Escrava Isaura (Isaura The Slave Girl) is simply the best soap opera I have ever seen! In my opinion, Brazilian soap operas are better than all the others because more often than not, they will break with tradition and offer us something totally different. Such is the case with 'Escrava Isaura'.
Set in 19th century pre-abolitionist Brazil, 'Isaura' tells the tale of a white slave girl at the mercy of her evil Master, Senor Leoncio Correa De Almeida, and her struggle, and those of her friends and loved ones, to win her freedom. This story recounts the eternal struggle between good and evil, rich and poor, and the powerful and the powerless. Where it differs from most other works of this genre, is that in most others, the main (rich) male character mends his ways because of his love for his princess and after a long struggle, they get married and live happily ever after. Not so in this one. The main male "hero" here is not a hero at all, he is the most vicious and despicable character that I have ever seen.
The role of Senor Leoncio, played brilliantly by Rubens De Falco, is one of the highlights of this "novela", and the character ranks up there with J.R. Ewing, Michael Corleone, and Darth Vader among the best villains ever seen on film. Leoncio is not only truly evil, he is the devil incarnate! He truly represents every slave's worst nightmare, and seems to enjoy every minute of it. Leoncio's "love" for his white slave, his demonic passions for her, and Isaura's constant rejection of him, despite his promises of making her a Queen if she'd only accept him, seems to only bring out the worst in him at every turn, until he commits the ultimate sin. His burning to death of two innocent characters in the story underscores the satanic overtones of his character.
Naturally there are other characters in the story that are remarkable, such as Leoncio's doomed but benevolent wife Malvina; Isaura's eventual savior and boyfriend Alvaro(the real hero); Leoncio's father Gobernador Almeida, who at first hates Isaura but then has a change of heart and wants to help save her from his own son; and of course Isaura herself, the strong willed, religious slave girl, played superbly by Lucelia Santos. But De Falco's powerful performance overshadows all of them. A true classic in every sense of the word.
Set in 19th century pre-abolitionist Brazil, 'Isaura' tells the tale of a white slave girl at the mercy of her evil Master, Senor Leoncio Correa De Almeida, and her struggle, and those of her friends and loved ones, to win her freedom. This story recounts the eternal struggle between good and evil, rich and poor, and the powerful and the powerless. Where it differs from most other works of this genre, is that in most others, the main (rich) male character mends his ways because of his love for his princess and after a long struggle, they get married and live happily ever after. Not so in this one. The main male "hero" here is not a hero at all, he is the most vicious and despicable character that I have ever seen.
The role of Senor Leoncio, played brilliantly by Rubens De Falco, is one of the highlights of this "novela", and the character ranks up there with J.R. Ewing, Michael Corleone, and Darth Vader among the best villains ever seen on film. Leoncio is not only truly evil, he is the devil incarnate! He truly represents every slave's worst nightmare, and seems to enjoy every minute of it. Leoncio's "love" for his white slave, his demonic passions for her, and Isaura's constant rejection of him, despite his promises of making her a Queen if she'd only accept him, seems to only bring out the worst in him at every turn, until he commits the ultimate sin. His burning to death of two innocent characters in the story underscores the satanic overtones of his character.
Naturally there are other characters in the story that are remarkable, such as Leoncio's doomed but benevolent wife Malvina; Isaura's eventual savior and boyfriend Alvaro(the real hero); Leoncio's father Gobernador Almeida, who at first hates Isaura but then has a change of heart and wants to help save her from his own son; and of course Isaura herself, the strong willed, religious slave girl, played superbly by Lucelia Santos. But De Falco's powerful performance overshadows all of them. A true classic in every sense of the word.