O Clone

The idea of producing a cloned human being, watch this creature grow up to become a twenty-year-old man, and eventually see him meet his genetic `twin brother' is an original plot in itself. Having a few romantic and adult sub-plots added, and a great deal of the whole story taking place in the context of Muslim religious and cultural background in Brazil and in Morocco, can certainly complicate a director's task. Gloria Perez's `O Clone' is certainly well above most soap operas shown on TV. The actors and actresses give good performances, the main plot is original, and the Muslim background adds a curious atmosphere, at least to a non-Muslim audience. Also, drug addiction is crudely brought to the screen, with an expertise we rarely see, and receives the serious treatment such theme deserves. At a certain point, however, Miss Perez seems to have lost grip of the situation, getting lost in the midst of so many intricate and intertwined sub-plots which, one would think, she doesn't know how to end.

ambitious, seductive, seems be a complete work. the great virtue is the mix between science and Oriental flavors.the second - love stories. a film who reminds old adventure books of childhood. interdict things and the air of freedom, sacrifices and not reasonable choices, splendid music and windows to an exotic civilization. and, sure, soap - opera tools. a seductive series who impresses for its courage to use so many different ingredients. and, sure, for the not bad result. a large fresco with nice performances - the work of Murilo Benicio is admirable -, good options of team for interesting themes and a lovely story who has the force to be more than a part of a long South American soap operas list.

I have also seen this soap opera twice, I just love the settings, the views, the locations, the story and the people in it! In the beginning I got hooked up by the scenery, the story was just too sweet and plain, then it started to change, I learned about muslims and the way they live, and how everything made sense. The dialogs were small poems and life lectures. Time passed and everything started falling into place. 20 years later, the characters slightly changed, and a new neighborhood added new dimension to the story development. I hated Lucas; because of him, his relationship with Jade never took off. She risked everything and he was always a wimp. But that was necessary because his twin brother was the one who supposed to be brave and dare to do whatever he wanted. Leo took months to show up after 20 years, but it was worth it. He really got everybody busy and wondering what was going on.

What do you get when you mix the story of two young lovers and the making of a human clone? You get an interesting story by way of a Brazilian telenovela (soap opera) called O CLONE (The Clone).

Known for incorporating social issues into her stories, Glória Perez includes the following topics in her latest telenovela: Drug addiction, Middle Eastern culture (Muslim lifestyle), and science fiction (human cloning). Given the current news headlines of cloning and the Middle East, the telenovela becomes even more important and gives cause for discussion after viewing each episode.

O CLONE takes the viewer to two striking locations - modern-day Brazil and Morocco. The two main characters are introduced - Jade, a headstrong Muslim girl from Morocco and Lucas, a docile, daydreamer from Brazil with a Catholic religious background. The two meet and fall in love. The problem is that their different cultures make it difficult for a union between them. Jade's family has chosen a family for her, and Lucas's family is reluctant for him to marry a foreigner. In addition to their story, a scientist creates a human clone after a loved one prematurely dies. This clone later becomes an important part of the lives of Jade and Lucas.

The viewer gets a chance to see a Muslim household and what goes on there. Some of the scenes may be a bit exaggerated since the storytellers use poetic license to make the story more dramatic. However, the scenes can be used to open up a dialogue of discussion about a culture that may not be known or understood by many in the west. Despite the differences between the cultures - Christian and Muslim, it becomes clear that there are many similarities such as one's love of family and the desire to find happiness.

Veteran novela director, Jayme Monjardim and his team have produced an outstanding product with O CLONE. His handiwork shows beautiful close-ups of the actors and enchanting shots of the land and cityscape of Morocco and Brazil. He skillfully captures both places.

The lead actress, Giovanna Antonelli (Jade), gives a believable presentation as the Muslim girl, torn between following her true heart's desire and the dictates of her family to marry the man chosen for her. Lead actor, Murilo Benício (Lucas) also gives a winning performance as the young man who has fallen in love with a girl from a different society who his family will not accept. Benício plays three different roles - twins and the clone. Each character is different and convincing.

The rest of the cast also gives strong performances. This includes Stênio Garcia as Uncle Ali, Elaine Giardini as Nazira, Daniela Escobar as Maysa, Vera Fischer as Yvette, Reginaldo Farias as Leônidas, Letícia Sabatella as Latiffa, Dalton Vigh as Said, Antonio Calloni as Mohamed, Adriana Lessa as Deusa, and Jandira Martini as Zoraide. Actually the cast list goes on I'm sure you get the idea. All the actors are good.

O CLONE captured the attention of over 18 million viewers in Brazil. The telenovela successfully took hold of the American T.V. audience, as well. Brazilian telenovelas shown in the U.S. are usually dubbed into Spanish. For the first time in the history of telenovelas shown in the U.S., English sub-titles (closed caption) have been included. Now, non-Spanish speakers have a chance to enjoy the story as well.

In addition to an arresting and sometimes controversial storyline, the telenovela has a fun music soundtrack full of Brazilian and Middle Eastern music. Thanks to musical director, Marcus Viana, the music adds to the success of the novela as a whole.

O CLONE is one of those telenovelas that doesn't waste your time. I highly recommend this Brazilian soap opera for your viewing pleasure.

A fascinating and exotic story, that mix things like human cloning, the muslim culture and drug/alcohol addiction problems. O Clone/El Clon has reached its end here in Brazil last Friday. Obviously, I'm not gonna tell what happened, but I'd like to add that regarding Leo (El Clon) it was a fair ending, considering no one could really tell what would've happened to a real clon! El Clon reached the biggest ratings ever around here. This could be explained because it came in the perfect moment, not only because the human cloning is a recent issue, but also because it premiered 1 month after the attacks of September 11th, when the curiosity about the Muslim culture reached the highest levels. The campaign of author Gloria Perez against the drug and alcohol addiction, featuring 2 teenage characters, Mel and Nando, also was a great success and is helping to show people about all the bad things that come along with the pleasure that drugs bring. A great show. Perfect acting, perfect writing. It's no surprise it was such a big success.