Simplemente María

‘Simplemente María’ (Dir. Enzo Bellomo, 1972). Poster. Private Collection.

‘Simplemente María’ is at the crossroad of a shift in content distribution strategies. Written by Celia Alcántara–an adaptation of one her radionovelas–it was first produced in Argentina (1967), and then remade in Brazil and Venezuela (1970). But the one that made history was the Peruvian version (Panamericana TV, 1969), starring Saby Kamalich, Ricardo Blume, and Braulio Castillo. It was one of the first foreign TV dramas to be broadcast in Mexico–the largest Spanish speaking audience. Along ‘Esmeralda’ (Venevisión, 1970) it inaugurated the international market of video-taped telenovelas.

It was not just about a shift in media industry practices. María, a single mother, raised her son by working as a seamstress, and later became a successful fashion designer. For the first time, the female character didn’t depend of a man to make a living and be happy.

‘Simplemente María’. Promotional Still. Saby Kamalich and Ricardo Blume. Panamericana TV, Peru, 1969.

Excerpt from Simplemente Maria (Peru, 1969), Episode 1.
Performers: Saby Kamalich and Mariella Trejos
Story original by Celia Alcántara. Adapted for TV by Queca Herrero.
© Panamericana Televisión

"I knew the capital was going to be like this. It was worth coming! I wasn't crazy like the girls in my town said. I wasn't crazy to want to come. I have a room for myself, I have a job, and I can see all of this."
María
Simplemente María, 1969

In the beginning María arrives in a big city and finds a job as a maid. Almost immediately, she’s seduced and abandoned by a rich heir.

Excerpt from ‘Simplesmente Maria’ (Brazil, 1970), Episode 2.
Love scene featuring Yoná Magalhães and Ênio Gonçalves.
Telenovela written by Benjamin Cattan e Benedito Ruy Barbosa based on the original story by Celia Alcántara.
Rede Tupi de Televisão. São Paulo, Brazil.
Original: 2-inch quadruplex videotape.
Cinemateca Brasileira

‘Simplemente María’–film adaptation (Dir. Enzo Bellomo, 1972). Lobby Card. Private Collection.
Saby Kamalich and Braulio Castillo in a scene from ‘Simplemente María’–film adaptation (Dir. Enzo Bellomo, 1972). Promotional Still. Private Collection.
Saby Kamalich in a scene from ‘Simplemente María’–film adaptation (Dir. Enzo Bellomo, 1972). Promotional Still. Private Collection.
Saby Kamalich and Ricardo Blume. ‘Simplemente María', Graphic Novel, Issue 1, Cover. Private Collection.

‘Simplemente María’ was one of many telenovelas to be adapted as a graphic novel.

"SImplemente María', Graphic Novel, Issue 1, p.p. 2-3. Private Collection.