'O Clone' is an amazing soap. It's one of very few soaps which can make you thinking. I love the Portuguese language, the actors are amazing and the whole soap is great. 250 episodes is maybe too much but actually i wish that it never ended. The whole Bosnia and Herzegovina was in front of the TV every evening 8 pm. and Giovanna Antonelli *Jade* has been in Sarajevo (: One of the things i really like about the soap, is that it's not only about Brazilians and Muslims, but also about many other things like: drugs, love etc. My vote is not 10, but 9 because it's not ALL perfect. For example there is some times when there's happening some weird things which is not realistic. For example, in the last episode, Miro flies from the heaven on a horse and takes Nazira with him. And there is also some things i don't like in the soap. I don't like the end. Albieri and Leo just go in the desert, and then they are just gone. And personally i don't like the idea about that Edna thinks that Albieri and Amalia have something together. But anyways... i think that the soap is fantastic, and it made me begin learning Portuguese.
Add a Review
-
ajla-rekovic8 August 2006
-
filipemanuelneto8 December 2017For those who enjoy a soap opera, Brazil is fertile ground, as the overwhelming majority of general TV channels in the country transmit, on average, four soap operas daily. Invariably, much of this material eventually goes around the world, being bought and broadcast in other countries. One of the most permeable markets for Brazilian teledramaturgy is, of course, my country, due to its cultural and linguistic proximity. So I watched "The Clone" at least three times. I watched the first time it was broadcast in Portugal, around 1998, and on two other occasions, in which the soap opera was reprized. I can say that it is one of the best soap operas ever made by Brazilians.
The story takes place in Morocco and essentially portrays two stories that intersect. The first concerns the impossible love between Jade, a Muslim girl, and Lucas, a Westerner. The second story concerns Dr. Albieri, a reputed geneticist who is obsessed with human cloning and who, against all the ethical rules of his profession, creates the first human clone and implants it in the belly of one of his patients, the young Deusa, who wanted only to be a mother through artificial insemination.
The soap opera has good and bad moments. There are more improbable scenes but the good construction of the story makes us ignore that. Much of it was filmed in Brazil but there are many scenes that were actually filmed in Morocco. There is still an extension of the soap opera where drugs and addiction subject is introduced, in a somewhat abrupt and uninteresting way. Several Brazilian good actors were in this work but I would emphasize, for their good performance, Murilo Benício, Vera Fischer, Reginaldo Faria, Letícia Sabatella and Stênio Garcia. -
Extraordinary¡¡¡ I have never watched something like this. It is a very good history. Eleven compact discs, one book, 280 episodes of 50 minutes each one (too long¡¡), it is the result of writer Gloria Perez. Topics like drugs, two similar religions, forbidden love and ethics are mixed by Gloria Perez very well.
-
FafaSays22 December 2002What do you get when you mix the story of two young lovers and the making of a human clone? You get an interesting story by way of a Brazilian telenovela (soap opera) called O CLONE (The Clone).
Known for incorporating social issues into her stories, Glória Perez includes the following topics in her latest telenovela: Drug addiction, Middle Eastern culture (Muslim lifestyle), and science fiction (human cloning). Given the current news headlines of cloning and the Middle East, the telenovela becomes even more important and gives cause for discussion after viewing each episode.
O CLONE takes the viewer to two striking locations - modern-day Brazil and Morocco. The two main characters are introduced - Jade, a headstrong Muslim girl from Morocco and Lucas, a docile, daydreamer from Brazil with a Catholic religious background. The two meet and fall in love. The problem is that their different cultures make it difficult for a union between them. Jade's family has chosen a family for her, and Lucas's family is reluctant for him to marry a foreigner. In addition to their story, a scientist creates a human clone after a loved one prematurely dies. This clone later becomes an important part of the lives of Jade and Lucas.
The viewer gets a chance to see a Muslim household and what goes on there. Some of the scenes may be a bit exaggerated since the storytellers use poetic license to make the story more dramatic. However, the scenes can be used to open up a dialogue of discussion about a culture that may not be known or understood by many in the west. Despite the differences between the cultures - Christian and Muslim, it becomes clear that there are many similarities such as one's love of family and the desire to find happiness.
Veteran novela director, Jayme Monjardim and his team have produced an outstanding product with O CLONE. His handiwork shows beautiful close-ups of the actors and enchanting shots of the land and cityscape of Morocco and Brazil. He skillfully captures both places.
The lead actress, Giovanna Antonelli (Jade), gives a believable presentation as the Muslim girl, torn between following her true heart's desire and the dictates of her family to marry the man chosen for her. Lead actor, Murilo Benício (Lucas) also gives a winning performance as the young man who has fallen in love with a girl from a different society who his family will not accept. Benício plays three different roles - twins and the clone. Each character is different and convincing.
