"Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice." So reads one of the most famous opening lines in all of literature, at the outset of Gabriel García Marquez's 1967 masterpiece, One Hundred Years Of Solitude. Now, fans in some parts of the country will get to look back and remember the distant afternoon when they watched the groundbreaking novel's first page-to-screen adaptation while looking out at ice-covered yards of their own. Part one of Netflix's 16-episode One Hundred Years Of Solitude adaptation comes to the streamer December 11.
A summary of the Netflix series reads as follows: "Married against their parents' wishes, cousins José Arcadio Buendía and Úrsula Iguarán leave their village behind and embark on a long journey in search of a new home. Accompanied by friends and adventurers, their journey culminates with the founding of a utopian town on the banks of a river of prehistoric stones that they baptize Macondo. Several generations of the Buendía lineage will mark the future of this mythical town, tormented by madness, impossible loves, a bloody and absurd war, and the fear of a terrible curse that condemns them, without hope, to one hundred years of solitude."
In a Tudum article accompanying the announcement, almost every cast and crew member quoted spoke of the massive responsibility they feel to get this story right. Taking on the role of Colonel Aureliano was "an honor and a risk," lead actor Claudio Cataño said, adding, "Macondo and its host of characters, who I truly feel as my own blood, are universal, but at the same time so unique; so from Colombia, so beautifully tragic that it is impossible not to be trapped in this world."
Directors Laura Mora and Alex García López echoed Cataño's sentiment. "As a filmmaker, and as a Colombian, it has been an honor and a huge challenge to work on a project as complex and that carries as much responsibility as One Hundred Years Of Solitude," said Mora. López added, "When diving into the adaptation of One Hundred Years Of Solitude, my intention was to create something authentic that carries the stature of an international production, because the story deserves it."
One Hundred Years Of Solitude was filmed entirely in García Marquez's native Colombia, with the blessing of his family. It was written by José Rivera, Natalia Santa, Camila Brugés, and Albatros González and stars Claudio Cataño, Jerónimo Barón, Marco González, Leonardo Soto, Susana Morales, Ella Becerra, Carlos Suaréz, Moreno Borja, and Santiago Vásquez.
