We are in the middle of Christmas. Vacation time, shared or relatively quiet days, touches of nostalgia at celebrations, readings or movies and television. Days of looking back for all. So today I bring this Selection of Milestone Adaptations of Literary Classics in the history of the series that we saw when there were only two channels. Surely we all remember them or, at least, those of us who have a few years.
Literary adaptations
In this present where they say that we live in the golden age of television series literary adaptations have always been drawn. There is no more taking a look at any of the long dozens of digital platforms where the offer is so much that we do not have our lives to see them. Then everyone saw these.
Fortunata and Jacinta - Benito Pérez Galdós
Galdós's title was adapted into a series shot in 1979, which premiered in May 1980. Directed by Mario camus, it turned out to be the stretching of the later adaptations that were made on classics of our literature. It was a co-production with France and the filming included scenes in Madrid, Aranjuez, Boadilla del Monte, Villaviciosa de Odón, Toledo, Comillas, Burgos and Seville.
They starred in it Ana Belén (Fortunata) and Maribel Martin (Jacinta), then two actresses just starting out. They headed a cast with such relevant names from national cinema such as Charo López, Mary Carrillo, Fernando Fernán Gómez, Paco Rabal or Manuel Alexandre, between many more. It featured music by Anton Garcia April and it was a international success which was sold to more than 30 countries.
The cum and the shadows - Gonzalo Torrente Ballester
The pazos de Ulloa - Emilia Pardo Bazán
Premiered in 1985, was the television adaptation of the homonymous novel, and its continuation, Mother nature, both written by Emilia Pardo Bazán, the Galician writer of the nineteenth century and highest representative of the literary naturalism Spanish.
It is a 4-episode miniseries one hour and co-production with the RAI who directed Gonzalo Suárez and produced Andrés Vicente Gómez. The director remained very faithful to the novel, which revolves around the figure of the Marquis of Ulloa, a cacique from rural Galicia from 1880, and some characters whose existence will change with the visit of a priest.
It was shot during in Galicia, mainly in the Pazo de Gondomar, in Bayona (Pontevedra), and also in Santiago de Compostela. And it had again a cast of bells like the Italian Omero Antonuti, Fernando Rey, Jose Luis Gómez, again Charo López, or Victoria Abril and Nacho Martínez.
Pliny - Francisco García Pavón
Una of the oldest adaptations, because it premiered in 1971 and got a successful. However, and as usually happens in most of these cases, readers of the novels of the illustrious and simpar jChief of the Municipal Police of Tomelloso, created by Francisco Garcia Pavon, did not convince them much. Directed her Antonio Gimenez-Rico, who was also a screenwriter along with Jose Luis Garci.
It was filmed in Tomelloso and its surroundings, and it was the first to be in color, a novelty in its time. The cast was also luxurious, with Antonio Casal like Plinio and Alfonso del Real like his inseparable Don Lotario, who were right in his characterization. They were also Maria Isbert, Antonio Gamero or Manuel Alexandre.
The Regenta - Leopoldo Alas «Clarín»
We take back less time until 1995and we find this also luxurious adaptation of the classic Clarín. Directed her Fernando Mendez-Leite, as a personal project that I had since I was a student. The Principality of Asturias collaborated in the filming of this miniseries which consists of 3 chapters of 100 minutes duration.
And it was starred by a very young Aitana Sanchez-Gijonas Ana Ozores, married to don Victor QuintanarWhat is the Argentine? Hector Altherio. And around her, two more men: Don Alvaro de Messia the one who nailed Juan Luis Galiardo placeholder image, and the master of the cathedral Don Fermín de Pas that recreated a splendid Carmelo Gomez that he has always been good in everything he has done.
Source: RTVE.