We’ve all had the song “It’s a Small World” annoyingly stuck in our head at some point. While it’s catchiness is irritating, the words ring true. As technology advances in transportation like airplanes and devices like cell phones, different cultures are spread to different parts of the globe and they all begin to influence each other. The entertainment industry is a great example of this process known as globalization. Movies like Harry Potter, artists like Shakira and even sporting events like the FIFA World Cup have a global audience tuned in to watch it.
Telenovelas are no different.
Maybe the best example of how telenovelas are remade around the world is “Ugly Betty”. I watched this movie as a kid and had no idea the idea was from a telenovela, but that is globalization at work.
Betty has been introduced to countries all over the world as seen below.
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| Columbia |
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| India |
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| Mexico |
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| Germany |
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| USA |
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| Turkey |
pictures from onedio.co
Character archetypes transcend culture and language. There is an overbearing older brother in each culture, there is a selfish “villain” trying to get rich quick in every culture, there is forbidden love in every culture. A lot of media goes past cultural barriers which I think is what we see in a lot of telenovelas (like Betty). We understand the archetypes and see ourselves or someone we love in them regardless of what your culture is. The emotional bond with characters is a big part of why audience members (including me) come back each night to watch.
What’s even more interesting to me, though, is how main story lines are shared globally, but then tweaked to incorporate local culture specific to each region. We saw an example of this in Dr. A’s lecture which compares Café con Aroma de Mujer with Destilando Amor. Café con Aroma de Mujer is a Colombian telenovela and so the story revolves around the coffee industry which is something most Colombians can understand and relate to their own lives. Destilando Amor is set in Mexico so rather than a coffee industry that the viewers cannot relate to, the love story revolves around agave which is the base ingredient in tequila.
I think it’s interesting, and honestly smart, that the telenovelas are changed to connect with the characteristics specific to each region. If I were watching either Café con Aroma de Mujer or Destilando Amor, I would not relate to either the coffee or tequila industry. I might really enjoy the show and the characters, but there would be an aspect of their life I don’t understand because I have no related experience. So I bet if this story was adapted to make an American version, the industry the love story revolves around would be changed yet again.
Now more than ever we see how interconnected the world is with the spread of COVID-19 virus. While mass media is spreading, I like how the details specific to certain cultures are also preserved. Even being in this class, we have had the chance to learn to love a huge part of a new culture for most of us. Day by day, we’re connecting to other parts of the world - making our own perception of the world just a little smaller.
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I think the idea of globalization and culturally different remakes is really interesting. When you think about shows on television in globally, there is "America's Got Talent" vs "Britain's Got Talent" vs "Australia's Got Talent," all the same concept, but with different judges and contestants that appeal more and relate more to the audience watching the show. In terms of COVID-19, I agree that it is important that media is made that appeals to all audiences, specifically because more people are watching in greater volumes around the world. I wonder if even the information that is spread around the world about the virus varies based on culture.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what an American version of Café con aroma de mujer would look like! Americans are not really thought to have a distinct "culture" the way that other countries do, even though we do have things that are distinctly "American." There are definitely characters we see in shows that would simply not make sense in a show from another country because they are so distinctly American. It's really interesting to think about how you would adapt a show to another culture if you had to. What are the defining characteristics of this culture? What archetypes are shared, which ones would need to be adapted? Are there certain archetypes that simply don't exist in another culture and can't be translated? Being an immigrant, I think a lot about what "American" culture is. I can think of things that are specific to my culture and that make a Bulgarian person recognizable, but I wonder what things about Americans make them distinguishable, outside of language or accent, to non-Americans.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting take! I previously didn't take into consideration how much meaning an adaptation could hold because of cultural customization. It creates a stronger link from audience to storyline, and it's cool to see how the same storylines can resonate with audiences all over the world. However, with our discussions on remakes potentially killing the telenovela industry, is it possible that there's a limit of remakes/adaptations to make before it kills the story? I think there also might be a risk in which people would only expect to consume media content that reflects on their own culture, and completely miss a chance to understand life in a different country. We hear over and over again that there's a battle in getting American audiences to watch foriegn content with subtitles (cough cough, Parasite). Americans hesitancy to branch out on content from other cultures, including content with a foreign language, could block globalization and cultural sharing. I think it's great that a storyline like Ugly Betty can be adapted into so many cultures, but I do fear that adaptations risk sharing and understanding different cultures.
ReplyDeleteI like your inclusion of archetypes. I think Betty is a perfect example as she is a relatable character that you always want to root for. She is the underdog, and who doesn't love a great underdog story. I feel that this is the reason for the massive success of this telenovela. Her story is one that can easily be modified to fit any culture, which also makes her more lovable. I feel that storylines like Betty are useful during times like these as they can be easily modified or widely accepted. One can watch the story of Betty from a different country and still understand the basic principles of the telenovela because of the relatable story. Although remakes can be seen as a negative aspect in telenovelas, there are also positives to them.
ReplyDeleteI really liked hearing how other cultures incorporated their own local discrepancies into different versions of basically the same show in order to appeal more to the local audiences. I've noticed this in the french shows that I watch, when watching the subtitled versions with the original script versus seeing the english version, there are always changes to words that completely change the context of what is occurring on scene. Sometimes they'll even edit out french food shown on screen and change it to more Americanized items.
ReplyDeleteI think it is just how Leonardo Padrón said in our chat, that the universal language of Love is what connects us all. That is why his telenovelas have been successful in all of the Latin American audiences regardless the nationality of the audience or the actors in the telenovela. I think that there is a beauty in watching international shows, I have watched Cafe con Aroma de mujer because my mom told me it was a classic, and I loved it even though it had nothing to do with Venezuela. It helped me learn a bit about Colombia + I love their accent so I can't complain. One of my favorite shows, Skam, is from Norway and I got to learn a ton about their culture and their school system. Same goes with all the Turkish dramas, Asian dramas, Bollywood movies and other international tv that I constantly watch. I feel like when you open yourself from seeing shows from other countries in other languages, you learn so much, you are opening yourself to a new experience and it helps you become a world citizen. I am very happy of the success that Parasite and Miracle in Cell No. 7 have had this year and I hope it motives people to branch out from what they normally watch.
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