Crossed Roads
PARIENTES A LA FUERZA "book-ends" story by returning in Episode 100 to location where Carmen and George first met--San Miguel de Allende. 2023 MEXICO calender features bird's eye (or angel's) view of La Parroquia and the central "jardin" park, where trimmed trees remind me of round green chairs in dining room of Cruz house and Tania's office. https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91XbDmgpSDL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
Pay attention to details--some NEWS & CLUES are given AT THE END OF THIS POST.
"Crossed Lace" pattern of rainbow "Red Heart Crossed Lace Knit Snood" reminds me of "Crossed roads" of characters in the story. https://www.yarnspirations.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-master-catalog-spinrite/default/dwe1eeeade/PDF/RHK0110-028664M.pdf
Other colorful FREE patterns could be nice gifts to make. https://www.yarnspirations.com/patterns/pattern-round-ups/seasonal/rh-new-fashion-pattern-round-up?pmin=0.01&srule=is-new&start=0&sz=12
Crocheted hood in rainbow yarn for those who don't knit is included in this pattern round-up
https://www.yarnspirations.com/search?q=balaclava&includeContent=trueThere's even a new "When pigs fly" crochet amiguirumi that's simpler than the "Cu-pig" stuffed toy, tho using yarn might be easier to work with, instead of Size 10 thread (which pattern says results in pig approx 2 1/4 in x 1 3/4--perhaps suitable for a Christmas tree decoration).
https://www.yarnspirations.com/search?q=pig&includeContent=true***************************
Depending on if PALF will still be available for viewing on Spectrum, www.NBC.com or elsewhere, may keep watching PALF before I start watching to re-watch 1998 LA MENTIRA currently available for streaming On Demand https://vix.com/es-es/detail/series-2756
If I can find notes I made years ago of some favorite scenes and dialogue in LA MENTIRA, might eventually also post those on this blog. Previous posts on this blog already include comments on what makes LA MENTIRA and original 1994 Cafe con Aroma de Mujer classics in telenovela genre, which I hope will open eyes of viewers and lead to greater appreciation and enjoyment.
Also currently available On Demand is CORAZON APASIONADO. Project interested Guy because it offered chance to portray character different from "refined and wealthy" man he was typically cast in novelas.
Viewers who have seen many telenovelas may recognize that CORAZON APASIONADO is partly a deliberate exageration of tropes in the genre. Some jokes that only adults will catch include Fedora's lines about bedroom games with su amante Armando.... ROTFL I love when Armando happily greets with a kiss on its muzzle, dark horse Tormenta (Storm)--whom he knew from years ago--perhaps wink at old cowboy movies where leading man shows more affection toward his four-legged pal than toward his nominal romantic leading lady!
By now, readers of this blog learning Spanish may be able to understand the following, written in part as reply to comments on Youtube LM channel from about 9 years ago, especially around Ep. 53
1998 version de LA MENTIRA usa simbolos de mitologia y metaforos como en literatura.
"Deslumbrante" Veronica (nombre que significa "imagen verdadera") representa el luz del sol que vencera la noche de oscuridad de Virginia la mentirosa. En muchas escenas, Demetrio mira Veronica desde abajo como un ser human mira al cielo desde la tierra.
Tambien la 1998 version de LA MENTIRA explora los effectos de mentiras (corupcion) en sociedad, por ejemplo, en el mundo bancario, entra la policia, y cuando medicos no cumplen con el juramento Hipocratico para "hacer no dano", ademas de todas las personas que no complen con sus promesas matrimoniales.
Las protagonistas (duenos de la hacienda La Flor) y otros personajes buenos y carinosos estan rodeados de simbolos de vida y fertilidad--flores, hojas verdes, arboles, frutas y verduras. (El nombre de Jacinto, trabajador leal en La Flor quien tiene un brazo lisiado, significa un flor; en ingles, "hyacinth") Hasta el jeep que transporte Demetrio a traves del desierto a Pueblo Alegre es de color verde. El nombre Demetrio refiera a Demeter, la diosa griega de fertilidad de la tierra. En este novela, Demetrio salva la vida de una yegua y su potro durante un parto dificile ("breech-birth" cuando el literalmente guia la criatura en la matriz de su madre con su mano) y (Cap. 61-62) tambien parece sentir "embarasada" como Veronica--que tierno!
