History Series / ForcaDeUmDesejo

''Força de um Desejo'' is a Brazilian telenovela produced by [[Creator/{{TVGlobo}} Rede Globo]], and written by Gilberto Braga. It aired in Brazil between 1999 and 2000 with its 226 episodes.

The telenovela is one of Rede Globo most ambitious projects as it is a CostumeDrama (with some {{Western}} and MysteryFiction thrown in) set during the second half of the 19th century (the 1860s) and also the plot had as its backdrop remarkable facts of Brazilian history, such as the Paraguayan War and the abolitionist movement. Also the ambition of the production shows in many factors: the cast was fairly inclusive, as many prominent characters were black or mixed-raced; while the [[ShownTheirWork historical datas as not white-washed]] and the brutality of slavery was well-represented. Many famous works set in the 19th century were an influence on the characters and costumes (''Film/Camille1936'', ''Film/TheLeopard'', and ''Film/{{Shane}}'' cited by the production team).

''Força de um Desejo'' is a Brazilian telenovela produced by [[Creator/{{Globo}} Rede Globo]], and written by Gilberto Braga. It aired in Brazil between 1999 and 2000 with its 226 episodes.

* AdultFear: There's plenty of, especially in the subject of slavery
** Zulmira sees her daughter sold at an auction and would not be reunited with her until she's found and bought back many episodes after,
** Olívia's backstory [[spoiler: turns out that she was freed from slavery by her father, but her spiteful half-sister destroyed the document after their father's death]],
** Mariano sees his fiancée [[spoiler: captured and enslaved again shortly before their marriage]]
** Both Mariano and Inácio have their father's murdered by a mysterious killer with little evidence left. [[spoiler: Inácio is even accused of being a SelfMadeOrphan.]]

''Força de um Desejo'' is a Brazilian telenovela produced by Rede Globo, and written by Gilberto Braga. It aired in Brazil between 1999 and 2000 with its 226 episodes.

** Guiomar is also one, coaching slave Luzia on how raise money to buy her freedom, helping her friends when they are blackmailed or harassed, with some CrazyAwesome schemes.

The telenovela is one of Rede Globo most ambitious projects as it is a CostumeDrama (with some {{Western}} and MysteryFiction thrown in) set during the second half of the 19th century (the 1860s) and also the plot had as its backdrop remarkable facts of Brazilian history, such as the Paraguayan War and the abolitionist movement. Also the ambition of the production shows in many factors: the cast was fairly inclusive, as many prominent characters are black or mixed-raced; while the [[ShownTheirWork historical datas as not white-washed]] and the brutality of slavery was well-represented. Many famous works set in the 19th century were an influence on the characters and costumes (''Film/Camille1936'', ''Film/TheLeopard'', and ''Film/{{Shane}}'' cited by the production team).

The plot is quite articulated. In spades, [[RagsToRiches Higino Ventura is a former peddler]] who got rich from shady businesses and bought the Morro Alto farm in Vila de Sant'Anna, to get closer to his old love, Helena Silveira. The woman is married to baron Henrique de Sampaio Sobral and has two sons, Inácio and Abelardo. Ventura is willing to do anything to win back Helena but she has moved on from him, still while her marriage is unhappy because an unstated secret divides her and Henrique, [[DomesticAbuse who mistreats her]].

** Both Inácio and his father fall for an HighClassGirl of humble origins;

Inácio' mother meanwhile dies of a sudden illness, leaving her husband and sons devastated by Helena's death and her husband with crippling feeling of guilt for mistreating his wife, and leaves decides for a long trip to Rio De Janeiro. After [[BrokenBird meeting a disillusioned Esther]], he falls in love without knowing that she is his son's great love. He proposes her marriage after having convinced her that life is still worth living and the two get married and return to the Sobral estate, Ouro Verde. [[OhCrap Ester and Inácio are reunited as stepmother and stepson]]!

After some animosity, the pair discover the responsible of their separation, Ignatius evil grandmother. They still fail to come clean to the baron is ill and needs the support of his family. Unhappy with the situation and knowing that Ouro Verde is facing financial difficulties, Inácio marries Alice, the spoiled daughter of Higino Ventura and his wife, the ditzy Barbara.

Meanwhile, Ventura fights to buy the Ouro Verde and humiliate Sobral. After grieving the loss of Helena, [[StalkerWithACrush he becomes obsessed with Olívia]], a mysterious young woman who refuses to speak about her past and has apparently no living family.. Scorned by the girl, who is enaged to the town's doctor, Mariano, he seeks informations about her past and discovers that she is a white (3 parts white, 1 part black) slave who lives on the run and since her owner has reported her disappearance.

* TheDitz: Bárbara Ventura is dumb as a brick and very much BookDumb. [[spoiler: Except that BeneathTheMask she's a cunning SerialKiller, while she's still the ditziest woman on-screen.]]

** Abelardo gets engaged to Juliana, the doctor's granddaughter. His grandmother Idalina thinks she's is his social inferior (they don't even own slaves!). This shows how snobbish and out of touch she is, because literally anyone else (most of all Abelardo's father) approve the relationship.

* PassFail: Quite a subversion with Olívia. She is able to pass as white due Tue her fair complexion and her white upbringing (her father raised her in his household), but her spiteful half-sister raises a successful campaign to found her. Save for that, [[spoiler: she also gets to marry her white fiancé Mariano without her mixed race being ever brought up by her in-laws]], and has many friends that are both white and black who support her.

