L'espionne de Tanger

My wife and I really enjoyed this series. The plot is engaging, and the acting is above average. Adriana Ugarte, who plays Sira/Arish, is particularly fun to watch. More than anything I enjoyed the look of the show -- the architecture (in Tangier and Tetouan Morrocco, Madrid, and Lisbon), the cars, and the clothes. I saw somewhere that the women in this show (the dressmaker and her clients) wore well over 1000 different outfits, each more elegant, in a 1940 sort of way, than the last. This isn't what I usually watch TV for, but the look of the show is over the top and it makes the whole series more fun to watch. Also, with the first half of the show set in the Tetouan, in the Spanish Protectorate in Morocco, during the Spanish Civil War, I had to brush up on some interesting history. I had imagined that Morocco was all under French control before the country resumed full independence in the 1950s, but a strip of northern Morocco was under Spanish administrative control from 1912 on. And of course Franco had started his rebellion against the Republic, and thus the civil war, by invading Spain from Morocco..

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.

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.

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.