Cuna de lobos
Encyclopedia
Cuna de lobos is a Mexican
soap opera
produced by Televisa
and broadcast by Canal de las Estrellas
in 1986 to 1987. The serial, about the struggle for power within a wealthy Mexican dynasty
, was enormously popular in its native Mexico
. It was also a hit in several foreign countries, including the United States
, Germany
and Australia
.
ess in the grand dramatic tradition of Dynasty
's Alexis Carrington, Dallas
' J.R. Ewing
, or Knots Landing
's Abby Cunningham.
The main character is Leonora, played by Diana Bracho, who portrays the victim of the "wolves", only to "become" a "wolf" herself to seek revenge.
Catalina's unnatural devotion to her eldest son caused her conceal a healthy eye behind the lie of blindness, commit a series of murders beginning with her own husband, Carlos (his crime was realizing how truly evil she was), and to participate in the abduction of a child to ensure her son's inheritance was confirmed.
Such is the impact of her performance, that soap opera's villainess take her as a role model
, and when a program parodies a soap opera, the main villain is usually based on her.
and Australia in recent years. A remake has been in talks for several years, with one finally surfacing in 2010.
.
There is a version of Cuna de lobos produced in Spain
(2002), called La Verdad de Laura, with Mónica Estarreado, Mariano Alameda and Mirtha Ibarra.
Por Derecho de Sangre
is a 2011 series version of Cuna de lobos under the production of Salvador Mejia Alejandre, starring William Levy
y Danna Garcia
. Rebecca Jones as the new Catalina Creel.
In 2006 TvyNovelas named it the best telenovela ever.
With Larios dead, the will gets revealed: it stipulates that whichever of his sons - Alejandro (Alejandro Camacho) or José Carlos (Gonzalo Vega) - produces an heir first shall inherit control of Lar-Creel and its fortune. Catalina is privately pushing for her son Alejandro, who is married, to be the first instead of her stepson José Carlos whom she maintains at bay of the family business. She exploits Jose Carlos' weak nature through guilt (by reminding him it's his fault she wears an eye-patch - which is the heart of the secret Larios was about to disclose) and by making him totally dependent on her paying off his debts. At the same time Catalina fends off a young woman he has begun to date and in a series of events she manages to frame him for the murder of a man who'd been sending threats to the Larios' house, a murder she committed dressed in a blond wig and dark overcoat.
What Catalina ignores is that Alejandro's wife Vilma (Rebecca Jones) is sterile. Alejandro, fully aware of the family tradition, knows Catalina will force him to divorce Vilma. Divided by his devotion for Vilma and his need to control the family business, he decides to contact Leonora clandestinely while having Vilma fake a pregnancy. Esperanza (Carmen Montejo), Leonora's godmother, is wary, but allows Leonora to get involved with him when he wins her over. The relationship deepens, but when Leonora becomes pregnant and Catalina discovers Vilma's fake pregnancy, the stakes are raised. In a bold move to save his marriage Alejandro reveals to Catalina what he's been doing on his own which prompts Catalina to take matters into her own hands: she has Alejandro "marry" Leonora with the intention of taking the child once it's born. Esperanza is unable to warn Leonora of the danger she faces because she suffers a stroke, is rendered mute, and winds up in a nursing home paid for by Catalina.
It seems Leonora is passively becoming an unwilling patsy. She has now been taken to a remote clinic also paid by Catalina, and there she awaits going into labor as she gets careful medical attention from Dr. Zindel and his accomplice Rosalía. Once the baby is born, Alejandro and Vilma drive off. Catalina orders Dr. Zindel to kill Leonora so as to remove evidence. Rosalia is the one to do the task, but fails: Leonora escapes into the night, narrowly avoiding getting attacked by guard dogs, and gets picked up by a woman who drives her back to Mexico City where she receives medical attention, and slowly she regains her sanity, her life, and her determination to get her son back. She begins following the Larios' every movements and showing up at events. However, once she sets her sights on José Carlos, who's been released from jail, she uses him to get into the Larios' house by having him marry her and introduce him as his wife. It's there where Leonora truly tightens her grip on the Larios family.
