MovieChat Forums > Gal Gadot Discussion > Cleopatra controversy

Cleopatra controversy

posted 4 years ago by Jes' Sayin' (6443)
33 replies | jump to latest

It’s very interesting that this particular character is the intersection for so many different controversies:

- African v. non-African
- Greek v. non-Greek
- Ashkenazic Jew v. Mediterranean
- Egyptian v. Israeli
- Gadot fans v. Gadot detractors

And probably more. It really referenced a lot of controversies we have in our world today.

Even more strangely it appears a lot of people are so wrapped up in their particular controversy that they aren’t even aware of the other ones.

But isn’t all of this getting the cart way before the horse? Let’s see the movie first, shall we? And let’s see if it’s any good and if the actor is any good in it, and if she is believable? After that, let’s talk, because the truth is in the realization, not all this symbolic stuff.

[–] Hans-Wilhelm (1365) 4 years ago

If Hamilton can be all black and it is fine then there is NO controversy with this one.
All psycho morons should be ignored or told to f off.

[–] asom (6880) 4 years ago

Let's not forget that stupid show on netflix with a mixed (black) King Arthur and Morgana LaFey ....

When they do it is for "representation".

Fuck them.

[–] cyguration (3951) 4 years ago

Well said.

I hate the race-swapping so much. I hate SJWs even more than I hate the race-swapping.

[–] Keelai (35253) 4 years ago

Did it bother you when all cowboys were represented as white instead of black and Mexican as were one third of them? Or the Afro-Asiatic ancient Egyptians as being presented as Caucasian?

"I hate the race-swapping so much."

Which race-swapping do you hate so much?

[–] cyguration (3951) 4 years ago

[current year], propaganda-driven race-swapping.

[–] Keelai (35253) 4 years ago

It sounds like you support white supremacist-based race-swapping. Continue to pray to your WASPy Jesus with the blond hair and blue eyes. LOL!

[–] liscarkat (18888) 4 years ago

Idiot doesn't realize that Middle Eastern Jews (like Jesus) can have blonde hair and blue eyes. There is no reason to assume Jesus was dark with brown eyes. He could have been either way.

[–] Keelai (35253) 4 years ago

LOL! Unlikely. The norm for Mizrahi Jews two centuries ago was dark curly hair, dark eyes and dark skin.

Jewish clothing and hairstyles of that era are misrepresented in European art, also.

[–] prometheus1816 (1060) 4 years ago

So how's this, I'm planning on making a film on Martin Luther King Jr. and I will cast a whit actor as MLK because if "they" can do it, so can I. See how far that would get me as a filmmaker? I don't like agenda-driven art. I like it less when it's done in films such as this new Anne Bolyn film with Jodie Turner-Smith. Imagine what's going to happen when the beheading scene comes. It's not enough women have dealt with historical apartheid for centuries, but setting thos up in this manner will do nothing but cause the same furor the death of Missandei caused on Game of Thrones.

[–] Keelai (35253) 4 years ago

"I will cast a whit actor as MLK"

You just made my point! That has already been happening all along, but you've been unaware of it.

For instance, Blacks and Mexicans made up 1/3 of the cowboys in the American West, but if you grew up watching westerns then you wouldn't know this since they were portrayed as 100% white most of the time.

I bet you weren't aware that there were black people living in England during King Henry VIII's reign. Queen Catherine''s lady-in-waiting, Lina de Cardonnes was black. Henry also hired black people.

My point is that true history has never been portrayed by Hollywood. You're being disingenuous to complain about the Boleyn casting which is only artistic license, but not to be upset about casting that had a white supremacist or misogynistic agenda throughout Hollywood's history.

Jesus wearing a Superman Tshirt and bell bottoms hanging out in NY's Central Park (Godspell) doesn't bother me. Jesus portrayed in a "serious" Biblical film as a blond haired, blue-eyed WASP does. The former is artistic license whereas the latter is white supremacy.

"women have dealt with historical apartheid for centuries"
True. It starts with education. I read "Herstory" a long time ago as my first step in learning the truth.
https://www.amazon.com/Herstory-Women-Who-Changed-World/dp/0670854344

BTW, instead of recycling the same stories repeatedly, I would be happy to see brand new ones. There's plenty of history not being made into movies.

[–] Satan2016 (25796) 4 years ago

"Afro-Asiatic ancient Egyptians" - WTF does that mean?