Al otro lado, para los antigonistas Virginia y Santiago, lo unico que se les importa son sus propias vidas, y los dos causen las muertes de varias personas solo para ser ricos sin trabajar. (En cambio, Demetrio ha trabajado desde el tuve 14 anos.) "Los Malos" son rodiados de muchos cosas sin vida y destructiva que representa la contaminacion (pollution) MORAL ademas de environmental (recuede en la fiesta de bienvenida de Juan, el y Veronica halagan el trabajo de Demetrio para proteger el medio ambiente; este misma noche Demetrio dice a Vero que por dinero "se roba, se mata, se muere".)
Los malos fuman mucho, que representa sus actos de decepcion que hacen dano como el humo. En vez de naturaleza sana, sus simbolos incluye el color gris de humo, estructuras y desenos sin vida como "grids"* (nets/redes, telaranas?), objectos de metal. Y se comen "junk food" sin nutricion!
Note on walls of Santiago's appartment, copies of 3 paintings by Edward Hopper (clearly not originals, as his "Chop Suey" last sold for $92 MILLION dollars)--including "Western Motel" https://www.edwardhopper.net/western-motel.jsp--stressing urban isolation rather than a living community that will grow from rebirth of Hacienda La Flor in Pueblo Alegre.
Tho I don't have pattern for light green crochet blanket with leaf-shape trim seen toward ending of LA MENTIRA, this knit pattern has similar symbolic theme: baby Tree of Life blanket Also available in Portuguese/Também disponível em Português: Manta Baby Tree of Life (authorized translation)
Agua representa cleansing, purificacion, como agua bendita. Despues de una tormenta, Veronica reconcilia con Demetrio. Parece ser simbolica que cuando mezcla los colores azul con amarillo forma el color verde, como agua y la luz del sol son elementos necesarios para la vida de plantas.
En el libro original de LA MENTIRA, Ricardo Platas tiene una mina del oro en las selvas del Amazona de Brazil, en vez de un desierto estirile transformado por amor para ser una "paraiso" lleno de vida y felicidad--una comunidad que es de verdad, un Pueblo Alegre.
Como en el libro escrito por Caridad Bravo Adams, la 1998 version de LA MENTIRA refiere al elementos importantes en obras de Shakespeare, OTHELLO y MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, incluyendo celos causado por mentiras, handkerchief "clue" y almohada fatal. Otras referencia en 1998 version desde literatura incluye CYRANO DE BERGERAC, tal vez el pelicula Indecent Proposal (la "propuesta indecorosa" de Demetrio en Ep. 54 es prueba que Vero no es como Virginia) y la novela Acapulco Bay (de Televisa y Fox, 1995)/Alcapulco Cuerpo y Alma, que Santiago esta viendo en su tele el dia despues de la fiesta de Juan.
1998 LA MENTIRA tambien ilustra los elementos del libro de Christopher Vogler, EL VIAJE DEL ESCRITOR (originalmente escrito en ingles) basada en los obras de Joseph Campbell como HERO WITH A THOUSAND FACES, "The Hero's Journey" y una version femininista https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroine's_journey Otro libro que puede ayudar personas que no tiene mucha experencia interpretando cosas simbolicas en literatura y los artes (READING THE SILVER SCREEN) es LEER COMO UN PROFESOR de Thomas C. Foster, tambien escrito en ingles.
Espero que algun dia alguien escribe una analisis de telenovelas clasicas incluyendo el original (1993) CAFE CON AROMA DE MUJER--como 1998 LA MENTIRA, una fabula de la fertilidad de la tierra) como este estudio de Profesora Leslie Bary http://www.henciclopedia.org.uy/autores/Bary/Corazonsalvaje.htm
Another interesting book that can be applied to examination of telenovelas is A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE ROMANCE NOVEL by Pamela Regis.
*Las crucigramas media tramposas" de Teo tiene un eco en la busquedad de Demetrio para la misteriosa mujer con "nombre que empiece con V" que Ricardo encuentro en la casa de los Fernandez-Negrete. Tambien en el misma casa esta una cuadro de una camino en el campo que paresca donde Demetrio esta envuelto en polvera montado en caballo. Hay muchas otras cosas que se pueden comprender mejor cuando ha visto la novela varias veces attentively.
