''Gabriela'' is a 1975 Brazilian

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

based on the 1958 novel of the same name by

Jorge Amado Jorge Leal Amado de Faria (10 August 1912 – 6 August 2001) was a Brazilian writer of the modernist school. He remains the best known of modern Brazilian writers, with his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in ...

, starring

Sônia Braga Sônia Maria Campos Braga (; born 8 June 1950) is a Brazilian actress. She is known in the English-speaking world for her Golden Globe Award–nominated performances in '' Kiss of the Spider Woman'' (1985) and ''Moon over Parador'' (1988). She ...

in the title role. A remake was produced and aired by Globo in 2012, with

Juliana Paes Juliana Couto Paes (born 26 March 1979) is a Brazilian actress and former model. She became nationally known in telenovelas and modelling. She also starred a local version of the musical ''The Producers'', as Ulla. Career An actress, model ...

playing the lead role.

Plot

Walter George Durst's free adaptation based on the novel

's ''Gabriela, Cravo e Canela'' (1958), takes place in 1925, when a devastating drought forces the hungry populations of the

Brazilian Northeast The Northeast Region of Brazil ( pt, Região Nordeste do Brasil; ) is one of the five official and political regions of the country according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Of Brazil's twenty-six states, it comprises ni ...

to emigrate in search of survival. In the novel, the destination is

Ilhéus Ilhéus () is a major city located in the southern coastal region of Bahia, Brazil, 211 km south of Salvador, the state's capital. The city was founded in 1534 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéus and is known as one of the most important touris ...

, in the south of Bahia, a region in expansion thanks to the planting and commerce of cacao. Gabriela (

) is one of the victims of the drought. Free and impulsive, she gets a job as a cook at the home of the "Turkish" Nacib (Armando Bógus), with whom she lives a sensual love story.

Background

''Gabriela'' was created to give time to production of the telenovela ''

O Rebu ''O Rebu'' ( Literally English: ''The Fuss'', International Title: ''The Party'') is a Brazilian late night telenovela written by George Moura and Sérgio Goldenberg (based on Bráulio Pedroso's original story) and directed by José Luiz Villamari ...

'', by

Braulio Pedroso Braulio is a given name. *Braulio Estima, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner and mixed martial artist *Braulio García, a Spanish singer-songwriter who is often credited as "Braulio". * Braulio Guerra, Mexican politician * Braulio Mari, a Spanish s ...

. But this one was aired before, and ''Gabriela'' was aired to celebrate the ten years of

TV Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...

. The plot, according with

Daniel Filho João Carlos Daniel Filho (born 30 September 1937), best known as Daniel Filho, is a Brazilian film producer, director, actor, and screenwriter. He starred in the film ''Os Cafajestes'', which was entered into the 12th Berlin International Fil ...

, was thought taking into account a narrative structure based on different episodes. Daniel Filho says that during the search for the ideal woman to live Gabriela, tried an unusual choice: he made an invitation to

Gal Costa Gal Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos (born Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos; 26 September 1945 – 9 November 2022), known professionally as Gal Costa (), was a Brazilian singer of popular music. She was one of the main figures of the tro ...

. The singer from Bahia, meanwhile, declined, claiming she did not know how to perform. Then numerous tests were done for the character; But the director decided that the role would have to be of

since seeing his performance in ''Caminhos do Coração – Caso Especial'' written and directed by Domingos Oliveira in 1971 -, and insisted with Boni that she be chosen. The actress ended up consecrated in the paper, that would represent again in 1983, in the film ''

Gabriela Gabriela may refer to: * Gabriela (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian feminine given name * ''Gabriela'' (1942 film), a Czech film * ''Gabriela'' (1950 film), a German film * ''Gabriela'' (1983 film), a Brazilian film * ''Gabriela' ...

'' directed by

Bruno Barreto Bruno Villela Barreto Borges (born 16 March 1955) is a Brazilian film director. Biography Born in Rio de Janeiro, Barreto has been making feature-length films ever since he was 17 years old and remains one of Brazil's most accomplished and pop ...

, acting alongside the Italian Marcello Mastroianni. ''Gabriela'' was the first Brazilian telenovela to aired in Portugal in May 1977, on RTP, and consecrated Sônia Braga as a '' sex symbol''.

Cast

References

External links

Gabriela
at

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{Troféu Imprensa for Best Telenovela 1975 telenovelas TV Globo telenovelas Brazilian telenovelas 1975 Brazilian television series debuts 1975 Brazilian television series endings Television shows based on Brazilian novels Portuguese-language telenovelas