crime. It might be defined as the body of rules that defines conduct that is not allowed because it is held to threaten, harm or endanger the safety and welfare of people, and that sets out the punishment to be imposed on people who do not obey...
lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
from Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
played by Marcos Palmeira
Marcos Palmeira
Marcos Palmeira de Paula is a Brazilian actor. He is nephew of the siblings Chico Anysio and Lupe Gigliotti.- Telenovelas :* 2009 - Cama de Gato - Gustavo Brandão* 2008 - Três Irmãs - Bento Rio Preto* 2006 - Belíssima - Gilberto Moura...
. His line of work consists mainly of helping wealthy individuals who are facing trouble with the shadier elements of the local society (such as rich men who may be being blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
ed by corrupt cops). Mandrake's job is to act as a go-between Rio's subculture and his clients.
He works out of a small, but highly respected, practice, where he has a partner, seventy-year-old Wexler, a Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
lawyer who was Mandrake's late father's associate in the same practice. In it, Wexler is responsible for the Civil
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
cases, whereas Mandrake (as was his father before him) is responsible for the Criminal ones. Completely honest, Wexler often scolds Mandrake, who he treats like his own son, for his unorthodox and sometimes not completely honest dealings and methods.
Mandrake is also a womanizer, often dating two women at once and having numerous one night stand
One Night Stand
One Night Stand is an HBO stand-up series that first aired on February 15, 1989. The half-hour series aired weekly and featured stand-up comedy specials from some of the top performing comedians. The series originally comprised 55 specials over the course of its four years on HBO...
s. Other than women, his other confessed addictions are Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
s and Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
s.
The episodes are punctuated by narrations in off by Mandrake, where he ponders about the many aspects of human nature and life in modern society. Besides that, he also has informal discussions about life in general with some colleagues at a local bar, named Bar do Zé.
Funding
The funding for Mandrake was made possible by a program by the Brazilian government geared towards fomenting a domestic audiovisual production industry. Legislation ruling the media sector requires all paid TV networks to deposit an amount equal to 3% of any funds to be sent abroad into a holding account. This account, which became known as Condecine, cannot be accessed by the network except if to fund domestic audiovisual projects. If the given network does not use it within a certain period of time, than the amount deposited in the given period would go to the national fund for financing the arts.Cast and characters
- Paolo Mandrake (Marcos PalmeiraMarcos PalmeiraMarcos Palmeira de Paula is a Brazilian actor. He is nephew of the siblings Chico Anysio and Lupe Gigliotti.- Telenovelas :* 2009 - Cama de Gato - Gustavo Brandão* 2008 - Três Irmãs - Bento Rio Preto* 2006 - Belíssima - Gilberto Moura...
): The title character, he is a brilliant Criminal lawyer. His main line of work is dealing with the characters from Rio de Janeiro's underworldOrganized crimeOrganized crime or criminal organizations are transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, most commonly for monetary profit. Some criminal organizations, such as terrorist organizations, are...
on behalf of his clients: wealthy people, or high middle classMiddle classThe middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
people, who find themselves entangled with this parallel reality. - Léon Wexler (Luis Carlos Miéle): Mandrake's associate (and former associate of Mandrake's father). He plays the moral counterpart to Mandrake's unorthodox approach to his profession. Occasionally assists with the troubles Mandrake gets himself into.
- Raul (Marcelo SerradoMarcelo SerradoMarcelo Magalhães Serrado is a Brazilian actor.- Television :- Film :...
): Mandrake's childhood friend who joined the Force and is now a police officer. He provides Mandrake with the "inside scoop", and often slips him privileged information that helps Mandrake win his cases. - Bebel (Érika Mader): Mandrake's considerably younger, "regular" lover.
- Berta (Maria Luiza Mendonça): The "official girlfriend", she is always suspecting Mandrake's indiscretions, and often calls him on little lies he tells her. Seems willing to put up with a lot in order to prolong the relationship.
- Junior (Marcelo AdnetMarcelo AdnetMarcelo França Adnet is a Brazilian actor, comedian and VJ. He currently has two TV shows: Adnet ao vivo , and Comédia MTV...
): The new intern in Mandrake's office, he aspires to emulate Mandrake, but is an utter failure with women. - Verônica (Virgínia Cavendish): Mandrake's new secretary, she is a former Pentecostal CharismaticCharismatic movementThe term charismatic movement is used in varying senses to describe 20th century developments in various Christian denominations. It describes an ongoing international, cross-denominational/non-denominational Christian movement in which individual, historically mainstream congregations adopt...
that starts to explore her sexuality with a little help from her employer.
