| Genre: | Telenovela |
| Creator: | María Zarattini |
| Music: | Jorge Avendaño |
| Opentheme: | "Amor Real" by Sin Bandera |
| Country: | Mexico |
| Language: | Spanish |
| Num Episodes: | 95 |
| Executive Producer: | Carla Estrada |
| Producer: | Arturo Lorca |
| Company: | Televisa |
| Network: | Canal de las Estrellas |
Amor real (English: Real Love) is a Mexican telenovela produced by Carla Estrada for Televisa, broadcast by Canal de las Estrellas (now known simply as Las Estrellas). It originally aired from June 9 to October 17, 2003. Amor real is a historical drama set in the Mexican post-independence period of the mid-19th century.[1] [2] The telenovela aired on Univision in the United States, REN TV in Russia and La 1 in Spain, among others. It was successfully distributed to many countries worldwide.[2] In 2005, Amor real was released on DVD and it became the first telenovela to be released with English subtitles.[3] Televisa has released an abridged DVD version of the telenovela in several countries.
The cast and crew of the telenovela received many accolades, including the TVyNovelas Award for Best Telenovela of the Year at the 22nd TVyNovelas Awards ceremony.
In the mid-19th century, in a time of Victorian morality, challenging the rules of the aristocracy to which she belongs, Matilde Peñalver Beristáin, falls in love with Adolfo Solís, an army soldier with no fortune; trusting that her father, Hilario – a fair and kind man – will let her marry him. But her mother, Augusta, is determined to force Matilde to marry a rich man to save the family from bankruptcy. Manuel Fuentes Guerra is the perfect candidate. He is an honourable and handsome young man who has just inherited a vast fortune. Augusta ignores the fact that Manuel is the illegitimate son of Joaquín Fuentes Guerra, a powerful landlord who raped a native girl, and who only recognised Manuel as his heir on his deathbed.
Using all kinds of intrigues, Augusta and her son Humberto send Adolfo to prison and convince Matilde to believe that he is married and has children. Overwhelmed and in despair, Matilde surrenders to her mother's pressure and agrees to marry Manuel, especially after she learns that he has paid the family's debts. Adolfo escapes from jail and immediately goes to look for his beloved Matilde, who has just married Manuel. Desperate, Adolfo manages to secretly speak with Matilde to clarify the misunderstandings. Swearing they will love each other forever, they decide to run away, but Manuel discovers them. Deeply hurt, Manuel is not willing to give her up. He forces her to leave with him, despite her love for Adolfo. After arriving at Manuel's hacienda, Matilde has to put up with Antonia, the former administrator's daughter, who is in love with Manuel.
Meanwhile, Adolfo, after an intense and frantic search finds Matilde and, intending to bring her back, poses as Manuel's new administrator. Manuel, unaware of Adolfo's real identity, sympathises with him and gives him a special, friendly treatment. In spite of the situation, Adolfo has to admit that Manuel is a noble, fair man. At that point, Manuel and Matilde discover that they have been victims of Augusta and Humberto's deceit. As time goes by, the subtle attention and Manuel's avid desire end up conquering Matilde's heart. Suddenly one day, she realises that the love she felt for Adolfo has disappeared and that she's fallen in love with Manuel. Matilde tells Adolfo the truth and urges him to leave.
