Overall Opinion?

Oh...Hbsw. I am so sorry that you don't get Telemundo, but I understand. In order for me to get Telemundo I HAD TO subscribe to Direct TV instead of enjoying the free cable that comes with my apartment. Anyway - I digress.

My overall opinion on La Espada y La Rosa - I thoroughly enjoyed it - the story surrounding the masked woman - the so called "Queen" of the gypsies- languishing in that horrific jail and her connection to the Crown of Spain, was so intrigiung and mysterious, it grabbed my attention and held me in suspense for the duration of the novela. The plight of the beautiful, brave, yet long suffering Esmeralda, forced into a marriage with a man she hated, was heartbreaking at times and played so well by Marlene Favela. In fact, the entire novela was very well cast, and I mention Andrea Lopez as being a particularly monstrous villain. Ms Lopez bought a great deal of fire to the part of MariAngel, making me want to strangle her almost every night. Harry Geithner as Montero, Hector Suarez Gomis as Pizarro, and Arturo Peniche as Fernando Sanchez de Moncado were delicious villains - good looking and evil. The supporting cast was excellent as well - Cesar Mora as Garcia, Victor Rodrigues as Dr.Agapito, and Valentina Acosta as Selenia, all were oustanding.

The sets and costumes were particularly gorgeous and what a treat that this novela was shot in HD. I really appreciate a production team that pays attention to detail. Wtching a novela is as if you've been invited to dinner at the home of a film director. Certain directors will feed you fast food burgers on paper plates and a soda out of a can - how Ordinary!! Still others will present you will a beautifully set table resplendant with flowers, exquisite china and crystal and the quite possible the best meal you've had in years!
Such is the case with this particular production of Zorro. The costumes, hair, makeup and locations are gorgeous.

At the center of it all is Zorro - my beloved Hero. And while the story centered on the trials of Esmeralda, her mother, and the gypsies, Zorro was always there as high protector and guardian of the poor and oppressed - the voice of those who have no voice, riding into danger on his magnificent steed Tornado.

Zorro. Christian Meier. HOT DAMM!!! Great casting. Christian Meier is so right overall for the role of Diego De La Vega/Zorro. He's got the PRESENCE necessary for the role of Zorro - regal, elegant and swift in movement. As Diego, he brings a slight goofiness and vulnerablilty to the character, melting the hearts of the viewers. Wonderful.

Jorge Cao is powerful in the role of Padre Tomas. I loved the timber of his voice.

Naturally, there were times when I felt the story asked us to take several leaps of faith, and at times it was melodramatic. But those were rare moments. And of course one should always keep in mind that we are watching a Soap Opera. The story is always over-the-top on soap operas. And this is a soap opera about a mythic super hero, that includes demonic possesion, buried treasure, Amazon Women of the jungle, a witch, magic potions, spirit exchange and a horny hunchback. Should we expect every single moment to have a practical explanation and/or absolute accuracy? Of course not. And there are elements of humor in this story, mostly subtle, which make it all the more enjoyable.



I really do hope that a DVD will be forthcoming. And I hope that they include the bloopers reels which have been playing on You Tube and are hilarious!

Also, Hbsw...You Tube is running a lot of the episodes in their entirety in case you would like to see them.

Yeah, he seemed to be Rasputin reincarnated surviving all those lethal incidents. He was one of the best characters, though. It was fairly moving with him and Mariangel at the end, overtones of "Carmen" ....I'm not fluent in Spanish and don't have closed captioning, so I'm curious how he fell in with those pirate characters....