Cuore selvaggio

I remember the first time I came across Corazon Salvaje I was 14 and I was watching it on an Italian TV channel. I had the chance to see the amazing cast live, invited by the same TV station and I fell in love with them and the production, so that I still find myself, 14 years later, watching it over and over again. This is due exclusively to the perfect acting (by the late and amazing Eduardo Palomo as Juan del Diablo, and Edith Gonzalez, as Monica De Altamira), the perfect scenery, the perfect cinematography, the perfect soundtrack, and my list can go on forever. It is the best TV production I have ever seen, and no other soap opera can ever reach the level Corazon Salvaje has set. I am terribly sorry producers didn't get to make the sequel, as the protagonist left this world far too young. But I will watch it all my life, never feeling I have had enough. It's a must see for every romantic in this world. And I guess, there will never be another remake of it, simply because there could never be anybody able to portray Juan and Monica as Eduardo and Edith did. PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.

Simple as that!

Corazon Salvaje has been a phenomenon worldwide ever since its release in 1993! Personally, after watching it, I gave up watching any other soap opera -the comparison hurt too much.

And it's great not just because of the technical achievements that the series brings with it (although for a Latin production, it has marked a plus), but I would rather say it's the quality of the acting that impresses the most and the coherence of the story. No useless talk, no useless crying as often happens in the Spanish soap operas, no overacting. The soap opera genre has a set of particular situations it works with (like infidelities, pregnancy etc), but Maria Zarattini (the adapter of the Corazon Salvaje books by Caridad Bravo Adams) managed to create something original and truly surprising. In a personal note, she has used the dialogues in other productions she has worked later on, but that is a sign that she could not entirely escape Corazon Salvaje's magic.

All and each of the actors involved in the project simply gave their best. Eduardo Palomo (RIP) portrays Juan Del Diablo with so much charisma, dedication and talent that makes his character magic. This role transformed Eduardo Palomo into one of the hugest Latin Personalities and even today years after his death, he is still considered as one of the best actors. His co-stars Edith Gonzalez and Ana Colchero, besides being such incredibly beautiful women, make the demonstrations of being great actresses as well. They can be sensual, romantic, vulnerable, true women indeed in a fictional context! Although romance is the main subject, the soap opera speaks about other important things such as the position of women in the society and finding your true self.

Corazon Salvaje has impressed audiences in Italy (where has been broadcast over 20 times), Spain, United States, Venezuela, Romania to name just a few!

In conclusion I would like to say that if Corazon Salvaje had had the chance of being produced in English, I would be today THE SHOW! It's a MUST SEE!

I first saw this series when i was a 13-year-old and I got completely involved in it. In fact I watched many series from Latin America and also other countries , but NO other story has ever been like that. A wonderful plot and the characters are portrayed in a majestic way. You can't imagine anything more perfect than that. I watched it again a few months ago and it was like the very 1st time... the identical emotions I felt 11 years ago. I could watch some scenes over and over again..the passion and intensity of drama are so high...alongside wonderful sceneries and captivating soundtrack.if you haven't seen it, you don't know what you've lost...

I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't watch this series the 1st time out. But as it won award after award, my curiosity was peaked. It was to my great delight that Univision decided to run it again, although it was a time slot that was inconvenient - they showed it while I was at school! But every day, I would quiz my aunt, and she would give all the juicy details.

As I've gotten older, I've watched other Spanish soap operas, and nothing even comes close to this. Its not just the great story, but the fact that these actors knew how to EMOTE. You felt for these characters, and years later, I still feel for them. Unfortunately, this also means that I can never see Edith Gonzalez in another soap, and see another character. She will forever be Monica, and Eduardo, Juan.

When 1993 version of this classic tale was aired, it really helped me learn (and really WANT) to understand spoken Spanish. I'd taken "Spanish as a foreign language" classes, but all the grammar and boring exercises really didn't sink in much--until I started watching this captivating telenovela. Then something clicked, awakened by my interest and my brain understood these wonderful actors almost magically!

Both fans of CS and those wondering about world-wide appeal of this novela might also be intrigued by somewhat scholarly study of the story written in Spanish by an Anglo university professor.

Recently I've been trying to find some telenovela to watch that suits my current viewing mood--something NOT harshly modern or about teenage troubles (tho "Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso" eventually caught my interest--partly because of character of stammering "Jota", who reminds me of a young Eduardo Palomo with his comic talent and sensitive tenderness; I saw Palomo in 1980's telenovela "Picara Sonadora", a kind of modern-day family "screwball comedy" that could have been made back in 1930's). And Jota's "Julietta" is a *little* like Edith Gonzalez/Santa Monica, strong, smart, yet also sweet.)

Beautiful scenery (especially by the ocean), appealing characters viewers care about, leavening of good humor and wit, lovely costumes and authentic interiors, and some social consciousness were all elements I was trying to find for leisurely entertainment. Finally I just realized, why not watch CORAZON SALVAJE again!

Someday, I hope (am positive:-), this entire telenovela will become available in format originally aired on Mexican television (30 minute episodes ending in cliff-hangers), with not a second edited out, and all of the original, evocative, perfect soundtrack music included. Tons of fans around the world are willing to purchase the complete telenovela (perhaps with closed captions in other languages), like Korean "continuing dramas" are currently available from companies that broadcast them.

Another classic favorite of mine is LA MENTIRA starring Guy Ecker and Kate del Castillo (those who have seen that, will recall which elements it shares with CORAZON SALVAJE--not the least is that both were based on sadly out-of-print mid-20th century books by Caridad Bravo Adams).

A few recent novelas I got interested in watching more than a few episodes of are by a new "classic" writer who uses colors & shapes in a symbolic code, Colombian Julio Jimenez: "Viuda de Blanco", "Cuerpo del Deseo" and "Madre Luna". While those fall short of the perfection of 1993 CS, they also include memorable "families" of friends who help each other, especially the poor and downtrodden, yet rich in love.