Based on an original idea by Enrique Torres, and with a direct predecessor to Big brotherChampionship Gustavo Bermudez, Araceli Gonzalezand a great cast, Eltrece wanted to repeat the unprecedented success of the series that had brought them together for the first time (they would later make one billion), and He invited them back to the star in 1995 Sheikh.
The programme, which consisted of 120 episodes and was broadcast at the same time as its predecessor, was filmed in San Juan, an Argentine province chosen primarily for its desert areas, which helped create the context of a fictional Arab emirate called Sagar, key to the first phase of the story. Covers, sand, exotic foods, suggestive music and veils allow us to enhance a love story between “different people” and in two different historical times..
Sheikh The film begins with the story of Jamal (Bermudez), the heir to Amir Sagar, who is about to marry a princess from Afghanistan. But before marriage, he meets Virginia (Gonzalez), the daughter of the Argentine consul who happens to be there. The differences between them and the death of one of them will make the relationship and fulfillment of the couple impossible. But since love knows no time, their two children, Gabrielle and Anna, will later cross their destinies, showing that love and passion always triumph.
“I have very fond memories of him Sheikh. Very pleasant. They are all lessons. Fortunately, in all the novels I’ve written, I’ve had lessons Nation Gustavo Bermúdez, who also mentioned that this fantasy was a break from what he was doing, where he had to learn, for example, to ride a horse and learn about the customs of the Arab culture.
There were two chosen villains, Mohamed (Norberto Diaz) and Zelmira, who played them. Esther Goreswho also recalls their time in fiction and the advice they were given so they could create their characters. “There was a person who advised, an Arab woman, regarding customs and other issues. When we were recording the external parts at the beginning of the series, in the Pampa del Leoncito, in San Juan, I remember that the person who was the general director of the channel came and watched us do the scenes. I was completely covered, only my eyes could be seen, and I remember him saying: ‘Reveal Esther Gores.’ The advisor said no, that is impossible, and he replied: ‘Well, here if possible,’ because if that were not the case, I would have to add one Plus, with what this woman got…even though what she got wasn’t much, don’t think,” recalls Goris with a wonderful sense of humor.
He also remembers Raul Rizzo, who played Rasheed, another of the main characters in the story Nation Difficulty of shooting outdoors: “This was recorded between the mountain range and the foothills of San Juan province, near Mendoza, and there was a dry lake that allowed everything to be created because it was a desert. From a picture point of view it was a wonderful place. But from a pre-production point of view they did not take into account that there were strong winds, of tremendous speed. So much so that one day we were in the middle of recording, they set up tents there and everything, and I see them building up in the distance from the dust, so I asked a local who was playing a guest what was happening. “He is the brave one,” the man told me in his calm tone. “He’s coming here and he’s going to destroy us.” Indeed, that is how it was. After 15 minutes it was a disaster.“We were running away, and everyone was running, throwing cameras and light boxes and all that, over the trucks, and we ran back to where we were staying.”
In addition to Bermúdez, González, Gores and Díaz, the cast also included Cecilia Melón, Cristina Allende, Nora Zinsky, Claudio Risi, Pablo Chilton, Katia Aleman, Miguel Habbod and Silvia Bailly, among others. Sheikh It was a production of an unimaginable scale at the time, with helicopters, hundreds of extras and vintage cars, as well as tents, horses and sand, added along with costumes and props.
Although Bermudez’s personality was Arab, because of his words and the way he behaved, he was not consistent with the lineage and mandates he enjoyed. On the other hand, Gonzalez presented himself as a rebel and rebel, with a feminist imprint that clashed with everyone, especially his father.
Specialized critics and the media quickly rejected the film, considering that the setting was not up to the desired level and threatened the credibility of the story. “They told me that the novel was a success in the Arabian Peninsula,” says Goris, who knows that the 120 episodes were sold successfully in the international market, even though their local luck was not the same.
Zelmira, her character, suffers in silence because she wants to be a mother but can’t, and to deal with this frustration, she makes evil plans all the time, writhing in her rooms, screaming, howling, wandering everywhere with a steady step, a cigarette in her hand and a unique fingerprint, destroying everyone. “At that time I was smoking,” Goris recalls, “and smoking was not allowed at all on recordings, on set. So, I made my character smoke because that was the way I would light a cigarette during rehearsal or recording. It was very funny, because I was a queen in Arabia who had the luxury of walking around with her face exposed and smoking in front of everyone.”
Although Torres’ idea arose when Bermúdez, due to her successful soap operas, began receiving love letters from one of the daughters of the then King of Arabia, the scripts by Mara Sala, Marily Pugno and Yvonne Fourneri cleverly explored the ideas and customs of the Arab world, adding them to both stages of the story. In the case of the hero, Jamal/Gabriel are presented as heroes who do not necessarily respond to what was expected of them. Something similar happens with the two roles played by Gonzalez, a progressive woman in 1966, and a tireless seeker of gender equality the following year.