LA MEMÒRIA DELS CARGOLS . THE MEMORY OF (THE) SNAILS*

Year 1999 Chapters 26 Original idea Anna Rosa Cisquella J.L. Bozzo Direction Eduard Cortès J.L. Bozzo Script LluÕs Arcarazo J.L. Bozzo David Castillo Joan Carreras Eduard Cortés Jordi Garceràn Francesc Orteu David Planas

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SYNOPSIS

Over seven hundred years the Snail family build up their country house, work the land, fight in the many wars that have always ravaged Catalonia, earn money, lose it all - no thanks to the phylloxera - and arrive just this side of the new millennium and the age of Internet with hopes of forging ahead still more.

Time changes, the country suffers the consequences of economic crises and political upheaval, and the Snail family, while always maintaining their spiritual core and at the same time adapting to each new situation, work at survival. They neither bemoan nor glorify it, either. What there is, however, is generous doses of humour, irony and tender touches.

Despite the passing of time, in each episode the viewer is given the opportunity to witness a variety of traits in the main characters : stinginess, stubbornness, etc. which throughout the long history are repeated, and are shown to prevail in the present.

The series also includes in the story lines which are thoroughly researched in terms of the most basic elements of daily life: food, washing, cooking, love-making, heating, sleeping, food preservation etc. An in-depth study has been made in order to maximise the authenticity in set designs and make-up/characterisation in each of the episodes.

Although the series is essentially a comedy, a special emphasis has been placed on historical accuracy, and for this reason the script writing team and the artistic direction have benefited from the collaboration of two prestigious historians, who have prepared the necessary documentation to approach each one of the historically based stories told throughout the twenty six episodes.

* Translator’s note: The title is ambiguous in its use of the definite article “els” (“the”). Here the article denotes not only “the Cargol (or Snail) family”, Snail being the surname, but suggests that a snail - or snails - have, in fact, a memory in the same way as any other creature, great or small.

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THE CAST
MIREIA AIXELÀ		EVA
JOAN LLUÍS BOZZO		RECTOR
ÀLEX CASANOVAS		BERNAT
RICHARD COLLINS-MOORE		BARON
PEP CRUZ		PERE PAU
BIEL DURAN		RAMONET (Ramon's successor)
PEP FERRER		RAMON (Heir)
GENÍS HERNÀNDEZ		PERICO
CARLES MARTINEZ		BAILIFF
FRANCESCA PIÑÓN		CONSTANÇA
ARIADNA PLANAS		ESTRANYA
ANGELS POCH		PADRINA
TECHNICAL TEAM
Original idea		Anna Rosa Cisquella Joan Lluís Bozzo
Direction		Eduard Cortés Joan Lluís Bozzo
Executive Producers (Dagoll Dagom)		Anna Rosa Cisquella Maite Cisquella
Executive Producers (Ovideo)		Quique Camín Bet Pujol
Production TV3		Sesse Espona
Production		Núria Juncà
Scriptwriters		Lluís Arcarazo Joan Lluís Bozzo David Castillo Joan Carreras Eduard Cortés Jordi Galcerán Francesc Orteu David Planas
Assistant director and casting		Anna Ullibarri
Artistic direction		Pep Oliver
Director of photography		Joan Carles Lausín
Music		José Manuel Pagán
Historical advisors		Margarita Garcia Cristina Gatell
Anthropological advisor		Pere Sánchez-Ferrer
Set construction		Castells-Planas

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