Elisa di Rivombrosa

I stumbled upon "Elisa di Rivombrosa" after exhausting pretty much all of the English-language period dramas. Having seen British adaptations of classic novels countless times (everything from Austen to Hardy to Forster), I found this loose take on Samuel Richardson's "Pamela" and decided to give it a go. Anglophone viewers will appreciate its similarities to the period films that we're familiar with - gorgeous costumes and beautiful music, plots about virtue and vice, etc - but I'd also argue that "Elisa" offers a refreshing amount of fun and intrigue that most recent English-language period films are lacking (often more a result of the sobering sort of stories adapted than of any fault of the filmmakers). "Elisa di Rivombrosa" manages to be both entertaining and mildly intellectual and profound - in an unobtrusive, unpretentious sort of a way. It is playful and serious, and unabashedly exaggerated - without being ridiculous or Barbara Cartland-y. This approach is perfect for the source content (a sentimental novel, after all), and results in a thoroughly captivating and creative work.

An intriguing story with unexpected twists and turns, "Elisa" has a multitude of well-integrated subplots, lively and likable characters, and excellent performances. It has humor and suspense, and moments that pull at your heart strings. Admittedly, the plot isn't always very plausible, but "Elisa" is a soap opera (and doesn't try to disguise the fact), so the somewhat far-fetched events and over-the-top emotions are entirely forgivable and, indeed, beneficial to the atmosphere and pace of the drama. The costumes are attractive and varied, without being distracting, and the music is perfect (beautiful and original, but not a crutch to elicit the viewer's emotional reactions, as the performances are good enough to do that alone).

There's a lot of cheesy romantic dialogue, thwarting of the baddies' schemes, and energetic, rollicking adventure. In short, it's an excellent and entertaining piece of television, a period drama fan's dream come true, and I highly recommend it.

10/10

It is the best soap opera I have ever seen! There is a good plot with good looking and talented actors. You can't guess what is about to happen in the next sequence, which is a very admirable thing in todays programs. The characters have believable natures and you can almost believe that that kind of persons could really exist. The biggest character in this series is the Italian culture and nature, which means a lot at least to me not being an Italian myself. Their language is colorful and very passionate, but they don't mumble and bubble like Spanish people. What can I say, I'm hooked and I think I'm not the only one...

Absolutely wonderful TV show. All the characters are interesting and the whole cast is very talented. Awesome performances in every scene. Love Fabrizio and Elisa. Alessandro and Vittoria are outstanding couple and steal the show.

First season is the best, so many things happens. Everyone should see this TV show. A mix between "Romeo and Juliet", "The Three Mosketeers" and "Pride and Prejudice".

The locations and clothing is perfectly chosen for the show. Jane Alexander plays a terrific role. Very good actress.

Congratulations Italy for such an amazing TV series!

'Elisa di Rivombrosa' has given me the opportunity to see a nice story, similar to a fairy-tale. The plot may not be very complex and the meanings not very deep, but its purpose isn't to make you wonder what life is about and whether aliens do or do not exist. It's a story about love, fighting for an ideal, honor and dignity. The atmosphere that is created by costumes, locations and characters transfered me to my childhood when I was terribly fond of fairy tales.The costumes are really great and the actors are pretty handsome / beautiful. Though it's kind of predictable, the story of Elisa Scalzi (Vittoria Puccini) and the duke Fabrizio Ristori (Alessandro Preziosi) is an interesting one, raising above common Sud-American novels through the performance of the artists, the music and the great great costumes used for the series. So, if you are into fairy-tale-like kind of stories and love the Italian culture and history (and, of course, the magnificent Italian language), you shouldn't miss Elisa di Rivombrosa.

WATCH THIS if you wanna see the worst in Italian television. Bad acting, nonsense plot, please-help-me-suicide music, and probably the fluffier teleplays of all time. If you watch the first episode with friends, then you can start playing the funny game of guessing what will happen next. Whatever you imagine, it will be more interesting, intelligent and witty than the episodes' plots. More than twenty years ago, I used to watch Mexican soap operas with my mum (I was a kid, and that gave me some problems I am still trying to solve today). Rivombrosa resembles those Veronica Castro performances that ruined my psyche forever. More than twenty years, and not a single sign of evolution in Italian television. We have absorbed the worst from every import serial we've been broadcasting through the years. All right, I know that Italy lacks a J.J. Abrams and that shows like "Lost", "X-files", "Miami Vice" or whatever you love most are probably things we will see once in our lifetime BUT this does not allow untalented people like Cinzia Th Torrini (what does that look-how-noble-I-am-I-have-a-double-surname TH stand for?) to direct an idiocy like this.