The rest of the cast also gives strong performances. This includes Stênio Garcia as Uncle Ali, Elaine Giardini as Nazira, Daniela Escobar as Maysa, Vera Fischer as Yvette, Reginaldo Farias as Leônidas, Letícia Sabatella as Latiffa, Dalton Vigh as Said, Antonio Calloni as Mohamed, Adriana Lessa as Deusa, and Jandira Martini as Zoraide. Actually the cast list goes on I'm sure you get the idea. All the actors are good.
O CLONE captured the attention of over 18 million viewers in Brazil. The telenovela successfully took hold of the American T.V. audience, as well. Brazilian telenovelas shown in the U.S. are usually dubbed into Spanish. For the first time in the history of telenovelas shown in the U.S., English sub-titles (closed caption) have been included. Now, non-Spanish speakers have a chance to enjoy the story as well.
In addition to an arresting and sometimes controversial storyline, the telenovela has a fun music soundtrack full of Brazilian and Middle Eastern music. Thanks to musical director, Marcus Viana, the music adds to the success of the novela as a whole.
O CLONE is one of those telenovelas that doesn't waste your time. I highly recommend this Brazilian soap opera for your viewing pleasure. -
Sekho5 May 2013I love this series, is the best television series that has been done in latinomarica, simple as that. The performances are perfect, credible, too real, especially highlighting the actors Murilo Benicio (Lucas / Leo / Diogo), Giovanna Antonelli (Jade) and Débora Falabella (Mel), among others.
The music is perfect, the songs in Spanish and Arabic very well selected, the scenery is spectacular, the shots are majestic, the issues it addresses as the clash of cultures and drug problems were well tackled.
In conclusion, it was worth seeing the 250 chapters, indeed, when repeated on television here in Chile saw it again complete.
My vote: 10 star. -
podarc28 March 2007Hi, everybody. I am watching O clone, now, on one of our channels, and I am in love with it. It is the most beautiful soap operas I have ever seen. Great story, beautiful make up, interesting plots, good actors, a lot of mystery, and deep looks. But I watched it a couple of years ago, and I do not remember who Zein is, why on earth Jade marries him, and what impact does it have on Lucas's life? I remember he was a hansom man and he looks very deep in Jade's eyes. Oh, how beautiful she is. I also love the marrocan lifestyle, their clothing, their houses, even if in this story they showed the house of one of the best families from there. Please help me, because I am in a big dilemma.
-
veveritza_in_coma28 July 2018I watched it as a kid and skipped through some episodes now and I maintain my opinion that this isn't your typical South American soap opera. There's no absurd fight between an angelic and an evil character, like in most shows of this kind. The main theme, the leitmotif of this story is "morality" and the different approaches of it. There are multiple conflicts going on and, as the fight is a spiritual and mental one, we could devide it into ethos, logos and pathos, meaning, in this case, the authority of the Muslim religion (Ali - who's the father figure), science and facts (Albieri) and passion (Jade and Lucas). These aren't necessarily irreconcilable, but the human ego and flaws tend to make them so. A thing that is kind of overlooked is Xande's love for Mel. Maybe the most selfless and sincere of all.
-
jarismen28 January 2020In this non-typical South American soup opera, the plot goes around the ethical issues regarding human genetic manipulation. In addition, the gorgeous actresses and the amazing music. You just get transported to another place watching this soup-opera.
-
momohomo-733276 August 2019This telenovela is the most beautiful telenovela that ever made in entire life. Absolutley with no doubt the most exciting and powerful , the music so unique that it comes to your soule this telenovela was so great that even after 15 i cant forget her
-
Venus-2512 December 2004I normally don't watch things that are dubbed into another language: It annoys me to not know whether the dubbing actor's voice matches that of the one on screen, and it also bothers me that emotional nuances of the original actors' performances could be lost in translation. I made an exception for El Clon (as it was called in the US) and I'm glad I did.
We don't normally get a look at Muslim family values in the US, and many who have not watched this excellent novela will never know the fascinating things to be learned from it. The misogyny that infects people in the fundamentalist countries is absent from the Muslim characters, who rejoice at the birth of healthy daughters and love them as much as their sons. Other issues are touched upon including the practice of FGM (not in the Qur'an and condemned by Tio Ali as an antiquated barbaric tribal practice), veiling, arranged marriages, divorce and child custody issues, the actual Muslim viewpoint on marital sex (very good news here), and inter cultural relations. Tio Ali is one of the most endearing characters in the story as the philosophical uncle of the impulsive and headstrong Jade. He attempts to get her to follow the rules for all the right reasons, but eventually understands where he went wrong in both his methods and his thinking. Tio Abdul, on the other hand, represents most things that non-Muslims fear about them in his contempt for all non-Muslims, entertainment, technology, and anything else he is unfamiliar with. He does not take advantage of what Tio Ali tells us in a late episode is the greatest gift to man: the right to think. For that reason, he sometimes rails at the ideas of others in a most annoying manner.
