Pantanal is a Brazilian telenovela that aired on Rede Manchete from March 27, 1990, to December 10, 1990. The series is written by Benedito Ruy Barbosa and directed by Jayme Monjardim, Carlos Magalhães, Marcelo de Barreto, and Roberto Naar. It is set in the Pantanal region in Mato Grosso do Sul located in midwestern Brazil. The production received logistical support from TV MS, which at the time was an affiliate of the network.
Pantanal is considered an ecological or environmental telenovela; a small sub-category of the genre whose purpose is to dramatize, and raise audience awareness of environmental degradation.
Contents
Plot
In the 1940s, Joventino arrives in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso accompanied by his 10-year-old son, José "Zé" Leôncio. Once settled, he becomes one of the main cattle breeders in the region. After Joventino disappeared in the Pantanal while hunting for oxen in the fields, Zé carries on his father's dream and becomes one of the main farmers in the country. On a visit to Rio de Janeiro, Zé falls in love with Madeleine, a spoiled girl whom he marries and has a son named Joventino "Jove", bearing his grandfather's name. The differences between the couple, and Madeleine not adapting to the rural world, leads to her abandoning Zé and taking their son with her. Abandoned by Madeleine, Zé finds affection with Filó, a former prostitute who has a son, Tadeu.