“The Marked Hour” / video recording
35 years have passed since Televisa first presented the enigmatic “Woman in Black,” a figure that sparked fear among the Mexican public because of the symbolic burden that was implanted in her: she represented death. She was a mysterious but glamorous woman who wore a black dress, a wide hat and a veil over her face. Viewers knew someone was going to die as soon as they saw it on screen.
Who was the enigmatic “Woman in Black” from “The Hour Marked”?
There were many actresses who played this character. From the show’s producer herself, Carmen Armendáriz, to Francis Ondiviela, including Martha Mariana Castro, Cecilia Tijerina, Martha Aura, Leticia Calderón, Ana Ciochetti, Dolores Heredia, Evangelina Elizondo and others.
However, audiences definitely associate The Woman in Black with Frances Ondiviela.
Frances Ondiviela poses on the red carpet for the celebration of designer Jorge García Cárdena’s “Mitzy” 50 years in the fashion industry at the Marquis Hotel on May 2, 2023 in Mexico City. (Photo by Jaime Nogales/Medios y Media/Getty Images)
The Spanish actress began her career after becoming Miss Spain at the age of 17. She discovered Mexico in the 1980s thanks to her ex-boyfriend, Mexican singer-songwriter Sergio Fachelli. After the 1985 earthquake, instead of returning to his country, he decided to stay and continue a career that had already begun in Spain. In addition to her role as “The Woman in Black,” she also starred in soap operas such as “El grandad y yo” and “Marimar.”
For Ondiviela, Carmen Armendáriz and Lucero Suárez were a kind of godmothers, because thanks to them she began a career that did not end: “They gave me the boost of luck here in Mexico and the people received me very well.”
The actress, originally from the Canary Islands, had to change her accent several times. First, when he landed in Madrid and producer Narciso “Chicho” Ibáñez Serrador told him to leave the “S” and start speaking with the “C” and the “Z”. When she later appeared in Valentín Pimstein’s production of Simply María, he asked her to permanently remove her Spanish accent.
“How did I do this? “Hearing on the street is the worst,” recalls the actress, who attributes her ability not only to her “good hearing” but also to the fact that she started saying “very bad words.” Although she loves to speak as she currently does, “like a chilanga”, at some point she had to stop and abandon her strategy because a Televisa manager caught her attention: “Girl, you are very pretty, but you talk bad.”
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When Vix added the chapters of “La Hora Marcada” to its content catalog in 2022, Frances was invited to help with promotion. Then she remembered the strength of this character: “It was very shocking. Even though she was cornered, everyone was afraid. They still write to me to tell me she scared them. How nice that you caused this without saying anything.” .”
“The Woman in Black” was the central theme of the series. Although he had almost no dialogue (he only spoke in two or three chapters), the character appeared in every episode. It became the show’s landmark.
“La Hora Marcada” became a breeding ground for talent. His creative team included Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Alfonso Cuarón. He also invited leading actors of the time such as David Reynoso and Magda Guzmán to participate in his stories. His credits also included young personalities such as Fernando Ciangherotti, Roxana Chávez, Humberto Zurita, Erika Buenfil, Armando Araiza and Luz María Jerez. Even among the credits you can find Pedro Sola.
The Impact of “The Marked Hour”
A lot happened in Mexico in 1988. Carlos Salinas de Gortari became the country’s president. In Los Mochis, Sinaloa, a group of bank robbers held 40 people hostage for 24 hours. Hurricane Gilberto caused a terrible disaster in Monterrey. And on Televisa the broadcasts of “La Hora Marcada” began.
The first chapter laid the foundation for what audiences could expect: telling stories that didn’t have happy endings. Envy, lust, jealousy and revenge were the feelings that “awakened death”.
The first episode, “Concert for the Left Hand,” which premiered on July 1, 1988, tells the story of a landowner who cannot bear the remorse of having cut off the hand of one of his employees. The victim’s vow of revenge takes him from guilt to paranoia and leads to an unexpected end. The structure of the story leads the audience to believe that the hand is responsible for “Don Alfredo’s hallucinations.”
With more than 100 episodes lasting between 22 and 24 minutes, “La Hora Markada” became a cult show due to its “scary” stories. In the late 1980s, the show was advertised as “Terror Without Borders.” “Presences from the Beyond.” Broadcast on Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
Off-screen horror
Many have wondered about possible paranormal experiences the crew may have experienced during their filming. However, both Frances Ondiviela and director Luis Vélez denied that anything supernatural happened at the time.
The 61-year-old actress remembers having a lot of fun on the dawn calls while living with the makeup and hair teams. She remembers the stylists telling horror stories as they ate sweet bread and chocolate, but nothing out of the ordinary ever happened to her.
For his part, Vélez says that the most terrible thing that happened to him was that after several hours of recording a filming scene, the video technician discovered that nothing had been recorded. The director experienced the nightmare of having to shoot again and incurring the wrath of the neighbors.
For Arizmendi, perhaps the most horrific experience he experienced in La Hora Marcada came many years later. A few months ago, she reported that some time after she presented the project to remake the series to the producers, she found out that the production company would do the project, but without her. “I’m neither angry nor sorry. I’m one of those people who says, “Things happen for a reason.” “It wasn’t my turn.”
Beyond this maneuver, she remains very proud of having been responsible for naming the program and bringing together young (and not-so-young) Mexican talent: “We did it with the heart.” We had none Idea that these guys would go so far and so high. From “El Chivo” to Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro.
“The Marked Hour” version 2023
Lovers of The Marked Hour are eager to share pictures and memories of the series on the Facebook fan page. They talk about the episode “Ángel Pérez” directed by Emmanuel Lubezki. They share YouTube links to watch the episodes directed by Alfonso Cuarón. And they wonder where they can see the films directed by Guillermo del Toro.
The extended version, which is eagerly awaited by horror lovers, can be seen on Vix from October 27th: Which supernatural creatures, frightening monsters, mythical animals or urban legends are depicted?
W Studios will be behind the production, with Patricio Wills and Carlos Bardasano at the helm. The series’ original scripts were taken as a basis by the new screenwriters: Abe Rosenberg, Abia Castillo, Freddy Chávez, Josh Candia, Luis Reséndiz, Ramiro García Bogliano and Tomás Downey.
The new stories are directed by, among others, Adrián García Bogliano (“The Exorcist”), Michelle Garza Cervera (“Huesera”), Laura Casabé (“They Come Back”) and Isaac Ezban (“Mal de Ojo”).
In her latest Facebook post, Vix asks audiences to prepare for the return of The Lady in Black. What will this mythical figure look like 35 years later?