From Amazon/MGM, this series is the latest attempt to bring Isabel Allende’s 1982 novel to life. The first three episodes came out today. I’ve only watched one so far. Stay tuned.
The premise:
The House of the Spirits is Isabel Allende’s debut novel, a multi-generational saga following the Trueba family in an unnamed Latin American country, blending magical realism with political history. Published in 1982, it tells the story of the family’s passions, secrets, and struggles over four generations, from the late 19th century through violent social and political upheaval, featuring characters like the clairvoyant Clara and the tyrannical patriarch Esteban Trueba. The novel is a cornerstone of Latin American literature, exploring themes of love, fate, and social injustice through a fantastical lens.
Isabel Allende’s father was the president of Chile, and she was writing about Latin America, although the country was fictional (really Chile, but unnamed). The previous attempt to adapt it was written and directed by a Danish guy, mostly in English, shot in Portugal, and starred some of the greatest A-list actors in the English speaking world, including even the queen of the profession, Meryl Streep. In other words, no person or place in the production had anything to do with the Spanish-speaking portion of Latin America. The film was a bomb. It earned 27% positive reviews, per Rotten Tomatoes, and grossed a paltry $6 million in North America.
This new series is in Spanish, filmed and produced in Chile, created and written by Chileans, so at least it starts with the cachet of realism. I guess it’s a bit misleading to use the word “realism” when referring to a work in this genre. “Magical realism” is to actual realism as “death by chocolate” is to actual death. Let’s just say it is more “authentic.”
Although I think I’m going to invent “magical authenticity.”
