22 November (2016-11-22) – 20 December 2016 (2016-12-20)
Lo que escondían sus ojos is a Spanish romance television miniseries directed by Salvador Calvo adapting the novel of the same name by Nieves Herrero, which focuses on the adulterous love story between Sonsoles Icaza and Ramón Serrano Suñer. It stars Blanca Suárez and Rubén Cortada. While successful in terms of audience, the miniseries, with limited historical rigor, was decried as a banalization of the Francoist regime and the figure of Serrano Suñer in particular.[1][2][3][4][5] It aired in 2016 on Telecinco.
The Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos was used to represent the headquarters of the Francoist Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[6]
Lo que escondían sus ojos was based on the novel of the same name by Nieves Herrero.[7] Produced by MOD Producciones (a subsidiary of Mediaset España)[5][12] and scripted by Helena Medina, the miniseries was directed by Salvador Calvo.[7] Felipe Alba was charged with the cinematography direction whereas Marcelo Pacheco worked in the art direction.[9]
The 4-part miniseries premiered on 22 November 2016, earning a 19.3% audience share.[15] The broadcasting run ended on 20 December 2016.[15] It commanded "great" viewership ratings, averaging 3.2 million viewers and a 18.9% share.[15]
Lo que escondían sus ojos was decried as a banalization of the Francoist dictatorship and the figure of Serrano Suñer in particular, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Franco's right-hand (he was known at the height of his power as Ministro Presidente, "Minister-President") and a prominent Philo-Nazi figure within the regime: his actions include the elaboration of the legislation enabling the seizure of information that allowed for the imprisonment and killing of thousands of former members of parties, trade unions and Republican associations and a deal reached with Heinrich Himmler on Gestapo–Spanish police collaboration to repatriate Republican exiles, none of which is palpably dealt with in the fiction.[2][5][3][16]
According to the analysis of Rúa Fernández & Rúa Fernández (2021), "the result is highly complacent with one of the most repressive dictatorships of the 20th century in Europe, as well as with one of its most important representatives in its darkest period".[17]
Mediaset (Italy) purchased the rights for the broadcasting in Italy.[18] The miniseries aired for the first time on Canale 5 under the title Quello che nascondono i tuoi occhi from 3 January 2017 to 15 January 2017.[19]
^Francisco de Paula Díez de Rivera was roughly 24 years older than Sonsoles de Icaza,[7] while Emilio Gutiérrez Caba is more than 40 years older than Blanca Suárez.[8]