* AffairBlameTheBastard: [[spoiler: {{Averted}} between Henrique and Abelardo. The latter is the result of his mother's affair with Ventura, but Henrique blames the mother for that and raised the child lovingly.]]

* TheDitz: Bárbara Ventura is dumb as a brick and very much BookDumb. [[spoiler: Except that BeneathTheMask she's a cunning Serial killer, while she's still the dustiest woman on-screen.]]

The plot is quite articulated. In spades, [[RagsToRiches Higino Ventura is a former peddler]] who got rich from shady businesses and bought the Morro Alto farm in Vila de Sant'Anna, to get closer to his old love, Helena Silveira which is married with the powerful baron, Henrique de Sampaio Sobral and has two sons, Inácio and Abelardo. Ventura is willing to do anything to win back Helena but she has moved on from him, but her marriage is not happy because a mysterious secret that divides her and Henrique, [[DomesticAbuse who mistreats her]].

The couple's son, Inácio leaves the estate for Rio De Janeiro [[CallingTheOldManOut after calling out his father]] for being a terrible husband. In Rio de Janeiro, he meets Ester Ramos Delamare, a [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold beautiful courtesan]] and owner of the most famous and exquisite court hall. The two fall in love and Esther decides to abandon her life in the court hall to live with Inácio. However, Inácio' [[EvilMatriarch scheming grandmother, Idalina Menezes of Albuquerque Silveira]] fears her grandson's marriage with a lower- class girl and writes a breaking letter to Esther with Inácio' counterfeit signature. The shenanigan works and the two are separated.

Inácio' mother meanwhile dies of a sudden illness, leaving her husband and sons devastated by Helena's death and her husband with crippling feeling of guilt for mistreating his wife, and leaves decides for a long trip to Rio De Janeiro. After [[BrokenBird meeting a disillusioned Esther]], he falls in love without knowing that she is his son's great love. He proposes her marriage after having convinced her that life is still worth living and the two get married and g back to the Sobral estate, Ouro Verde. [[OhCrap Ester and Inácio are reunited as stepmother and stepson]]!

After some animosity, the pair discover the responsible of their separation, Ignatius evil grandmother. They still fail to come clean to the baron is ill and needs the support of his family. Unhappy with the situation and knowing that Ouro Verde is facing financial difficulties, Inácio marries Alice, the spoiled daughter of Higino Ventura and his wife, the dazzled Barbara.

Meanwhile, Ventura fights to buy the Ouro Verde and humiliate Sobral. After grieving the loss of Helena, [[StalkerWithACrush he becomes obsessed with Olívia]], a mysterious young woman who refuses to speak about her past and has apparently no living family.. Scorned by the girl, who is enaged to the town's doctor, he seeks informations about her past and discovers that she is a white (3 parts white, 1 part black) slave who has fled another village and is being sought by the police.

** Olívia plays TheIngenue card when she wants to manipulate someone

* PeerStepparent: Esther is just a couple of years older than her stepsons. Slave girl Luzia jokes that she's young enough to be Inácio's wife instead of his stepmother, which is an AccidentalTruth as she ''was'' supposed to marry Inácio before tragedy hit them. Towards her other stepson Abelardo she settles more on a CoolBigSis role.

** Juliana is the granddaughter of Doctor Xavier, while Mariano is the doctor's son and Bartolomeo is his nephew. The two Xavier young men are cousins, and Juliana is their orphaned niece despite not being much younger than her uncles; also Mariano is about to marry her friend Olívia, who would become her ''aunt'' by marriage;

** Olìvia is the daughter of a gentleman and his house slave, and is one of the most heroic characters in the story.

** Inácio's and Abelardo's mother Helena is alive in the first episode but does soon enough. Also a case of DeadStarWalking.
** Juliana's parents have passed away and she's raised by her grandfather and great-aunt. Also her grandfather's a widow so Mariano's mother isn't in the picture as well.

* NotMeThisTime: Ventura is responsible for most of the misfortunes that befall on the Sobral's [[spoiler: except for Henrique's murder. He's completely oblivious that not only his wife Bárbara did it, but that she also had Helena murdered, along to an old business partner of his and one of his mistresses.]]

** [[spoiler: Her mother Bárbara is even worse. Seh has a long story of people poisoned because they were either her husband mistresses or they were getting in the way of Higino's path for success.]]

* NotBloodSiblings: [[spoiler: Abelardo finds out that he's Ventura's son, meaning that the woman is his half-sister. Except that Alice was adopted. She keeps her adoption a secret because she can manipulate Abelardo with the guilt he feels.]]

** Henrique Sobral mourns his late wife Helena ([[MyGodWhatIHaveDone also out of guilt for his bad treatment of her]]) until he meets Esther.

* WholePlotReference: Olívia's subplot of the fugitive white slave borrows a page from Gilberto Brâga's first hit, ''Isaura the Slave Girl'', although the two characters have starkly different personalities (Isaura is TheIngenue, Olívia is a GuileHero), and while Isaura's LoveInterest is a rich owner who can rescue her, Olívia's is a modest doctor who can't buy her freedom, so they have to rely on their friends help.

* BigDamnHero: [[spoilers: Cristóvão saves Olìvia and Mariano from Ventura's murderous rage and stabs him to death. He then flees the plantation with everyone looking the other side.]]