Max launched its new Spanish-language series, Like Water For Chocolate, this past Sunday - an adaptation of the 1989 best-selling novel by Laura Esquivel. Set in Mexico at the turn of the 20th century, the story centers on Tita, the youngest of three daughters, who outdated tradition dictates must stay in the kitchen and take care of her mother Elena De La Garza rather than marry the love of her life, Pedro Múzquiz. There’s only been one other adaptation of the book, a film version that was directed by Laura’s husband Alfonso Arau in 1992.
Fans of the book know it’s filled with spicy scenes, and we’re not just talking about the delicious recipes that coincide with each chapter. So one of the big questions about this newest iteration is how much nudity will Max deliver?
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A film made by the author’s husband? That’s going to stick pretty close to the source material (and it does). After the premiere episode, the series has already started out strong, adding a nude scene that was not in the 1992 movie. The first nude scene of the season comes from Irene Azuela, who plays the domineering mother. She makes Tita help with her bath and we get an eyeful of Irene’s naked backside as she strips down before getting into the tub.
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The film version went big when it came to nudity in a few distinct places. Star Lumi Cavazos bared all three Bs twice: once when she’s rescued by Dr. John Brown after being traumatized by the death of her nephew and again after she and Pedro finally give in to their immeasurable passion.
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And of course, there’s the notorious shower scene (again, straight from the book) involving the middle sister Gertrudis (played in the film by Claudette Maillé), which ends with her having a Lady Godiva-esque moment when she’s carried away on a horse by a revolutionary captain.
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Since the first episode didn’t shy away from nudity, one would assume that means the book’s key nude moments will remain intact, so we should be in for a lot more skin. It also helps, we hope, to count a Skin Hall of Famer as one of the producers, which Like Water For Chocolate does in nude superstar Salma Hayek.
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Needless to say, we’ll be tuning into this new series to see exactly how faithful - and fleshful - it is!
