The recent controversy over casting a Black actor to play Queen Cleopatra in a new docu-drama has left many expecting great insights into the mind of this canny Egyptian ruler. The four-episode series, part of Jada Pinkett Smith’s African Queens documentary series, offers commentary from numerous experts, including academics, archaeologists, and Egyptologists. Unfortunately, despite the commentators’ attempts, the show fails to shed new light on Cleopatra’s life and character. The show’s main challenge is its failure to move beyond the well-worn trajectory of Cleopatra’s life, reducing a multifaceted woman to her race or gender rather than revealing her true character. Rather than offering new insights into Cleopatra’s character and life, it fails to move beyond the dusty pages of history to become a genuinely engrossing drama.

Source: The Hindu May 11, 2023 09:06 UTC