From here on, subplots come into play at this time. Bertha Moscoso, Catalina's secretary, no longer wanting to be privy to her machinations, has found herself at the same clinic where Leonora once stayed. Dr. Zindel tries to rape her, but Rosalia's jealousy burns the clinic down and shows up at the Larios' house demanding help from Catalina who instead frames her for her crimes in a vicious turn of events by dressing her in the disguise she used for her murders. Bertha later shows up, also in disguise, and with the help of a friend (and because she has insider information on the Larios' dirty laundry which she takes to the police investigating the murders that seem to tie themselves to the Larios family) is able to go even further than Leonora in hurting the Larios, not without nearly escaping death by Catalina who tracks her down. It's after this showdown between Bertha and Catalina where José Carlos becomes aware that all this time he'd been duped by her - he'd never been responsible for maiming Catalina's eye and her hold on him disappears.
Not so with Alejandro: discovering Catalina killed his father by Leonora's unwavering proof (having been there when he died) destroys him emotionally. Events take a turn for the worse when Vilma gets stomach cancer which spreads rapidly. Vilma has a change of heart and gives Edgar, Leonora's son, back to her. As Alejandro prepares to fly Vilma to a medical facility in the family jet (which Catalina, believing José Carlos and Leonora were going to fly had rigged to malfunction) the plane explodes in mid-flight. Catalina receives news that her son is dead. At this time the police are narrowing in on Catalina, her crimes exposed. She, in turn, decides to commit suicide by drinking the same poison she gave her husband, dressed in the blond wig and overcoat she used so many times.
5 years later, Leonora's two sons stumble upon the eye patches Catalina wore so many times, and the quote from Leonora's oldest son Edgar, now named Braulio, who hasn't accepted his true mother and misses Alejandro and Vilma - "I'm not Braulio. I'm little Edgar" raised the question that this story might have had a sequel. However, producer Carlos Téllez died in 1994 and writer Carlos Olmos died in 2003, and a sequel was not made by them.
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
produced 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...
and broadcast by Canal de las Estrellas
Canal de las Estrellas
Canal de las Estrellas is one of the cornerstone networks of Televisa, with affiliate stations all over Mexico, flagshipped at XEW-TV in Mexico City. Many of the programs of Canal de las Estrellas are seen in the United States on Univision, Telefutura, and Galavisión...
in 1986 to 1987. The serial, about the struggle for power within a wealthy Mexican dynasty
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
, was enormously popular in its native Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. It was also a hit in several foreign countries, including the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Profile
The centrall character in Cuna de lobos is matriarch Catalina Creel, played by actress María Rubio, a villainVillain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
ess in the grand dramatic tradition of Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...
's Alexis Carrington, Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
' J.R. Ewing
J.R. Ewing
John Ross Ewing, Jr., more commonly known as J. R. Ewing, played by Larry Hagman, was a central, nefarious figure on the hit CBS television series Dallas . J. R...
, or Knots Landing
Knots Landing
Knots Landing is an American primetime television soap opera that aired from December 27, 1979 to May 13, 1993 on CBS. Set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles in California, the show centered on the lives of four married couples living in a cul-de-sac, Seaview Circle...
's Abby Cunningham.
The main character is Leonora, played by Diana Bracho, who portrays the victim of the "wolves", only to "become" a "wolf" herself to seek revenge.
Catalina's unnatural devotion to her eldest son caused her conceal a healthy eye behind the lie of blindness, commit a series of murders beginning with her own husband, Carlos (his crime was realizing how truly evil she was), and to participate in the abduction of a child to ensure her son's inheritance was confirmed.
Such is the impact of her performance, that soap opera's villainess take her as a role model
Role model
The term role model generally means any "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others".The term first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students...
, and when a program parodies a soap opera, the main villain is usually based on her.
Popularity
Cuna de lobos was so popular in its native country that on the night of the final broadcast, the streets of Mexico City - infamously choked with traffic - were deserted as the locals were in their homes glued to their TV screens. It has been re-screened several times in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Australia in recent years. A remake has been in talks for several years, with one finally surfacing in 2010.
