Celia En El Mundo - Adaptations

Adaptations

Celia en el mundo was the first of the "Celia" novels to not be adapted as part of the 1992 series directed by José Luís Borau; only a very small part of the previous book, Celia novelista (1934) was adapted as the very last few minutes of the sixth and last episode, "¡Hasta la vista!" Some major characters from the fourth book played rather small roles in the series, including Tío Rodrigo, Maimón, Basílides and Tía Julia.

Tío Rodrigo, Celia's uncle and her father's brother, appeared only in the second episode of the series, "Doña Benita." He was introduced as Celia told her friend María Teresa about his uncle's arrival with Maimón. Tío Rodrigo, played by Spanish actor Fernando Valverde, was represented as a very loving uncle to Celia and a dear brother-in-law to her mother, also referred to as "very handsome" by the girl. His last appearance was in the very same episode, when he invites Celia to his quiet and boring birthday party, where the girl and her two snobby girl-cousins celebrated together as he retired due to a headache, as well as the pressures of aging. Maimón was introduced at the same time as Tío Rodrigo, and was immediately disliked by Doña Benita, who believed him to be a thief. Maimón is saddened by the dislike certain characters show against him, such as Basílides, Doña Benita and Celia's two cousins. The Moor boy appeared again and for the last time in the fifth episode, "Ni santa, ni mártir", where he came to attend Celia's final examinations for her first schoolyear at the convent.

Both Basílides and Tía Julia had small roles in the series. Basílides, played by the Spanish actress Diana Salcedo, was introduced in Rodrigo's birthday party, where she tried to keep the three girls in peace with one another, and especially from upsetting their uncle. Basílides, just like Rodrigo, did not appear again the series. Finally, Tía Julia played a slightly larger role in the series, though she only appeared in two episodes. In the first episode, "Soy Celia", Tía Julia joined Celia's family for Christmas, and several times tried to convince her father to send the girl to school with the nuns, an option Celia's father, Pablo, did not find suitable. Tía Julia reappeared again for the last time in the third episode, "El verano", with the same purpose as before. The second time, however, she was successful in convincing Celia's parents as the girl's misbehaving gravely endangered the life of her little brother, "Cuchifritín". The short appearances of all four characters limited the deeper character development that was expanded in the fourth book of the series.