Il tempo del coraggio e dell'amore

We love this series (Spanish with English subtitles), superb acting and great location shots. The first few episodes are a little slow paced, but set in Spain during WWII. This is a gem, we are definitely hooked. A dressmaker rescues her mother from Madrid during the General Franco rise to power and relocates to Morocco. She develops a clientèle in her dress shop among the German officers and gains a valuable foothold in social circles associated with the women. While the allies battle for influence in Spain, they recruit her to do undercover work in an effort to keep the Nationalists from joining Hitler. She translates messages through Morse code in the way she stitches clothing, a rather clandestine plot ensues with a number of interesting twists. The series is ideal for learning a bit of history through fictional characters and the costumes and era social life are really quite captivating.

It is everything one would hope for in a romantic period piece. Lovely scenery that is beautifully filmed. Lilting melodies on piano or with orchestra that remain in your head afterward. Fun scenes throughout, from the clubs, the cities, the country sides, to the costumes and cars of those times that are perfectly done. The actors all portraying their parts perfectly. I even learned things, such as the eating of the 12 grapes on New Years Eve in the main plaza in Madrid - which I looked up on my iPad without pausing the series on my TV. The story, as well, compelling, romantic, stressful at times as the main characters are always in some kind of danger. Perfect for delightfully and very satisfyingly filling a rainy day in bed with lots of sugary snack treats to indulge in.

This is one of the best TV series I've ever seen. I watched this through Netflix streaming and got so hooked, I'd stay up late to see what was happening next. The main character is smart, courageous, resilient & gorgeous. She's a seamstress who creates stunning haute couture dresses along the lines of Grace Kelly and Kate Middleton. Her clients are some of the richest & most powerful of European society, so it makes it fun. The film is set in the late 30s & early 40s, so there are gloves, hats, coordinated bags & heels ... pure class & style all the way. But that's just the flash. The story itself starts out slowly, but develops, along with the characters, from a poor dressmaker's shop into intriguing emotionally charged war time espionage excitement, showcasing classic cars & incredible Moroccan & Spanish architecture & decor. The film is in Spanish, so if you don't speak it, you have to read the subtitles. The Spaniards speak very quickly, so I had to pause occasionally to read the full text. A fun fact: Because the main character, "Sira", is a dressmaker and the show was such a hit, sewing machine sales in Spain rose 197%! I'm going to pull out my own fabric stash & patterns & hit my machine. Only wish we still dressed that classy & could kick the Kardashians to the curb. What a refreshing turn that would be.

Kudos to all involved for giving the viewer one of the best productions ever put on film!The thrilling storyline is based on a historic novel by Maria Duenas.Cinematography and settings in Madrid,Morroco and Lisbon are visually beautiful!The original soundtrack,by Cesar Benito,is totally spectacular! Production values are top notch...costumes,antique cars,interiors down to the smallest details.The cast is excellent, as the storyline moves to intruige,espionage,romance and cliff hangers!Adriana Ugarte,as Sira....is a revelation,as her character continues to evolve.She graces the screen with a beauty and artistry reminiscent of the glamour of old Hollywood! The author has added several real-life historic characters to add validity to the plot.The series has justly received numerous accolades and awards in Spain for its excellence!

I read the book first and watch the show after. This is a really great adaptation! They did not miss a single conversation or eliminated a relevant character. But they added their own story line (not affecting the story from the book) but included new stories or scenes that made the last 9 episodes impossible long. This would have been the best adaptation of they had just left it alone and made 12 episodes instead of 17. The only added science that was much appreciated was the "closing cycles" of the firsts love interests and was much appreciated for the unsatisfied book reader. This was great, but the second half of the show got very slow.