{"id":2311,"date":"2023-05-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"TV MINI-SERIES REVIEW\nQueen Cleopatra<\/strong>\nTV-14 -\u00a0\u00a0\n
\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 7 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

TV MINI-SERIES REVIEW
\nQueen Cleopatra<\/strong>
\nTV-14 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Genre:<\/strong> Documentary
\nYear Released:<\/strong> 2023
\nRuntime:<\/strong> 4 x 45m episodes
\nDirector(s):<\/strong> Tina Gharavi
\nCast:<\/strong> Adele James, Craig Russell, Nada El Belkasmi, Sami Fekkak, James Marlowe
\nWhere To Watch:<\/strong> premiering on Netflix on May 10th, 2023, at 2:00 AM CDT<\/p>\n

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RAVING REVIEW:\u00a0<\/strong>Jada Pinkett Smith, as Executive Producer, brings us an engaging \u201cdocumentary\u201d series that examines the stories of legendary African Queens. This season, the enigmatic Queen Cleopatra VII takes center stage, a figure famed for her charm and romantic encounters but whose true strength lies in her razor-sharp intellect, often obscured by her notoriety. The series explores her life, political savvy, and the ongoing debate surrounding her ancestry.<\/p>\n

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Let me get this out of the way; I couldn\u2019t cover this series without discussing the controversy surrounding Cleopatra\u2019s ethnicity. I had considered avoiding the topic altogether but thought that would be more of a disservice. The series’ director, Tina Gharani, confronts the traditional depiction of Cleopatra as a white woman, embodied by Elizabeth Taylor’s unforgettable performance. At the same time, Rebecca Futo Kennedy, an Associate Professor of Classics, Women’s and Gender Studies, and Environmental Studies at Denison University, cautions against imposing modern racial concepts on historical figures. Gharani argues that Cleopatra, with eight generations separating her from her Macedonian descendants, was unlikely to be white. With that being said, that doesn\u2019t mean she was black; it also doesn\u2019t mean she was white.<\/p>\n

Casting a Black actor in the leading role has sparked conversations and controversy. Gharani, in the face of criticism, wonders why Cleopatra cannot be shown as a person of color and why her worth seems tied to her presumed whiteness. Adele James, who portrays Cleopatra, has faced backlash and addressed her critics through social media platforms and having racial slurs thrown at her. I should put my two cents into this conversation; if we knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was white, then I would take issue with this casting.<\/p>\n

Unlike the casting of a fictional mermaid in Disney\u2019s new adaptation of\u00a0 THE LITTLE MERMAID, Cleopatra existed. I don\u2019t know enough about the history of Egypt to see the likelihood of her being black vs. white. Although scientifically speaking, the odds are greater that she was a POC, which would be something for historians and scholars to debate. Although numerous academics contribute to the series, they stop short of explicitly supporting Haley’s hypothesis. However, a growing consensus recognizes that Cleopatra’s appearance was likely less European than previously portrayed.<\/p>\n

The series employs a structure of a docudrama mixed with a conventional documentary, weaving interviews with experts and historical reenactments. Thanks to a sizeable budget, the production quality outshines that of similar endeavors. This is especially true when you look at comparisons to similar projects on other networks and streamers. I was impressed by the take on the series; it\u2019s a unique mix of educational and entertaining. I could see this series style being shown to students at school.<\/p>\n

While the series has flaws, I would have liked to see a little more in-depth coverage of Cleopatra\u2019s life vs. what she meant to her society; it still examines Cleopatra’s life and her place in history. The informative and entertaining storyline highlights her achievements and lasting impact. Regrettably, the series falls short of fully pleasing history buffs and drama lovers, as it lacks the academic depth desired by the former and the cinematic flair sought by the latter.<\/p>\n

This \u201cdocumentary\u201d series offers a fresh perspective on Queen Cleopatra VII, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in her intriguing narrative, political understanding, and the controversy around her lineage. Despite provoking heated debate, the series challenges conventional representations of Cleopatra and encourages the audience to reevaluate their perceptions of the iconic queen. This is similar to the controversy behind Christ being portrayed as white vs. Middle Easterner. Through a mix of expert insights and historical dramatizations, the series delivers a fun yet not entirely fulfilling exploration of Cleopatra’s life and her enduring influence.<\/p>\n

All of this being said, if someone has factual information that would counter any of my takes, please share them with me. I always want to learn more and don\u2019t want to be disrespectful to any culture or heritage. I know that many in Egypt are upset about this, but I\u2019ve yet to see anything other than \u201cdepictions\u201d of her on coins, etc., to say matter-of-factly that she was one or the other.<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on the subject?<\/p>\n

For more reviews, please visit – https:\/\/linktr.ee\/Overlyhonestmoviereviews for more info.<\/p>\n

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I\u2019m always happy to hear from my readers; please say hi or send me any questions about movies.<\/p>\n

[photo courtesy of NETFLIX]<\/em><\/p>\n

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TV MINI-SERIES REVIEW Queen Cleopatra TV-14 –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Genre: Documentary Year Released: 2023 Runtime: 4 x 45m episodes Director(s): Tina Gharavi Cast: Adele James, Craig Russell, Nada El Belkasmi, Sami Fekkak, James Marlowe Where To Watch: premiering on Netflix on May 10th, 2023, at 2:00 AM CDT RAVING REVIEW:\u00a0Jada Pinkett Smith, as Executive Producer, brings us […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2312,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2311"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2323,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2311\/revisions\/2323"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mailnewsgroup.com\/ohmr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}