Marianela

The movie, Marianela is wonderful-if you have never read the novel. If you have read Galdos' masterwork, then viewing the movie with either cause you great fits of mocking laughter, or a burning nausea.

The screenwriter took the novel and redid the entire storyline. Characters are added that never existed in the original work (Ferdacho el borracho?!!). False back-stories are created to explain la 'Nela's physical maladies and supposed alcoholism. Worst of all, the scene sequences are shot entirely out of any logical order in relation to the novel. The entire theme of the novel is buried in the movie to be almost unintelligible-as are the charactarizations of the protagonists. Yuck! Great gaps exist in the movie that never existed in Galdos' writings.

In summation-avoid this movie...except perhaps as a means of comparing good literature vs. bad screen writing.

Marianela is a wonderful film with traditional values. "Love is blind" could be the main theme in more ways than one. Great scenery and portrayal of the novel by Benito Pérez Galdós. Everyone should own a copy, however it is very hard to find.