Celia En El Colegio - Adaptations

Adaptations

Celia en el colegio was adapted as part of Televisión Española's 1992 TV-series directed by José Luis Borau, Celia. The series was a faithful adaptation of many events from the book and it often relied on very similar, if not exact, dialogue. The adapting of Celia en el colegio spanned three episodes: IV. "En el colegio", V. "Ni santa, ni mártir" and VI. "¡Hasta la vista!". Many scenes were removed and absent from the series; one example of this is a part in the novel involving Celia being punished to spend some time up in Madre Florinda's chamber, when Celia, believing the nun to have died gives her belongings to a group of homeless boys and girls. Though the entire part was not touched in the series, the character of Madre Florinda, who can be seen supported by a crutch, was included briefly in the series, if only with a few minor appearances as an extra and just one single line.

Only five of the nuns were referred to by name in the series: Madre Loreto, Madre Bibiana, Madre Corazón, Madre Isolina and the Madre Superiora (the Mother Superior), all of whom appeared in the novel. Certain scenes and incidents from the novel involving the nuns were "traded" around. For example, in the novel, Madre Mercedes is the one responsible for teaching sewing to the girls, while in the series, it was Madre Bibiana who had that task and whom failed at teaching Celia how to sew properly. Another example, in the novel, Madre Consuelo had the ingenious idea of having the girls learn only the answers to the questions they would each be asked in the final examination given by the Madre Superiora, which turned out a complete disaster. In the series however, it was Madre Loreto who had the idea and who was embarrassed by Celia's explaining of the situation. The same with Celia's classmates; only Elguibia, whom differenced from the others due to her slight case of mental retardation, was given a consistent name. The other girl actresses played Celia's friends from the novel inconsistently and were never given real names, at least they were not mentioned.

Other events were altered from the novel in order to give the series a more dramatic appeal. For example, in the novel, Celia does not have a good time during the end-of-the-year plays as she is excluded from participating. However, in the series Celia does have a part in the play; shortly before her performance, Doña Benita feels the need to tell Celia the truth about how her parents had closed down their house in Madrid. How they, together with Celia's brother "Cuchifritín" would leave "for China" and how she would spend the summer with the nuns instead of going to the beach with her parents. Celia, heartbroken with the news, cleverly alters her rhyming lines in the play in order to announce to the entire audience how her parents were leaving for China and leaving her behind. Then, Celia grabs the box of chocolates her father had brought for her and runs in tears to the school's vegetable gardens where she hides and cries telling Culiculá, her pet stork, about all her sorrows. Later in the series, it is Celia's father, rather than Doña Benita, who comes to take her to a small circus visiting the town. When returning home, Celia's father presents her with a small gift, a writing book in which he encourages her to write down all sorts of stories. He leaves her again under the care of Madre Loreto, and the man is startled and disappointed that Celia would walk away so happily without even saying goodbye. Celia turns around, her face flooded in tears, and tells her father that she wants to leave with him and be reunited with her family. Her father tells her that it cannot be, and the girl answers by saying that she will become a performer and travel to China, where she is convinced her parents are going, and the two part feeling very sad. Madre Loreto then tucks Celia in her bed and wishes her good night. Celia pulls out her book and begins writing a story about how she ran away with the gypsies hoping to find her parents on their way to China. Celia's story is told visually in the series, and when she, together with Culiculá the stork, catch up with her gypsy friend Coralinda and her travelling wagon, she convinces the gypsy girl's father to allow her to travel with them. In the back of the wagon, Celia asks Coralinda whether they are travelling to Pekin in China. Being answered in the affirmative, Celia replies, "Es que tengo que encontrar a mis papás", ("It's just that I have to find my parents"), where the series ends, left incomplete. Recurring tracks from the series' original soundtrack were also added to emphasize the dramatic seriousness of Celia's situation. In the novels, these events were not nearly as dramatic, and Celia had an easier time dealing with her parents leaving her behind.