Netflix Sued for Depicting Cleopatra as Black

[onthedarkside]

 

An Egyptian lawyer on Sunday filed a lawsuit over Netflix's upcoming Queen Cleopatra, accusing the streaming service of "erasing the Egyptian identity" for depicting the ruler as a Black woman.

 

Mahmoud al-Semary submitted the legal complaint with Egypt's public prosecutor following the recent release of a trailer for the docudrama series, which premieres May 10.

 

His filing not only requested legal action be taken against the makers of the show but for Netflix to be shut down in Egypt.

 

https://www.newsweek.com/netflix-sued-depicting-cleopatra-black-1795681

 

[bendejo]

Guys from East African countries have told me Cleopatra was black, and is a historical and romantic woman.  One fellow told me he thinks she would have looked like the model Iman.

Not much chance of multi-ethnic mixing when her family only married their siblings. 

 

 

[Chomper Higgot]

I didn’t think the climate in Egypt was conducive to snowflakes, it seems I was misinformed.

[candide]

While it is very possible there were black pharaohs in early periods of the empire, it is unlikely Cleopatra was black.

 

Then, as many issues, it has been poluted by politicization from different groups, 

 

Anyway, does it really matter when It's about entertainment?

[simple1]

4 hours ago, bendejo said:

Guys from East African countries have told me Cleopatra was black, and is a historical and romantic woman.  One fellow told me he thinks she would have looked like the model Iman.

Not much chance of multi-ethnic mixing when her family only married their siblings. 

 

 

From Wiki...

 

Scholars generally identify Cleopatra as essentially of Macedonian Greek ancestry with some Persian and Sogdian Iranian ancestry. This is based on the fact that her Macedonian Greek family – the Ptolemaic dynasty – had intermarried with the Seleucid dynasty that ruled over much of West Asia.

[Lee65]

That actress doesn't look "Black".

 

Time to get out the Black-o-meter ... 

[rabas]

Cleopatra was mostly Macedonian Greek along with her Ptolemaic family who ruled Later Egypt from 305 to 30 BC.

 

But even Egyptians were not black sub-Saharan Africans. Recent genetic research on mummies from the Middle Kingdom, which began about 1500BC, found that ancient Egyptians were mostly related to Eastern Mediterranean peoples. Modern Egyptians have a small trace (8%) from sub-Saharan African genes but that is more recent. Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings clearly depict Nubians from the south as black.

 

So no surprise Egyptians are not happy.

[ozimoron]

5 minutes ago, rabas said:

Cleopatra was mostly Macedonian Greek along with her Ptolemaic family who ruled Later Egypt from 305 to 30 BC.

 

But even Egyptians were not black sub-Saharan Africans. Recent genetic research on mummies from the Middle Kingdom, which began about 1500BC, found that ancient Egyptians were mostly related to Eastern Mediterranean peoples. Modern Egyptians have a small trace (8%) from sub-Saharan African genes but that is more recent. Ancient Egyptian tomb paintings clearly depict Nubians from the south as black.

 

So no surprise Egyptians are not happy.

They're just racist. It's common in every country. Nothing to see here. It doesn't matter if she was black, white or brindle,

Edited April 22, 2023 by ozimoron

[StayinThailand2much]

Considering that everyone, incl. Netflix, is vying to please Chinese viewers, he is lucky that they didn't give the role to an ethnic Chinese actress...

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, Lee65 said:

That actress doesn't look "Black".

 

Time to get out the Black-o-meter ... 

Agreed but she also doesn't look very Egyptian or Middle Eastern/North African????

 

I believe that is the objection

[CALSinCM]

I thought she looks like Liz Taylor. 

[ozimoron]

May God strike down that casting director for selecting a black woman. They should have picked someone "swarthy" and "olive skinned".

Edited April 22, 2023 by ozimoron

[CG1 Blue]

1 hour ago, ozimoron said:

They're just racist. It's common in every country. Nothing to see here. It doesn't matter if she was black, white or brindle,

I bet you'd have something to say if they cast a white actress to play a black woman ????

[ozimoron]

5 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

I bet you'd have something to say if they cast a white actress to play a black woman ????

Only if her color was actually relevant to the script, for example Rosa Parks or MLK. Would you object if a movie about QE2 was portrayed by a black woman?