Related issues are presented in contrast in the larger Brazilian community as the Brazilian characters court, marry, commit adultery, move up or down socially, deal with substance abuse, and attempt to endure the slings and arrows of their own outrageous fortune. In the end we are asking ourselves whether a social structure is worth bowing to when the personal human cost is as high as the price paid by Lucas, Jade, Maysa, Said, and the people affected by their fates.
The comic relief in this series is brilliant and is sometimes expressed in small, unexpected moments. A good example is the scene in Rio where Mohamed suddenly gets hungry while seeing a man eating a sandwich on the street during Ramadan, a sight he realizes he would never see back home in Morocco. Nazira's romantic fantasies are visualized with bittersweet humor, amusing in their presentation but with a note of pity for Nazira's "old maid" status. The one story fault here is that there is no adequate explanation for her unmarried state in a culture where most people are married off in their late teens and early twenties, unless we conclude that Tio Abdul knew that she would make any husband's life miserable in the long term.
The social and ethical issues about human cloning are well-presented although not dealt with on the human level until late in the story: Does a clone have parents and who are they? How is he supposed to think of himself? What of the person whose cells were used to make the clone, especially if he did not consent to the procedure? When should the scientist pause and listen to the philosopher? What should be the legal outcome of this unprecedented situation?
Most of the noteworthy performances have been mentioned by the other reviewers, but I will add two more names to that list: Adriana Lessa as Deusa, the woman who unknowingly was the maternal guinea pig, represents every woman who wants a child and will go to any lengths to have one. She is in deep denial about the fact that there is something incredibly wrong when she gives birth to an infant who is so racially different from herself, but loves that child intensely, protecting him like a lioness with a cub. Luciano Szafir is highly memorable as the mysterious Zein. He is one of the most intriguing minor characters as the Egyptian-born Muslim who straddles both cultures socially while emotionally probably belonging more to the non-Muslim world than he thinks he does. He is the emotional flip side of Jade in addition to being the most sexually charismatic of the male characters in this story.
The entire production is visually stunning, with big-screen style images both of Brazil and Morocco, and a music soundtrack worthy of an epic film. I have the CDs and have played them many times. Did every belly dancer in Rio and Fez get a chance to appear in this series?
While Mexican novelas manipulate you emotionally, this Brazilian production makes you think. I hope the scientific community was watching. -
pv6122 June 2004I have also seen this soap opera twice, I just love the settings, the views, the locations, the story and the people in it! In the beginning I got hooked up by the scenery, the story was just too sweet and plain, then it started to change, I learned about muslims and the way they live, and how everything made sense. The dialogs were small poems and life lectures. Time passed and everything started falling into place. 20 years later, the characters slightly changed, and a new neighborhood added new dimension to the story development. I hated Lucas; because of him, his relationship with Jade never took off. She risked everything and he was always a wimp. But that was necessary because his twin brother was the one who supposed to be brave and dare to do whatever he wanted. Leo took months to show up after 20 years, but it was worth it. He really got everybody busy and wondering what was going on.
-
I have always hated south-american soap-operas, but this show is better than Dallas. It has an interesting subject, good actors, absolutely gorgeous scenes, and the music... Ah! the music ! Is the best ! It' also nice to see Islamic people presented as human, and not as "terrorist beasts".
The only thing that bothers me is that the show has so many episodes, and I foresee that many more will follow (at his date - Dec '02 - we are watching the episodes where Xande is falsely accused by Maysa of steeling her necklace). I started watching it because at that hour (10 PM, daily) there is nothing else to see on the Romanian TV stations (except for the third re-run of "Married, with Children" and some horrible news about murders an rapes). It's pleasant detachment, before going to sleep, of all the stress accumulated during the day. P.S. In Romania, the show has 10 - 11 % rating. -
luismribeiro15 May 2002The idea of producing a cloned human being, watch this creature grow up to become a twenty-year-old man, and eventually see him meet his genetic `twin brother' is an original plot in itself. Having a few romantic and adult sub-plots added, and a great deal of the whole story taking place in the context of Muslim religious and cultural background in Brazil and in Morocco, can certainly complicate a director's task. Gloria Perez's `O Clone' is certainly well above most soap operas shown on TV. The actors and actresses give good performances, the main plot is original, and the Muslim background adds a curious atmosphere, at least to a non-Muslim audience. Also, drug addiction is crudely brought to the screen, with an expertise we rarely see, and receives the serious treatment such theme deserves. At a certain point, however, Miss Perez seems to have lost grip of the situation, getting lost in the midst of so many intricate and intertwined sub-plots which, one would think, she doesn't know how to end.
