The first thing that becomes clear queen cleopatraavailable on Netflix, is that, despite its luxurious and detailed visual section, it is not a historical investigation, although during the first chapter, the historian Shelley Haley explains the context of the production’s controversial conclusion. According to the hypothesis of the plot, the Ptolemaic monarch was one of the great figures with African blood who came to power in the ancient world.
queen cleopatra He argues that hitherto known historical depictions—in which Cleopatra is shown with Greek features and white skin—are incorrect. That she, in fact, was a black woman and proud of it. But the professor of African Studies at Hamilton College he does not offer a theory based on his extensive knowledge of history. Rather, it synthesizes what seems to be a presumption that is difficult to verify. He admits it, even, when narrating an anecdote from his childhood. In front of the cameras, he tells that he remembers how his grandmother insisted that the queen of Egypt was African. He does not provide specific data or any other information in this regard.
Conceived in this way, it is still an abstract statement that defines the tone of the series. Rather than show evidence proving Cleopatra’s ethnic ancestry, the argument from queen cleopatra is dedicated to exploring that there may be a second interpretation of his figure.
queen cleopatra
The docudrama Queen Cleopatra, from Netflix, tries to answer questions about the sovereign’s skin color in four episodes. But the production fails to cover all the topics it proposes, despite having a large group of experts to open the debate on the African genealogy of the Egyptian queen. To a large extent, their conclusions are based on unsupported speculation or data or something more solid than theories of historical reinterpretation. For its latest episode, the series fails to explore just one part of its broad sweep of Cleopatra’s life and legacy. An incomplete review that does not go deep into its essential elements.
What is not answered in queen cleopatra
Most of the invited experts are dedicated to questioning how the West conceives of a powerful woman in Egypt. This includes asking questions about the strictness of representing her according to a specific European ideal of beauty.
Of course, these are pertinent questions, but they are not answered. At least, not forcefully enough to follow the thread of events that are dramatized below. They include the accession to the throne of Cleopatra (Adele James) or her political decisions in a turbulent time. The staging —with a brilliant recreation that appeals to aesthetics by symbolizing power— is based on questions that are not explored either.
What was the court like for a young woman, who also came from a long line of conquerors and warriors? Gifted for the intrigues of power and aware of Egypt’s place in the ancient world, Cleopatra is a nuanced personality. At least, that’s how the documentary shows her, in an attempt to make her character mysterious.
Queen Cleopatra he takes pains to claim that the powerful figure was possibly a black woman. A speculation based on the absence of data about her mother. Which, moreover, is a risky point of view. In the absence of data on one of her family lines, the assumption of Nubian or other ethnic ancestry is a possibility. But you never get to check beyond speculation. What causes that the docudrama is not able to delve into its theory as much as it initially suggests.
The power of a legendary queen
Combining the usual academic documentary format with a historical drama, Queen Cleopatra try to delve into several points at once. On the one hand, in the controversial issue about his lineage, his skin color and how both influence the interpretation of him as a universal emblem of a specific community.
On the other, in the way the monarch fought to protect her children from the siege of an Egypt decimated by internal wars. It is a narrative conceived to enhance the importance of intelligence and the strategic gift of the sovereign. Also, the strength of her mettle and her character.
However, from the second episode on, the intriguing conclusions about the education and intellectual capacity of Cleopatra they disdain. Instead, the discussion centers on the controversial notion of using the image of her as a white woman over the representation of black historical figures.
An approach that, although it allows delving into topics of interest about racism, discrimination and prejudice, does not contribute much to the approach of the script. Ultimately, the full weight of the story falls on the great unresolved tirade, the question of whether Cleopatra was a black woman and how the impact of that information—apparently hidden and distorted—affects Cleopatra’s perception of her.
queen cleopatra It is a very controversial historical interpretation
At the end of the fourth chapter, it is obvious that the series wants to open the spaces for a broader debate about the perception of the story. Especially at a time when various interpretations can reach a larger and more resonant place.
Nevertheless, Queen Cleopatra It is a deficient production that relies on a possible controversy to extol its point of view. Without this necessarily leading to a deeper understanding of the queen of Egypt as a leader, a figure of power, and even as a woman surrounded by atypical pressures and obligations.
If something is missing between the scenes with a punctilious setting and the emphatic testimonies of experts, it is a purpose. What did the directors Tina Gharavi and Victoria Adeola Thomas want when building a sounding board for a theory that the same argument cannot sustain?
The answer is ambiguous and prosaic. Perhaps the intention was that the clash between two versions was the way in which the urgency of revising Cleopatra as a symbol could be understood. However, the docudrama that bears her name falls short in aspirations and construction to achieve something similar. The biggest problem of an essentially ambitious story.