Black, white, mixed-race? Only history knows. One thing is certain, Cleopatra was African. In this four-part documentary series posted online on Wednesday, Netflix, which specifies that it is based on "reconstructions and expert testimony" openly takes the side of those who claim that the queen of Egypt was not white skin. " My grandmother used to tell me: I don't care what they told you at school, Cleopatra was black," says an American historian at the beginning of the first episode.
But uncertainty remains because we are told a little later that the young sovereign would have been born of unknown mother and that through her father, King Ptolemy XII, she would be of Greco-Macedonian origin and therefore European. But past the controversy, which did not fail to ignite the web even before it was put online, what is this docu-fiction produced by Jada Pinkett Smith worth which traces the life of the last pharaoh of Egypt, "fighting to defend his throne, his family and his work" with Adele James in the lead role?
If the young actress is convincing and makes us quickly forget the color of her skin, the series is quite uneven. Certainly, we are not so bored with the life of this woman who reigned from the age of 17 over Egypt between 51 and 30 BC. is exciting. Adored and feared by her people, courted and vilified by Rome, Cleopatra wielded unparalleled power and was ever more powerful.
Despite the testimonies of interesting historians, we get lost
Throughout her life, the young woman had only one objective: that Egypt, the breadbasket of the region, did not fall under the thumb of all-powerful Rome. A strategist, she developed hundreds of plans until her death. Married twice to her brothers, Cleopatra was the mistress of Emperor Julius Caesar with whom she had a son, Caesarion. But his great love, according to the series, was the Roman general Mark Antony, father of her twins. "It's like Game of Thrones," says one historian.
Succession, conquest, assassination, war and hectic love stories, all the ingredients are gathered for a series a little rosewater. And this is where the problem lies because, despite the testimonies of interesting but sometimes redundant historians, we go astray. Are we in a historical drama a bit cheesy or in a documentary series? The Egyptian people are conspicuous by their absence...
On the other hand, the role and power of Egyptian women at that time, carried by its heroine, is particularly well highlighted. To millennial and feminist Egypt, the series aptly opposes Rome, the young and macho republic ruled by men.
While the announcement of the Netflix documentary with a black Cleopatra has aroused the ire of many Egyptians, the very media archaeologist Zahi Hawass, still wearing his Indiana Jones hat, announced this Wednesday morning the release of a documentary on the story of "the REAL Cleopatra", visible on the YouTube channel of its director, Curtis Ryan Woodside.
"Was Cleopatra black? First of all, I have nothing at all against blacks but I expose facts: look at the Macedonian queens, none were black, "says Mr. Hawass in this documentary. The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities had already taken up the case, assuring that Cleopatra had "white skin and Hellenistic features".
Editor's note:
3/5
"Queen Cleopatra", American documentary series with Adele James, Jada Pinkett Smith, Craig Russell... 4 episodes of 40 minutes (2022)