Also currently available On Demand is CORAZON APASIONADO. Project interested Guy because it offered chance to portray character different from "refined and wealthy" man he was typically cast in novelas.
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On rewatching LA MENTIRA, noticed apparent links between dialogue and symbolic objects:
Episode ??
Veronica protests to Leti how Virginia does things "debajo de la agua" (underhanded?), and then when she tells Demetrio on phone how Virginia insulted her parents, he suddenly gets up to stand by sculpture of three fish in his hotel room. Other visual references to ocean seem to include display of seashells in Virginia's bedroom, and painting of sailboats in Juan's room which Virginia invades to try and seduce him. And then there's statue in fountain in from of Fernandez-Negrete house of child (cupid?) riding a seahorse.
While it may not be intentional, latter reminds me of how male seahorse "gives birth" to babies--and Demetrio demonstrates some traditionally feminine traits/qualities during Veronica's pregnancy, showing/illustrating his link to Demeter, Greek goddess of fertility of the earth, mother of Persephone. Demeter mourning her daughter's disappearance from the face of the earth when kidnapped by Pluto, god of the underworld, was mythic reason for changing seasons, winter followed by spring when young woman returns. Demetrio wears heavy winter coat while grieving Veronica's disappearance; unknown to him, she has crossed ocean to "Motherland" Spain.
In Episode ???, when Sara rests in master bedroom after pretending to have injured her foot (in order to get Juan and Virginia to come back home and leave Veronica with Leti in Cuernavaca), a black & white photo in art book of famous painting LAS MENINAS by Velazquez shows Spain's blond royal family in tricky use of mirror images.
Among many other references to shoes and feet, in Ep ??? Virginia hides Veronica's riding boots at family ranch, then tells Sara how she hopes Veronica "encuentra la horma de su zapato", or has found her match in Demetrio--in more than one way. In Ep. 29, Yadira tells him to let Veronica leave (and turn instead to someone, as Irma puts it, "bebiendo sus suspiros"), advising him that "ni a la fuerza los zapatos entran".
In Eps. 30 & 31, Yadira several times gives foot massages to weary, distracted Demetrio; returning unexpectedly, Veronica sarcastically begs pardon for interrupting "este tan excitante masaje". (She wasn't around to see shoulder massage and even more suggestive moments in the sitting room. See also related post on SOCKS.)
Our deluded hero Demetrio seems to regard with disinterest the servant girl, described as "humilde, fiel", following him like a loyal dog--in fact, later in story, actual large black dog wanders around, perhaps one of Guy's pets in real life that his wife called the mastodons. In contrast, between Eps 33-34, Professor turned drug pusher Santiago takes advantage of his smitten student Karla to get payment for share that Pepe couldn't sell.)
Also mentioned earlier are repeated symbolic use of sunglasses and shady hats, both indicating blindness and being cut off from the light of truth, especially related to brilliant sun of Veronica, cast in dark by lies of Virginia's night and shadows.
After hiding Veronica's riding boots in previous episode, in Ep. 10, Virginia tells Sara how she hopes Vero finds "la horma de su zapato" (in English, "met her match"?) in Demetrio. This metaphor seems to be alluded to again toward end of story, when Demetrio gently removes Vero's boots so she can rest in bed; he seems to be able to tell something is bothering her, but he-and her three "mothers" Sara, Leti & Tonia--are unaware that Vero is stunned by a new lie to hurt her created by Virginia when she bribes a person in position of great trust.
This lie leads to the last separation testing the loving husband and wife; after they reconcile, Demetrio is seen tying his shoes, and Vero, sitting in bed, then holds up her feet, commanding him in cute scene to put her bedroom slippers on her. Thinking back to early episode of the day after the night they first met: beside the pool at Leti's house in Cuernavaca, Demetrio lies down next to Vero in chaise lounge just vacated by Bety--foreshadowing many times yet to come when he and Veronica talk together in bed.
If I find more notes I made, might add to this post. Rewatching repeatedly reveals how richly detailed this story was written and planned--well-worth going back to again and again.
https://peopleenespanol.com/search/?q=Ecker
Sweet news! https://peopleenespanol.com/celebridades/guy-ecker-sera-abuelo-comparte-ecografia/ reposted from Guy's official instagram account. Start following for first hand facts, if you aren't already.