Other versions
The storyline of Cuna de lobos is somewhat similar to the story of the movie "The Anniversary" (1968), starring Bette DavisBette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional...
.
There is a version of Cuna de lobos produced in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(2002), called La Verdad de Laura, with Mónica Estarreado, Mariano Alameda and Mirtha Ibarra.
Por Derecho de Sangre
Por Derecho de Sangre
Por Derecho de Sangre is a canceled Mexican soap opera/Series produced by Televisa. It was a remake of Cuna de Lobos which was a famous serial, about the struggle for power within a wealthy Mexican dynasty, which was enormously popular in its native Mexico...
is a 2011 series version of Cuna de lobos under the production of Salvador Mejia Alejandre, starring William Levy
William Levy
William Levy , known as the Talmudic Wizard of Amsterdam and Dr. Doo-Wop, is the author of such works as The Virgin Sperm Dancer, Wet Dreams, Certain Radio Speeches of Ezra Pound and Natural Jewboy....
y Danna Garcia
Danna García
Danna Maria García Osuna is a Colombian actress best known for her roles in telenovelas.The daughter of Colombian singer Claudia Osuna, Danna began her career at the age of four...
. Rebecca Jones as the new Catalina Creel.
Awards
The Best Soap Opera of the Year", TVyNovelas Award in 1987.In 2006 TvyNovelas named it the best telenovela ever.
Cast
|
Enrique Hidalgo Enrique Hidalgo is a popular musician and author of 500 songs, notably “Barcelonesa”, “Presagio” and “La Carta”. He composes for cuatro, harp and steel band among others. Hidalgo is the composer of famous pieces of the Venezuelan folklore... as Esteban Gamboa Rene Gonzales Rene Adrian Gonzales is a former Major League Baseball infielder in the major leagues from -.-External links:*... |
Plot
Carlos Larios, the owner of the international pharmaceutical company Lar-Creel informs Catalina Creel, his wife, that he's become privy to the secret she has concealed for many years, and that he intends to expose her and change his will. To protect such a secret and to stop him from changing the will, she poisons Carlos' orange juice, which he drinks. Ignorant of what he's just ingested Larios drives off to work. Little does he know that his drive will have him cross paths with Leonora Navarro (Diana Bracho), when Larios suffers a fatal heart attack, sending his vehicle through the office building where she works. Leonora contacts Larios' son Alejandro (Alejandro Camacho) and returns his father's wallet. In gratitude they decide to keep in touch.With Larios dead, the will gets revealed: it stipulates that whichever of his sons - Alejandro (Alejandro Camacho) or José Carlos (Gonzalo Vega) - produces an heir first shall inherit control of Lar-Creel and its fortune. Catalina is privately pushing for her son Alejandro, who is married, to be the first instead of her stepson José Carlos whom she maintains at bay of the family business. She exploits Jose Carlos' weak nature through guilt (by reminding him it's his fault she wears an eye-patch - which is the heart of the secret Larios was about to disclose) and by making him totally dependent on her paying off his debts. At the same time Catalina fends off a young woman he has begun to date and in a series of events she manages to frame him for the murder of a man who'd been sending threats to the Larios' house, a murder she committed dressed in a blond wig and dark overcoat.
What Catalina ignores is that Alejandro's wife Vilma (Rebecca Jones) is sterile. Alejandro, fully aware of the family tradition, knows Catalina will force him to divorce Vilma. Divided by his devotion for Vilma and his need to control the family business, he decides to contact Leonora clandestinely while having Vilma fake a pregnancy. Esperanza (Carmen Montejo), Leonora's godmother, is wary, but allows Leonora to get involved with him when he wins her over. The relationship deepens, but when Leonora becomes pregnant and Catalina discovers Vilma's fake pregnancy, the stakes are raised. In a bold move to save his marriage Alejandro reveals to Catalina what he's been doing on his own which prompts Catalina to take matters into her own hands: she has Alejandro "marry" Leonora with the intention of taking the child once it's born. Esperanza is unable to warn Leonora of the danger she faces because she suffers a stroke, is rendered mute, and winds up in a nursing home paid for by Catalina.
