Bolívar (TV series)
Bolívar, una lucha admirable (English: Bolívar, an admirable fight), or simply Bolívar, is a Colombian Spanish-language historical drama television series created by Juana Uribe, based on the life of Venezuelan liberator Simón Bolívar. The series stars Luis Gerónimo Abreu as Bolívar as an adult, José Ramón Barreto as Bolívar as a young man, Irene Esser as Bolívar's wife María Teresa del Toro, and Shany Nadan as his lover Manuela Sáenz. Maximiliano Gómez stars as Bolívar as a child. It was released on Netflix worldwide, except for Colombia, on 21 June 2019, followed by its debut in Colombia on Caracol Televisión on 18 September 2019.
| Bolívar | |
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| Also known as | Bolívar, una lucha admirable |
| Genre | Historical drama Telenovela Biographical drama |
| Created by | Juana Uribe |
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| Story by |
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| Directed by |
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| Creative director | Guarnizo & Lizarralde |
| Country of origin | Colombia |
| Original language | Spanish |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 63 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Asier Aguilar |
| Editor | Fabián Rodríguez |
| Production company | Caracol Televisión |
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| Release | 18 September – 20 December 2019 |
The show is made up of 60 episodes that document the events of Bolívar's life from the age of seven until his death, primarily focusing on his formation as the liberator of several South American countries and his romantic engagements. However, the cast and crew also describe the show as an attempt to remove the veil of heroism covering the man and re-humanize him.
It was popular in Latin America, but the telenovela style and format alienated international viewers. Before its release, the show was publicly criticized by Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, with commenters believing he was concerned that a less legendary image of Bolívar would further reduce his popular support.