Heartbroken, Adolfo accepts his reality and leaves the ranch the same day, that Matilde announces to her husband that she's pregnant. The couple's happiness does not last long. Manuel discovers who his new administrator was and, in an instant, everything falls apart. Matilde's pleas and explanations cannot convince Manuel, he feels betrayed once again and cannot forgive her. Driven by anger, Manuel doubts his paternity and throws Matilde out of the hacienda. Soon after that, he starts a compromising relationship with Antonia that will later make his reconciliation with Matilde more difficult. Manuel and Matilde's relationship will suffer and prosper during times of civil unrest, political and societal intrigue, and subterfuge. Only time will tell whether or not they find 'Real Love' with each other or with someone new.[4]
| Timeslot |
| Premiere | Finale | Rank | Season | Rating average | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | span style="width:11%; font-size:smaller; line-height:100%;" | Premiere Rating | Date | span style="width:11%; font-size:smaller; line-height:100%;" | Finale Rating | ||||
| MondaysFridays 9:00 pm | 95 | 26.5[7] [8] | 43.1[9] | No. 1 | 2003–04 | 29.4[10] | |||
While on the air in Mexico, the telenovela registered very high ratings, especially in the final weeks of its airing when the telenovela showed an average of 35 points.[10] During the whole five-month run in Mexico, it remained on the No. 1 spot,[7] with a 60% market share, as reported by Ibope Mexico.[11] Due to the enormous popularity of Amor Real, the entire telenovela was reruned for the second time after a public demand, only four months after the original airing finalized.[12]
Besides the success in Mexico and Latin America, Amor Real was internationally successful, too.[2] When the telenovela aired during prime time on Univision, it frequently managed to beat leading U.S. networks in the ratings.[3] [13] The series aired on Univision in the U.S. with no subtitles, however. It ranks among Univision's highest rated telenovelas of all time.[14] The telenovela also had successful results when it aired in Spain, on the Spanish national television, TVE, where it was shown in the afternoon, in 2005.[15] [16] In 2005, Amor Real was released on DVD and it became the first telenovela to be released with English subtitles.[3] The DVD release had very successful sales in the U.S.[17] [18] The international DVD release of the telenovela, also included countries such as Canada, Puerto Rico, France, Italy and Spain.[19]
Here are some of the nominations and wins for Amor Real:
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Califa de Oro Awards[20] | Outstanding Production | Carla Estrada | |
| Outstanding Performance | Adela Noriega | |||
| Ana Bertha Espín | ||||
| Ana Martín | ||||
| Beatriz Sheridan | ||||
| Chantal Andere | ||||
| Ernesto Laguardia | ||||
| Fernando Colunga | ||||
| Mariana Levy | ||||
| Mario Iván Martínez | ||||
| Mauricio Islas | ||||
| Rafael Rojas | ||||
| Outstanding Screenwriting Career | María Zarattini | |||
| Best Direction of the Cameras | Alejandro Frutos | |||
| Best Director | Mónica Miguel | |||
| Arlequin Award | Best Production | Carla Estrada | ||
| Mexico's National Association of Broadcasters | Micrófono de Oro Awards | |||
| Sol de Oro Awards (Mexico's National Association of Journalists) | Best Production | |||
| Best Actress | Adela Noriega | |||
| Best Actor | Fernando Colunga | |||
| Best Antagonist Actress | Maya Mishalska | |||
| Best Antagonist Actor | Mauricio Islas | |||
| Best Leading Actress | Helena Rojo | |||
| Best Leading Actor | Mauricio Herrera | |||
| Best Co-lead Actress | Chantal Andere | |||
| Best Co-lead Actor | Ernesto Laguardia | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ana Bertha Espín | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Mario Iván Martínez | |||
| Best Male Special Performance | Rafael Rojas | |||
| Artistic Lifetime Achievement – Award to an Actress | Maty Huitrón | |||
| Artistic Lifetime Achievement – Award to an Actor | Ricardo Blume | |||
| Best Direction | Mónica Miguel | |||
| Best Adaptation | María Zarattini | |||
| 2004 | 22nd TVyNovelas Awards[21] | Best Telenovela | Carla Estrada | |
| Best Actress | Adela Noriega | |||
| Best Actor | Fernando Colunga | |||
| Best Antagonist Actress | Chantal Andere | |||
| Best Leading Actress | Ana Martín | |||
| Best Leading Actor | Carlos Cámara | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ana Bertha Espín | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Ernesto Laguardia | |||
| Best Musical Theme | Sin Bandera (composers: Leonel García and Noel Schajris) | |||
| Best Original Story or Adaptation | María Zarattini | |||
| Best Direction | Mónica Miguel Eric Morales | |||
| Special Award for Telenovela with the Highest Rating in 2003 | Amor real | |||
| Laurel de Oro Awards[22] [23] | Best Telenovela | Carla Estrada | ||
| Best Actress | Adela Noriega | |||
| Best Actor | Fernando Colunga | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Ana Martín | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Mario Iván Martínez | |||
| Artistic Lifetime Achievement Award | Helena Rojo | |||
| Mauricio Herrera | ||||
| Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana | Special Award | Amor real | ||
| 100 Mexicanos Dijeron | VIP Award | |||
| Principios Award | Special Award | |||
| 2005 | ACE Awards[24] | Best Scenic Program | Carla Estrada | |
| Best Actress | Adela Noriega | |||
| Best Actor | Fernando Colunga | |||
| Best Direction | Mónica Miguel | |||
| Plaza de las Estrellas | Luminaria de Oro | Amor real | ||
| Carla Estrada | ||||