-
misgm123 April 2004This is one of the most amazing novels I've ever seen. So touching, so romantic! As usual, actors gave us the best performance, that's why I try to watch as most Brazilian novels as I can. They have really good actors, even the youngest. But from all in this novel, Murillo Benicio performed the very best three actor's personalities. It was fantastic. I visited Morocco and this touched me the most, to review their lives and musics. That's why I do need your help as I'd like to know the name of the Arabian dance/music heard during Said's marriage scene (I think the second marriage) sung by a woman dancing and followed up by another dancers. It was a delightful music, and I intend to buy the CD but need to know its name first. Could you help? Thank you!
-
A fascinating and exotic story, that mix things like human cloning, the muslim culture and drug/alcohol addiction problems. O Clone/El Clon has reached its end here in Brazil last Friday. Obviously, I'm not gonna tell what happened, but I'd like to add that regarding Leo (El Clon) it was a fair ending, considering no one could really tell what would've happened to a real clon! El Clon reached the biggest ratings ever around here. This could be explained because it came in the perfect moment, not only because the human cloning is a recent issue, but also because it premiered 1 month after the attacks of September 11th, when the curiosity about the Muslim culture reached the highest levels. The campaign of author Gloria Perez against the drug and alcohol addiction, featuring 2 teenage characters, Mel and Nando, also was a great success and is helping to show people about all the bad things that come along with the pleasure that drugs bring. A great show. Perfect acting, perfect writing. It's no surprise it was such a big success.
-
ambitious, seductive, seems be a complete work. the great virtue is the mix between science and Oriental flavors.the second - love stories. a film who reminds old adventure books of childhood. interdict things and the air of freedom, sacrifices and not reasonable choices, splendid music and windows to an exotic civilization. and, sure, soap - opera tools. a seductive series who impresses for its courage to use so many different ingredients. and, sure, for the not bad result. a large fresco with nice performances - the work of Murilo Benicio is admirable -, good options of team for interesting themes and a lovely story who has the force to be more than a part of a long South American soap operas list.
-
Dreni1 November 2004This soap opera is about to end here in Prishtina, but even though it has not finished yet I can wright a short summary based on what I saw and what I thought is worth saying. The thing I find most useful is the damage caused by drugs in social/health life and the horrible consequences that a person has to take after starting to use drugs and the suffering he/she causes to the family, him/herself and the entire society. The other thing worth mentioning is the human cloning, though the idea of cloning sounds fascinating at first, the consequences are not the ones the mankind would like to have. Who would be the father? The clone maker or the person whose cell has been taken to make the clone? Or actually the father of the person who's cell has been used to make the human clone..? I guess I would feel very bad in that case (being a human clone) and the idea of seeing myself younger/older would make me proper sick. Otherwise the fate/love stories are just fairy tales to make the audience (women most) to watch the soap operas though the audience can learn a lot of things from "O Clone"
-
I'm watching El Clon, and its the best novela there is today. Its the most romantic and passionate novela I have ever seen in television. The passion in the actors is so amazing. I give all the stars that is possible to all the actors because they do an wonderful job. Great work to all who where involved in EL Clon
-
sarcastic2694 August 2002This soap opera is the best I have ever seen, and believe me I have seen many. I hope it will have the success that it deserves all over the world because it is truly amazing. It is romantic but it also informs people about other cultures of the world that were previously ignored. I would say that this soap opera is soooo good that it doesn't need the so called stars rating because this soap is on a totally different level.
-
hotthuggirl21 June 2002I have to say I am Mexican and therefore I am used to the same storyline for a novela but O Clone captured me with only the previews, before it even started I already wanted to watch it. I always admired Brazil for their soccer team, beautiful paradise, and now for their work. This novela leaves you wanting more and wishing that it would keep going not just a restricted time at night, you want to see the whole entire thing all at once. But my respects to the director, Giovanna Antonelli, Murilo Benicio, the rest of the cast and crew for the great work. Nothing but the best from Brazil. betty
-
Kirpianuscus31 January 2017the exoticism does the great difference between The Clone and the other soap operas. and, sure, its wise use. because, first, it is a film about a provocative idea. then, a charming portrait of Orient. not the last, the clash between civilizations, mixture of tradition and Brazilian life style, the old themes - love, jealousy, romanticism, science against life, joy to discover the sounds and colors and flavors of a land who seems be part of myths, all is beautiful, seductive and impressive. a series about truth and appearances, using good actors and interesting script, it is a sort of fairy tale who could define in other manner the soap opera genre.