La usurpadora (Mexican telenovela)

La Usurpadora
Genre	Telenovela Romance
Created by	Ines Rodena
Written by	Inés Rodena Carlos Romero Dolores Ortega
Directed by	Beatriz Sheridan Nathalie Lartilleux
Starring	Gabriela Spanic Fernando Colunga Libertad Lamarque
Opening theme	"La usurpadora" by Pandora
Country of origin	Mexico
Original language(s)	Spanish
No. of episodes	102 + Màs allà de la Usurpadora
Production
Producer(s)	Salvador Mejía Alejandre
Location(s)	Mexico
Cinematography	Jesus Najera Jesus Acuna Lee Alejandro Frutos Ernesto Arreola Manuel Barajas
Running time	46 minutes
Production company(s)	Televisa
Broadcast
Original channel	Canal de las Estrellas
Original run	02015-02-09-0000February 9 – July 24, 1998 (1998-07-24)
Chronology
Preceded by	María Isabel Huracán
Followed by	El Privilegio de Amar
External links
Website

La Usurpadora (Literally:The Usurper, International Title:Deceptions) is a Mexican romantic drama telenovela produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and originally broadcast on Canal de las Estrellas from February 9 to July 24, 1998. It starred Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga, and was based on La Intrusa, a novela originally broadcast in Venezuela which was itself a remake of Radio Caracas Television's 1971 telenovela La Usurpadora, which was starred by Marina Baura and Raúl Amundaray. This was one of the last telenovelas to feature Libertad Lamarque, who here portrayed the character of Abuela Piedad Bracho. The show's premise revolves around a pair of twin sisters who were separated when they were young, and as adults the younger sister is forced to act as a "replacement" for her wealthy twin who wants to temporarily leave her husband and his family to enjoy a life of luxury with multiple lovers. The telenovela had huge success in Mexico with ratings of 38.4^[1] and has been exported and ported to various languages across the world.^[2]

Gabriela Spanic has a dual role as the protagonist/main antagonist, Fernando Colunga starred as the protagonist. Chantal Andere, Dominika Paleta, Mario Cimarro and Juan Pablo Gamboa starred as the antagonists.

Yadhira Carrillo as special guest antagonist at Mas Alla de la Usurpadora

Synopsis

Paola and Paulina are twins who were separated at birth. Paulina is a good, honest woman who lives in poverty and is engaged to a simple man Osvaldo, (who is seeing another woman). Paola though rich, is a frivolous, evil woman who has many lovers including her brother in-law Willy. She is married to a wealthy man named Carlos Daniel Bracho. When the twins cross paths by chance, Paola attempts to convince Paulina into taking her place in the Brachos' house, so that she can take a year-long vacation with a new lover, Alessandro. At first, Paulina refuses because she can't leave her mother who is deathly ill; but is later blackmailed and forced to take Paola's place after Paola puts her bracelet in Paulina's purse and accuses her of theft and threatens jail. Paulina, abandoned by her fiancé Osvaldo, submits to Paola's plan. Paulina, unaware of the destruction the Bracho household was under (thanks to Paola) decides to work throughout the year righting all wrongs. She strives to convince everyone that she is a "changed woman" and a "new person". During the year, Paulina falls in love with Carlos Daniel and his children. She cures Abuela Piedad who suffered from Alcoholism, saves the Bracho factory from financial ruin, and cuts ties with all of Paola's lovers. No matter how hard she tries, she cant make peace with Estefania (Carlos Daniel's sister) because the real Paola had an affair with Willy, Estefania's husband. Nonetheless she continues to try and make amends.

Paulina, being the honorable and decent woman that she is, refuses to be intimate with Carlos Daniel telling him that she needs a year due to her "illness". Carlos Daniel unaware she is not really Paola resents her and falls back into the arms of Gema, Paola's frienemy who is always trying to seduce Carlos Daniel, encouraged by Estefania who detests "Paola".

Meanwhile the real Paola is in Monaco living it up and partying with Alessandro a very wealthy man. One night after a party, Paola convinced she is in a dream, speeds and gets in a car crash with Alessandro in the passenger seat. They end up in a hospital in Monaco. Paola, after months and multiple surgeries, recovers but her lover Alessandro ends up paralyzed and is bound to a wheelchair. Paola no longer interested in him plans her return to Mexico, to take back her place as the real Paola Bracho.

Paola's plan is discovered and Paulina escapes from Mexico, but Carlos Daniel's son, Carlitos, tries to find Paulina, who he thinks is his real mother, but with a broken foot, he falls from the top of a hill, smashes a rock and loses his memory. An old lady finds him and cures him.

Paola returns and brings even more chaos: she discovers Carlitos is missing, that Paulina was discovered. Eventually, Paulina hears about Carlitos and returns to the Bracho House. Paola went to travel the world with her famous lover Douglas Maldonado, so Paulina pretends to be Paola again because Carlos Daniel's grandmother Abuela Piedad does not want Paulina to go to jail. Paulina tells the whole family that Carlos Daniel hated Paulina at first, but after finding Carlitos, they both share their secret love for each other. Three of Paulina's enemies, Estefania, her husband Willy and Gema, Estefania's cousin eventually stop this. Gema and Willy tell the Police. Willy beats Estefania up and is hospitalised. Estefania doesn't turn Paulina to the authorities, after Paulina donates blood to Estefania and her baby. Estefania later reconciles with Paulina.

