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. The telenovela aired on Univision in the United States, on REN TV in Russia and on La 1 in Spain, among others. It was successfully distributed to many countries worldwide. In 2005, Amor real was released on DVD and it became the first telenovela have English subtitles. 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 2004 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 y Beristáin (Adela Noriega) falls in love with Adolfo SolÃÂs (Mauricio Islas), an army soldier with no fortune, trusting that her father, Hilario (Ricardo Blume) â a fair and kind man â will let her marry him. But her mother, Augusta (Helena Rojo), is determined to force Matilde to marry a rich man to save the family from bankruptcy. Manuel Fuentes Guerra (Fernando Colunga) 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 JoaquÃÂn Fuentes Guerra (Julio Alemán), 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 (Ernesto Laguardia) send Adolfo to prison and convince Matilde 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 (Chantal Andere), 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, gets along with him giving 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 the situation and leaves the hacienda at the same day as Matilde announces to her husband that she's pregnant. The couple's happiness does not last long, however, since 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.
During its broadcast in Mexico, the telenovela registered very high ratings, especially in its last weeks on air, when it reached an average of 35 rating points. It remained in first place throughout its five-month run in Mexico. with a 60% market share, as reported by Ibope Mexico. Due to the show's great popularity, the complete telenovela was re-broadcast for a second time after a public request, four months after its original broadcast ended.
Aside from its success in Mexico and Latin America, Amor real was also successful internationally. When the telenovela aired in prime time on Univision, it frequently managed to beat leading U.S. networks in rating numbers. The series aired in the U.S. with no subtitles; however it ranks among Univision's highest rated telenovelas of all time. The telenovela also had successful results when it aired on Spanish national television by TVE, where it was programmd in the afternoons during 2005. In 2005, Amor real was released on DVD and it was the first telenovela to have English subtitles. The DVD release had very successful sales in the U.S. The international DVD release of the telenovela also included countries such as Canada, Puerto Rico, France, Italy, and Spain.
Below is a listing of the most important awards and nominations received by the production: