La Dueña
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La Dueña (1984-1985) was a Venezuelan telenovela that was produced by and seen on Venezuela's Venezolana de Televisión. The original idea for this telenovela was by José Ignacio Cabrujas and Julio Cesar Mármol. Nardy Fernández was in charge of production, José Salas was in charge of the scenery, María de las Casas was in charge of the environmentation, and Tomás López was its director.
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[edit] Synopsis
It's 1928. Esteban Rigores, an opponent of the brutal regime of Gen. Juan Vicente Gomez, lies wounded on a beach after taking part in a failed coup d'etat. Fearing death is near, Esteban begs Basilio, his faithful and mute servant to search for Adriana, his daughter, and hand her the documents that will make her the heir to his large fortune. Neither Esteban nor Basilio have ever seen Adriana and they don't know what she looks like. Diligent Basilio starts by asking the girl's mother, the former Beatriz Ayala, now married to Salvador Asensio, one of Gomez's ministers. Beatriz is horrified to see Basilio, and tells him her daughter died in childhood, or at least that was what her parents had told her. Unconvinced, Basilio goes to see Don Alejandro, Esteban's friend. On arrival at his house, Basilio is greeted by a young woman named Adriana. Her looks, age, and name tell him she is Esteban's daughter and he gives her the documents. The problem is that Adriana doesn't know her origins. She's been told she's an orphan whom Alejandro adopted out of charity. Although Alejandro and Encarnación, his wife, have always been kind to Adriana, she's nothing but a glorified servant. Alejandro's children have mixed feelings about her. The haughty María Consuelo looks down on her, idealistic Luis Alberto loves her secretly, and young María Eugenia who's always seen Adriana as a sister, now resents her because her fiancé is attracted to the girl's beauty. Ma. Eugenia's fiancé, the arrogant Captain Mauricio Lofriego, is a man used to getting what he wants. It's a trait he has inherited from Purificacion Burgos, his formidable mother. Purificacion is not only one of the richest women in Venezuela, but she's also got General Gomez's ear. Few people are privy that Burgos fortune comes from prostitution. Adriana gives Alejandro the documents that she's unable to read since they are drafted in French and English. Alejandro reads them and learns that Adriana is now the owner of a huge fortune. That same evening, Mauricio breaks off his engagement with María Eugenia and makes love to Adriana. Alejandro sees him leaving the girl's room and vows revenge. Several attempts are made to separate Adriana from Mauricio, but their love grows stronger, especially when she learns she's pregnant. Meanwhile a recuperated Esteban and Beatriz have joined efforts to investigate the whereabouts of their child. Mauricio and Adriana decide to run off to Curaçao, but then she vanishes mysteriously. Under orders from Alejandro and Purificacion, Adriana has been taken to Dr. Azote's asylum, the most dreaded place in Venezuela. Azote is a quack who runs a mental hospital where those unwanted by Venezuelan high society are kept. Adriana is subjected to horrible tortures that cause her to lose her baby as well as her mind. Esteban escapes to Europe, and Mauricio is told that Adriana had only seduced him following her father's orders to lure him to their cause. He marries Maria Eugenia. Several years go by, Adriana is a wreck, her beauty and mind have been destroyed, yet she has two supporters among her fellow inmates: kind Helena, and Saul, a political prisoner. When Gomez dies, Saul's friends help him escape from the asylum and he takes Adriana and Helena with him. After a long convalescence, Adriana recovers her sanity, although her face has been destroyed. She seeks Basilio and, with his help, travels to Paris to meet her father. Esteban uses his fortune to restore his daughter's beauty and to educate her. In 1941, a beautiful and enigmatic stranger arrives in Venezuela. Her name is Ximena, but she is called La Dueña because she owns an immense fortune that she is about to use to destroy her enemies.
[edit] Cast
- Mariela Alcalá as María Eugenia
- Daniel Alvarado as Capt. Mauricio Lofriego
- Rafael Briceño as Gen. Juan Vicente Gómez
- Lucio Bueno as Radamés
- Ana Castell as María Benita
- Helianta Cruz as Beatriz Ayala
- Amanda Gutiérrez as Adriana Rigores/Jimena
- Mario Brito as Basilio
- María Cristina Lozada as Purificación Burgos
- Héctor Mayerston as Esteban Rigores
- Leopoldo Regnault as Saúl
- Carlota Sosa as María Consuelo
[edit] Theme song
The theme song to La Dueña is "Amor más Grande", performed by Nancy Toro.