Edited April 22, 2023 by ozimoron

[bendejo]

5 hours ago, ozimoron said:

[ . . . ]  Would you object if a movie about QE2 was portrayed by a black woman?

Thanks to 21st century movies I am learning that there were a lot more Black folks in 19th century Britain than I would have guessed, and a lot more upper-class intermarrying with them too.  According to the latest dramatization of Dicken's "Great Expectations" the main character's puppy-love girlfriend is Black -- who'da thunk?  Waiting for a show with a Black Winston Churchill. 

I would think a very scandalous move would be a depiction of Prince Harry where the actor actually bore a resemblance to King Charles.

 

DISCLAIMER: all the above is intended as sarcasm.

 

 

[NE1]

The BBC made a new series about Ann Boleyn , and cast a Black Actress to play her.

There was some complaints about that in the UK .

But if you don't like it don't watch it.

 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, NE1 said:

The BBC made a new series about Ann Boleyn , and cast a Black Actress to play her.

There was some complaints about that in the UK .

But if you don't like it don't watch it.

 

 

 

Sometimes in the movies they put coloured people in white roles, but one doesn't know till after paying to watch.

In a recent movie about Mary, Queen of Scots they cast a black man as a Sottish nobleman- did they think we wouldn't notice?

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, CG1 Blue said:

I bet you'd have something to say if they cast a white actress to play a black woman ????

or a white man to play Mandela!

[giddyup]

15 hours ago, Lee65 said:

That actress doesn't look "Black".

 

Time to get out the Black-o-meter ... 

She's as black as Meghan Markle.????

[ozimoron]

13 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

or a white man to play Mandela!

That's not the same is it? Being black was the issue in Mandela's life. Being any color wasn't pertinent to Cleopatra's life.

[jak2002003]

How stupid. 

 

Maybe Mahmoud al-Semary should also get only the Islamic religious leaders there for  "erasing the Egyptian identity" as their religion was not Islam and they didn't have Islamic laws like killing gay people. 

[Emster23]

I suppose it is fair considering Charlie Chan and Amos and Andy were played by white men

I didn't see it, but didn't musical Hamilton have a black guy playing Alex?

Tut's sandals had black Nubians painted on insoles, so not like they couldn't tell black from white back when

I'll take Mo Salah as Cleo....

[Denim]

14 hours ago, CALSinCM said:

I thought she looks like Liz Taylor. 

No way , this is the most accurate depiction :

 

 

 

[NE1]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Sometimes in the movies they put coloured people in white roles, but one doesn't know till after paying to watch.

In a recent movie about Mary, Queen of Scots they cast a black man as a Sottish nobleman- did they think we wouldn't notice?

I watched something a while ago , it was during the Industrial revolution in England and there was a Black guy playing a Wool mill owner in deepest Yorkshire.

[2009]

They should be sued as well for making Queen Charlotte black, lol

 

It's a joke, isn't it?

 

Let's see a white Nelson Mandela, lol.   

 

Or a Chinese Obama.

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, 2009 said:

They should be sued as well for making Queen Charlotte black, lol

 

It's a joke, isn't it?

 

Let's see a white Nelson Mandela, lol.   

 

Or a Chinese Obama.

You really can't grasp that for some people, their entire lives and fame is about their race but not for others and that in those cases it's just incidental and therefore no impediment to casting as any color or race?

[2009]

3 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

You really can't grasp that for some people, their entire lives and fame is about their race but not for others and that in those cases it's just incidental and therefore no impediment to casting as any color or race?

Can't you see they are just pandering to the black community?

 

How can you make a show about a historical figure and change her race?

 

Might as well change her gender, nationality, and every else

[Pink Mist]

An off topic post has been removed. Please stay on topic and do not try and hijack the OP.

[brewsterbudgen]

11 minutes ago, 2009 said:

Can't you see they are just pandering to the black community?

 

How can you make a show about a historical figure and change her race?

 

Might as well change her gender, nationality, and every else

It's called artistic licence.  They weren't making a documentary ????

[Mac Mickmanus]

Her speaking with a posh British accent makes it difficult to beleive 

 

 

 

   Especially for those of us that remember her being in Casualty