It seems Leonora is passively becoming an unwilling patsy. She has now been taken to a remote clinic also paid by Catalina, and there she awaits going into labor as she gets careful medical attention from Dr. Zindel and his accomplice Rosalía. Once the baby is born, Alejandro and Vilma drive off. Catalina orders Dr. Zindel to kill Leonora so as to remove evidence. Rosalia is the one to do the task, but fails: Leonora escapes into the night, narrowly avoiding getting attacked by guard dogs, and gets picked up by a woman who drives her back to Mexico City where she receives medical attention, and slowly she regains her sanity, her life, and her determination to get her son back. She begins following the Larios' every movements and showing up at events. However, once she sets her sights on José Carlos, who's been released from jail, she uses him to get into the Larios' house by having him marry her and introduce him as his wife. It's there where Leonora truly tightens her grip on the Larios family.
From here on, subplots come into play at this time. Bertha Moscoso, Catalina's secretary, no longer wanting to be privy to her machinations, has found herself at the same clinic where Leonora once stayed. Dr. Zindel tries to rape her, but Rosalia's jealousy burns the clinic down and shows up at the Larios' house demanding help from Catalina who instead frames her for her crimes in a vicious turn of events by dressing her in the disguise she used for her murders. Bertha later shows up, also in disguise, and with the help of a friend (and because she has insider information on the Larios' dirty laundry which she takes to the police investigating the murders that seem to tie themselves to the Larios family) is able to go even further than Leonora in hurting the Larios, not without nearly escaping death by Catalina who tracks her down. It's after this showdown between Bertha and Catalina where José Carlos becomes aware that all this time he'd been duped by her - he'd never been responsible for maiming Catalina's eye and her hold on him disappears.
Not so with Alejandro: discovering Catalina killed his father by Leonora's unwavering proof (having been there when he died) destroys him emotionally. Events take a turn for the worse when Vilma gets stomach cancer which spreads rapidly. Vilma has a change of heart and gives Edgar, Leonora's son, back to her. As Alejandro prepares to fly Vilma to a medical facility in the family jet (which Catalina, believing José Carlos and Leonora were going to fly had rigged to malfunction) the plane explodes in mid-flight. Catalina receives news that her son is dead. At this time the police are narrowing in on Catalina, her crimes exposed. She, in turn, decides to commit suicide by drinking the same poison she gave her husband, dressed in the blond wig and overcoat she used so many times.
5 years later, Leonora's two sons stumble upon the eye patches Catalina wore so many times, and the quote from Leonora's oldest son Edgar, now named Braulio, who hasn't accepted his true mother and misses Alejandro and Vilma - "I'm not Braulio. I'm little Edgar" raised the question that this story might have had a sequel. However, producer Carlos Téllez died in 1994 and writer Carlos Olmos died in 2003, and a sequel was not made by them.
DVD
The first DVD of Cuna de lobos came out in 2002. It was a single-disc DVD that contained the entire novela edited down to a little over 230 minutes. A second DVD release came on March 8th, 2007. While it expanded the novela to over 11 hours played on three DVDs, the original instrumental music and soundtrack had been erased and substituted by new music. According to Televisa, this was due to a disagreement with Mexican actress and producer Carmen Salinas, who now owns the music rights after her deceased son Pedro Plascencia Salinas, producer of the music of the novela.External links
- Cuna de Lobos
- Cuna de Lobos at the Telenovela Database.
- Beyond soap - BBC embraces villains, plot twists and Latin style of telenovela at The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
contains a significant mention of Cuna de LobosCuna de lobosCuna de lobos is a Mexican soap opera produced by Televisa and broadcast by Canal de las Estrellas in 1986 to 1987. The serial, about the struggle for power within a wealthy Mexican dynasty, was enormously popular in its native Mexico...