Episodes
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | October 30, 2005 | December 18, 2005 |
| Season 2 | 5 | November 18, 2007 | December 16, 2007 |
Guest spots
Several Brazilian actors and celebrities have played guest roles in the series:- A Cidade Não É O Que Se Vê Do Pão de Açúcar (The City is Not What is Seen from the Sugarloaf):
- Alexandre FrotaAlexandre FrotaAlexandre Frota de Andrade is an Brazilian actor and ex-model.- Career:His acting career begin in various telenovelas on the Globo TV Network and in Brazilian films. He has been married to Brazilian actresses Cláudia Raia and Andréa Oliveira, although this second marriage lasted only a few months...
(former male model, actor): plays the pimpPimpA pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
Célio - Daniel Dantas (actor): plays the playboy, "Baby Machado"
- Suzana AlvesSuzana AlvesSuzana Ferreira Alves or Tiazinha is a major Brazilian sex symbol. The issue of the Brazilian Playboy that featured Tiazinha is one of the best-selling ones of all times for the Brazilian edition of the magazine.She started as a dancer in the TV-show H at Rede Bandeirantes.She also released an...
(also known as "Tiazinha" — entertainer): plays the prostitute "Linda"
- Alexandre Frota
- Dia dos Namorados (Valentine's Day):
- Bianca SoaresBianca SoaresBianca Soares is Brazilian model and transsexual pornographic actress.-Biography:Bianca began her artistic career in 2004, when she entered the SBT reality show Casa dos Artistas...
(model): plays the transsexual "Viveca" - Jean Pierre NoherJean Pierre NoherJean-Pierre Noher is a Franco-Argentine theater, film and television actor.The great-nephew of famed director Max Ophüls, Noher was born in Paris, in 1956. He relocated to Argentina as a young man, and debuted on Argentine television with a part in a soap opera, Novia de vacaciones, in 1979...
(ArgentineArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
actor): plays the businessman J.J. Soares - Ítalo Rossi (veteran actor): plays "Dr. Graff"
- Castrinho (veteran entertainer and actor): plays "Saldanha"
- Juliana Galvão (model): plays "Leilane"
- Alexia Deschamps (actress): plays "Gilda"
- Lavínia VlasakLavínia VlasakLavínia Gutmann Vlasak is a Brazilian actress.She's been always compared to Audrey Hepburn and, then, has already taken many pictures imitating here.- Television :-Film:-External links:...
(former model, actress): plays "Alexia"
- Bianca Soares
- Kolkata:
- Cecil Thiré (veteran actor): plays the millionaire and bon-vivant "Julinho Pedrosa"
- Rodolfo Bottino (veteran actor and amateur cook): plays Chef "Enzo Fortuna"
- Evandro Mesquita (singer and actor): plays the Kama SutraKama SutraThe Kama Sutra is an ancient Indian Hindu text widely considered to be the standard work on human sexual behavior in Sanskrit literature written by Vātsyāyana. A portion of the work consists of practical advice on sexual intercourse. It is largely in prose, with many inserted anustubh poetry verses...
guru "Javi Kolkata"
- Brasília:
- Antonio Grassi (veteran actor): plays a retired cop who couldn't handle the stress at work and turned into a radical vegan and doomsdayDoomsday eventA doomsday event is a specific, plausibly verifiable or hypothetical occurrence which has an exceptionally destructive effect on the human race...
believer.
- Antonio Grassi (veteran actor): plays a retired cop who couldn't handle the stress at work and turned into a radical vegan and doomsday
- Rosas Negras:
- Bruna LombardiBruna LombardiBruna Patrizia Maria Teresa Romilda Lombardi is a Brazilian poet, writer, model, and film and TV actress. She is daughter of Italian film producer Ugo Lombardi....
(former model, actress): plays "Lena", the older woman who was Mandrake's first love. - Tamara Taxman (veteran actress) : plays the owner of a flower shop, one of the few that sells black rosesBlack Rose (symbolism)Black roses do not exist in nature as such, but nevertheless have been created in laboratories. Botanists have manipulated roses' genes through preliminary cross breeding, creating a hybrid black rose...
.
- Bruna Lombardi