L'espionne de Tanger

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!

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.

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..

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.

I loved this drama. I watched "Palmeras en la nieve" and was impressed by Adriana Ugarte's acting, style and beauty. So I found this drama and she did impress here as well. I love how the Spanish excel in portraying different historic periods. This show was just as such, beautifully shot, great acting and story line. This is not only a love story, but a story of a woman's journey with suspense, history and heart.

Highly recommend this.