On the same day, Paola eventually returns, pretending to be paralysed, trying to take her rightful place back. The next day, Paulina is arrested by the Police. While in prison, Carlos Daniel and Paulina hear that Paola is Paulina's victim. Paulina and Carlos Daniel get furious, but they also discover a mysterious letter: "A letter to Paulina". This letter was written by Paulina's mother, before she died. In the letter, it is explained that Paola and Paulina are twins. Paola is seen standing on her feet, putting on make up, by her nurse Elvira. Paola tells her the whole truth, so the two of them keep Paola's secret. When Paola realizes that Paulina is her younger twin, she gets furious. Paulina hires a lawyer, so she can be free and help Paola. Later, Paulina is cleared of all charges in the court of law. Paola decides to go to the Bracho house with Elvira. Paulina takes Carlitos to her hotel before Paola tells him the truth, so Paola goes on a wheelchair to prove that she is ill.

Returning to their old ways, Paola and Elvira inflict damage on the family and on Paulina. Three days later, the whole Bracho family is shocked seeing her walk. Later on, Elvira tells the whole family the truth about Paola never being ill. Paola heard this outside so she and willy set an evil Paola would take revenge on Paulina, Carlos Daniel and to kill her lawyer because she set Paulina free from jail and to kill Elvira for being a traitor so Paola takes Elvira to a place to kill her but in the fast going car Paola tells her and gives an evil laugh but Elvira turns the Paola turns it left but Elvira turns right but the car goes even faster so Paola turns it left and says let go of the wheel cursed women!!! but Elvira turns it right, then Paola pushes Elvira back, but to late the girls scream the car smashes the right wall the car rolls violently down the hill with Paola and Elvira in the car the still goes rolling down the hill when it got to the bottom and the car had stopped in a sideways position, then the car bursts in smoke and flames Carlos Daniel arrives to the Bracho house. Suddenly old and young people find the body of Elvira, Paola was found with one arm around a massive rock her arms were bleeding so were her legs and there was blood all on her dress the ambulance arrived and took Paola they left Elvira dead! everyone later found out about Paola she was dying!

Paola was transferred to the hospital central there Paola told all truth about her plan with willy so the police arrested willy and was sentenced for over 20 years and for trying to sell his son and trying to bury alive his wife then Paola said sorry to the whole family everyone accepted and Paulina when she entered comatose she heard everyone say sorry she moved then made a weak smile then opened her eyes raised her right hand (while Paulina held the left hand) but then dropped and her head went to the side she was dead Paulina cried while everyone was sad. Everyone knew the death of Paola liberated Paulina now she could marry Carlos Daniel so when Carlos Daniel asked her for marriage she said " YES " The couple finally lived happily ever after with the Family Bracho.

Production

Gabriela Spanic has a twin sister in real life, Daniela Spanic, who is a Venezuelan model. Daniela was approached by the producers of the show to appear in one scene where Paola and Paulina physically fight, as the sequence would have been too difficult to achieve by camera trickery. La Usurpadora was nicknamed in Spanish, "The queen of the ratings" while broadcast for Univision in 2000. Although the Mexican telenovela garnered massive ratings, it received no awards from the yearly award shows. La Usurpadora wasn't the first of Spanic's telenovela playing twins, she had already played two identical women in Como Tu, Ninguna but they were non-relative as in La Usurpadora. She played the roles just in the last stage of the story. Gabriela later starred in Televisa's 2001 La Intrusa where she once again took on roles similar to La Usurpadora, except both sisters were good characters.

Impact

La Usurpadora has become one of the most exported Televisa telenovelas, has been licensed by 125 countries in and dubbed into 25 languages.^[3]

Remake

A remake, ¿Quién Eres Tú? (Who Are You?), premiered on the Unimás network (formerly Telefutura) as part of its relaunch. It starred Laura Carmine and Julian Gil. It premiered on January 7, 2013, but was removed from the network's lineup a week later due to poor ratings. It was replaced in its timeslot by a rebroadcast of Rosario Tijeras. Only ten episodes were aired on Unimás. Although the network has not made an official statement as to the telenovela's fate, it is presumed it has been cancelled.^[4]

Sequel

Más Alla De La Usurpadora logo.

La Usurpadora was followed by a two hour special, Más Alla De La Usurpadora which is set a year after the events of the original telenovela. Again produced by Salvador Mejia Alejandre and directed by Beatriz Sheridan, it starred many familiar cast members, including Gabriela Spanic and Fernando Colunga, and introduced a new character, Raquel, played by Yadhira Carrillo.^[5]

Synopsis

Paulina and Carlos Daniel are blissfully happy with their new baby girl, Paulita. Problems arise when Paulina falls ill and consults a doctor who tells her that she has cancer and will die in a few months. Paulina keeps her illness a secret from her family, but asks Raquel, Paulita's caregiver, to marry Carlos Daniel after she dies. Raquel, who has been secretly in love with Carlos Daniel, is delighted. When Paulina lets Abuela Piedad in on her secret, Abuela Piedad insists that her family deserves to know. Paulina has a panic attack, and sees a vision of Paola in a mirror, telling that she will see her in hell for robbing her of her family. When Carlos Daniel learns of her illness, he comforts Paulina and decide to make the best of the time they have remaining together. Raquel cannot wait to take over Paulina's role, so she puts poison in Paulina's wine. Paulina drinks and immediately faints, but Raquel faints as well. Both women are taken to the hospital, where they learn that Paulina is not sick, but is in fact pregnant. However, Raquel has accidentally swallowed the poison; she seeks forgiveness and eventually makes a full recovery. Back at the Bracho home, Carlos Daniel and Paulina reveal the happy news to everyone. Overjoyed, the family takes a picture and it says "And they lived happily for the rest of their lives". The credits roll, and the audience cheers.

Cast

Gabriela Spanic she played the twin Paulina and Paola (up), Libertad Lamarque she played the grandmother Piedad (down).

Awards and nominations

References

External links

• La Usurpadora at the Internet Movie Database
• Fans Telenovela La Usurpadora