The second offering in Hollywood star Jada Pinkett Smith’s anthology drama-doc series focuses on , who ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom from 51-30BC. It’s a portrait of a royal whose beauty, in this reading, has come to overshadow her intellect and daring. It’s also a series that was greeted by controversy in Egypt for casting a mixed-heritage actor, Adele James, in the lead role.
Also available to stream via Netflix, African Queens: Njinga focuses on the extraordinary life of Princess Njinga (c1583–1663), who became leader of both Ndongo and Matamba, kingdoms located in modern-day Angola. It’s not often that a politician intervenes directly to criticise a historical drama-doc. But this was what happened in February 2024 when Lina Mendoni, Greece’s minister for culture, called “extremely poor-quality fiction”.
The main problem, it seems, is the show’s portrayal of a a romantic relationship between Alexander and his confidant, Hephaestion. Whatever your thoughts on how Alexander expressed his sexuality, this six-parter adds up to a comprehensive overview of the all-conquering military leader’s life and times, which tells its story through combination of historians talking, analysis of recent archaeology and dramatic reconstructions. Based on German writer Erich Maria Remarque’s First World War novel, like the classic 1930 Oscar winner, here’s a visceral drama that takes viewers to the trenches of the Western Front.
Directed by Edward Berger ( ), it follows y.
