FOTO NOVELAS: SEEING THROUGH WALLS (TV)
Summary
One in this four-part anthology drama series, inspired
by the Mexican and Latin-American pulp novel tradition,
interweaving realism and surrealism. In this episode,
the year is 2005. Death-row inmate Gabriel Pena's
sentence is commuted after he volunteers for a
speculative new research project on prisoner
rehabilitation, headed up by scientists Teresa Puente
and John Gilmore. The project involves the surgical
implantation of a microchip in Gabriel's brain; through
this addition, he is told, he will acquire an extensive
new range of skills and knowledge. Initially, the
experimental operation appears to be a failure -- until
the night on which Gabriel wakes up and paints an exact
replica of Van Gogh's "Starry Night" on the wall of his
cell. From that moment, Gabriel's intellectual,
scientific, and artistic knowledge increases
exponentially: he can pontificate on works of art,
solve complex mathematic problems, play piano concerti,
and describe astronomical phenomena. Gabriel continues
to see his wife Elena and their daughter, Marisa, but he
pleads with Elena to start something new for herself, to
stop hanging on to their relationship. One day Gabriel
has a memory of the day he was arrested, and the truth
is revealed: he is innocent. The real perpetrator
comes to see Gabriel and tells the prisoner that he is
taking steps to clear Gabriel's name. After he escapes
from police scrutiny, he promises, he will mail
security-camera footage of the murder to the
authorities. When Gabriel's sentence is rescinded, he
is excited and ambitious about what to do with his gift
on the outside. Teresa and John deliver some bad news,
however.
(This program is in English with some subtitled
Spanish.)
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2000.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: October 1, 1997 10:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:26:37
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:61400
- GENRE: Drama
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction; Prisons- Drama; Science - Experiments - Drama
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV Series, 1997
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Carlos Avila … Executive Producer, Producer, Director, Writer
- Kurt Kaya … Producer
- Carmen Avila … Associate Producer
- Marcos Loya … Theme Music by
- John Verea … Cast, Gabriel Pena
- James Avery … Cast, James Hampton
- Roxann Dawson … Cast, Dr. Teresa Puente
- Casey Biggs … Cast, Dr. John Gilmore
- Miguel Sandoval … Cast, Manuel Reyes
- Veryle Rupp … Cast, Prison guard
- Michelle Bonilla … Cast, Elena Pena
- Lou Felder … Cast, Dr. Frederick Henderson
- Thomas Draper … Cast, Joe Watkins
- Samantha Eve Lagpacan … Cast, Marisa Pena
- Marco Rodriguez … Cast, Bert Romero