After years of being the premier TV genre in Latin America, the popularity of telenovelas has spread around the globe. Latin telenovelas are selling like hotcakes, especially to Eastern European broadcasters, while local productions are popping up in almost every territory. VideoAgerecently caught up with telenovela “guru” Mauro Alencar, to discuss his book, the history of the novela in his native Brazil and why the genre is rising to worldwide prominence. Now in its second edition, Alencar’s book A Hollywood Brasilera: Panorama da Telenovela no Brasil, which translates as Brazilian Hollywood — A View of the Telenovela in Brazil (2002, Editora Senac Rio, 175 pages), is unfortunately, for now, only available inPortuguese.When it is finally translated, it will nodoubt prove tobe a useful educational tool for both fans and producers around the globe. Much like the series it describes, Brazilian Hollywood is glossy and attractive. Lush Technicolor photographs of screen shots and production stills accompany the text, and, as a bonus, a CD of 18 musical themes from popular telenovelas is included. The book spans the evolution of the burgeoning genre, beginning with its roots in 19th century “feuilleton” (a term that refers to Spanish, French and Brazilian literature). As the book reports, as early as the 1930s, the first serialized novelas hit the airwaves in Miami, Florida in the form of “radionovelas” (other accounts give Cuba as radionovelas’ birthplace). They could be distinguished from North American soap operas because they reached a definitive conclusion, while their North American cousins continued for years without an end in sight. Iconic themes of romance, betrayal, and intrigue set them apart from existing soaps and they were instantly popular with Miami’s neighbors to the south, the countries of South and Central America. Like most of Latin America, Brazil was immediately smitten with telenovelas. But until the 1960s, Brazilian programs largely imitated Mexican and Argentinean shows, sometimes even reusing scripts from these countries. It was not until the early ’70s that the country’s soaps began to develop an identity of their own. By examining individual programs and their impact on the genre, Alencar takes us through this evolution to the presentday industry boom that has, as the Examples from shows past and present highlight the elements that set Brazilian novelas apart from those that originate in other Latin countries. Alencar explained that Brazil’s take on the genre has a distinct flavor because it reflects the cultural diversity of the country. “The Brazilian novela presents a very large variety of subjects and “portraying the day-to-day lives of [Brazilians] and mixing drama and comedy.” One such program was Irmãos Coragem, which combined elements of the Hollywood Western with soccer. A doctorate in communications as well as innumerable years working in the industry lend authority to Alencar’s analysis in Brazilian Hollywood. After receiving multiple degrees in media from the University of São Paulo, Alencar devoted himself exclusively to “the analysis, study and practice of the telenovela.” Throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Alencar collaborated on articles and books about the genre, including Memories of the Brazilian Telenovela, which he wrote with fellow novela expert Ismael Fernandes. Additionally, he was hired as a consultant for telenovelas in Chile and spent 15 years doing telenovela research, helping train actors and working in production at Rede Globo. His body of work is impressive, and spans both print and television. Despite the fact that telenovelas are purely entertaining, and deal with few serious themes, Alencar was insistent that they have brought only positive attention to Latin America. “The novela has portrayed our society and taken from real-life Latin America the raw material for its construction.” And as telenovelas take the world by storm, these Latin cultures are getting more attention than ever. When asked about the reason behind the recent popularity of the genre, Alencar pointed to the “daily chapter” format of the shows. The ongoing sagas hook viewers and “create a deep, affectionate bond with those who watch them.” At the end of the day, however, the worldwide interest in telenovelas goes back to engaging storytelling and quality product. As for the future of telenovelas in the global arena, Alencar was optimistic. “The world is discovering the telenovela,” he said. “At the moment it goes far beyond the territory of Latin America, and inside that promising present I see a cooperation and the potential for collaboration between producing countries.” As a historian, industry professional, and simply a fan, Alencar looks forward to seeing where this exciting cultural phenomenon is headed. ES V I D E O • A G E OC T O B E R 2 0 0 8 10 B o o k R e v i e w Brazilian Hollywood: The Past & Future of Telenovelas book’s title suggests, created a version of Hollywood completely devoted to telenovelas. In addition to covering history, the book explores the shows’ structure. As Alencar pointed out in an interview with VideoAge , a large portion of the book centers on “text [meaning scripts], production, acting, direction, product merchandising and soundtracks.” provides distinct glimpses of its people in diversified settings,” he said. Alencar’s expertise on the genre is rooted in his life-long love of TV. “I have always been fascinated with fiction television, in particular,” he said, citing the early 1970s programs on Globo TV network as his childhood favorites. Alencar credits Globo with modernizing the telenovela by
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