We talked about cheesiness being a factor that makes a book bad, well it can sure make television bad! El Corazon Salvaje is one large ball of cheese. What is great about watching a show together in class as opposed to reading a book solo is the fact that we can see and hear each other’s reactions to the telenovela, something you cannot do with a novel. We all know the parts that we laughed at because they were so outrageous.
Another interesting thing that I’ve discovered about telenovelas is how much they are like American soap opera’s, a new discovery for me as I have never before had the pleasure of watching one. They are not only cheesy like a soap opera; they follow the same structure as well. They both use overdramatic music. They both utilize beautiful actors wearing far too much makeup who also over act. And they both have over the top plots. In fact everything is over the top.
Is El Corazon Salvaje bad television? Yes, it really is, just like American soap operas are. Are they enjoyable and addictive? I bet they are. After all, who can’t derive pleasure from laughing hysterically at the passionate antics of the characters’ crazy love lives and deaths?
March 27, 2007 at 4:09 pm
One thing that I noticed that set ‘Corazon Salvaje’ aprt from most American soap operas is that American soaps tend to focus on way more characters than ‘Corazon Salvaje’ did. I don’t know if that makes it better or worse than say ‘All my Children’. But other than that I’d say that the comparison holds true.
March 27, 2007 at 11:10 pm
altough i didn’t conciously make a note of it, i also found it interesting to see people’s reactions to the different scenes. Watching it conjunctivelly made the process far more enjoyable. I think i would have hate it more had i watched it by myself…
March 28, 2007 at 7:37 am
I think another important distinction to make between telenovelas and American soaps is that telenovelas have endings that cheesily wrap up the whole story. American soap operas on the other hand go on for years and years so that the storylines end up being super repetitive when the writers run out of material.
April 11, 2007 at 6:49 am
I agree, soap operas tend to be reproduced in a similar manner across the border. It’s funny because many of the American soaps were seen in Europe dubbed in whatever language it aired. But at the same time soap operas convey exaggerated stereotypes of the particular country it’s made in and I think other cultures get a fake impression on that particular culture even if we know it’s unrealistic.