Criticism in the process of constructing the Brazilian soap opera format in the 1970s

Abstract

The aim of this text is to show how the criticism practiced in newspapers and magazines in the 1970s – when commenting, analyzing the themes, technical and aesthetic aspects and dialoguing with directors, authors and the public – contributed to the soap opera format to reach the level it has obtained, and the cultural recognition given to it. To discuss the proposed issue, we chose the soap operas: O Bem-Amado (1973) by Dias Gomes and O Casarão (1976) by Lauro César Muniz, and the criticism made by Artur da Távola from the newspaper O Globo (RJ) and Helena Silveira from the newspaper Folha de São Paulo. The choice of these soap operas occurred because it allowed us to show, at the same time, the innovations that they promoted in the Brazilian teledramaturgy and how the criticism practiced daily in the newspapers contributed to the construction of the Brazilian soap opera format.