A história contada na televisão: um estudo sobre minisséries históricas

Abstract

This research is a study of multiple cases that center on five historical miniseries produced by the television network Rede Globo: Abolição, República, Chiquinha Gonzaga, O Quinto dos Infernos, and A casa das sete mulheres. The research is qualitative and of an emperical nature, realized from an analytical observation of each of the programs, from a series of interviews with actors and authors of the works, and from a study of the media´s reaction of two of the five miniseries. During the consultations and empirical work, some points appeared, illuminating specific aspects of each case study and tracing parallels that link all of the cases. These results lead us to draw inferences about the social context of miniseries on network television and how history is represented on television. By integrating a historical narrative in their stories, using a construction both fictional and factual to provide entertainment and learning, the miniseries become a pertinent method to observe the reaction to historical changes in contemporary society. A key factor that articulates the televisual process is the focus on the profile of the historical characters. This angle is linked to other lines, in order to understand ways of linking and learning.