North Africans are mostly Euro. Genetic testing shows ancient Egyptians were less black than today. Nubians are mixed race, not Egyptians!

[–] Keelai (35253) 4 years ago

You know nothing about Egyptian history.

The ancient Egyptians were originally black Africans who came and lived mainly in the southern region. Asians came from and lived mainly in the northern regions. They intermarried which is why they are considered Afro-Asiatic. Nubians lived in ancient Egypt, intermarried and were some of the Pharaohs. see Akhenaten

Most Ancient Egyptian art portrays them with brown-skin and African features. European historians and visitors did the same. Later, Europeans joined the mix. Arabs came in 700 ad.

I'll add that major cosmopolitan centers in Ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome always were diversified since they attracted people from other parts of the country and foreigners.

Interesting article about Nubians
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-07-24/egypt-s-indigenous-nubians-continue-their-long-wait-return-ancestral-lands

[–] Darren (1376) 4 years ago

That's not really how it works in 2020. Any traditionally white character can be replaced with an actor of non-white background, and it can and will be defended/justified in any number of ways. Reverse the dynamic on the other hand, and the internet will shake with the howls of outrage. It's a double standard, so controversy will be ginned up.

And of course, the same ignorant lefties who are criticizing Gadot for portraying Cleopatra (more specifically, Cleopatra VII), because they don't realize and/or care that Cleopatra was white. She was absolutely white. She was the last monarch of the Ptolemaic dynasty, and was Macedonian by ancestry. The Ptolemies were transplanted Greek-speaking Europeans. Cleopatra was even the first of the whole dynasty to even bother learning to speak Egyptian -- all her predecessors, for the two and three-quarter centuries of the dynasty never bothered, sticking to their native Greek (which Cleopatra also stuck with as her primary language).

[–] trevorh321 (5495) 4 years ago

As long as the movie is diverse and represents all people everywhere in the world of all races, sexes and religions, there will be no problem.

[–] legnadibrom (6318) 4 years ago

thank you, finally a smart person on imdb.com

[–] liscarkat (18888) 4 years ago

Nice joke.

[–] BourbonKing (5781) 4 years ago

I know some Egyptian people here in SoCal and they're coptic Christians but identify as Egyptians and are proud of their ancient culture too. They also didn't mind seeing Liz Taylor play Cleopatra back in the day.

[–] HarlemEagle42 (18085) 4 years ago

She's a great fit for playing Cleopatra.

[–] papamihel (1616) 4 years ago

I don't get it. She looks like Cleopatra might have looked. Why isn't that enough?

[–] AbercrombieJolen (70) 4 years ago

because for some reason many people seem to believe Cleopatra was black

[–] chilone (18034) 4 years ago

Yeah! Napoleon was black too..... and if he wasn't, he'd should have been!!

[–] Keelai (35253) 4 years ago

Napoleon was Italian, but he's misrepresented as French.

[–] Satan2016 (25796) 4 years ago

Hitler was an African Jew! Time to remake all those NAZI movies.

[–] Keelai (35253) 4 years ago

Hitler was Austrian. Not German. Most people don't know that.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I must have missed something. Is she playing Cleopatra in a movie?

[–] Satan2016 (25796) 4 years ago

There are two Cleopatra remakes. Her's: https://moviechat.org/tt13258918/Cleopatra

[–] liscarkat (18888) 4 years ago

Cleopatra was white (Macedonian Greek). There is no doubt about that fact among intelligent people who know anything about history. Gadot is a good choice to play her.

[–] Kowalski (76799) 4 years ago

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/1c/81/60/1c8160529532fef1d51844ba929ebc58.jpg

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 4 years ago

I think she's going to be a gorgeous Cleopatra.

[–] BourbonKing (5781) 4 years ago

Can you link the names of people who are decrying this movie overall, or is it just some noise generated by Twitter feeds that tend to trend because a handful of trolls know how to Bot-flood the interwebs?

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6443) 4 years ago

It was all over the web.

[–] GirlNamedSue (240) 4 years ago

MY observation is that lefties trigger to a degree that a relatively small number of them make more noise than a lot more of anyone else.

[–] BourbonKing (5781) 4 years ago

The story was but not the source of the bitching. Do you have any specific names or groups who elevated this to the news media outlets or is it just another "Twitter is trending" bullshit headline?