Gal Gadot announced at the weekend that she was working with Patty Jenkins, the director of the 20 17 blockbuster, and Rita Caloggi Dis, the screenwriter, to bring the queen who ruled Egypt in the later period to the screen in an "unprecedented way".
She was very excited. "For the first time, I told my story from a female perspective, whether behind the camera or in front of the camera. Cleopatra is a story I have been wanting to tell for a long time. "
Although some people question whether Hollywood will once again let white actors play non-European roles, it is a great event for Egyptians to choose Gal Gadot as the country's most precious female historical figure.
For many Egyptians, portraying Israelis as the respected and admired Queen of the Nile is only the latest cultural aggression, after some Israelis controversially tried to take Ferrafer and Hums as their own.
Yasmin El Dolga, editor and publisher of the Egyptian historical and heritage journal Ravi, said: "This is a very insensitive choice because Cleopatra is an iconic figure in Egyptian history. I believe there may be other politically neutral options, and they also have good commercial significance. There is no doubt that, as she did ... Hollywood seems to be progressive and sensitive, when it involves everyone except.
But for film critic Mahmoud Kassem, Gado's casting also proves that Egypt can't make events and important people in its rich and long history into international blockbusters.
This news also triggered a social media storm, questioning not only the casting decision, but also the race of Cleopatra (the last monarch of Macedonian Greek dynasty) and the extent of her actual communication or contact with Egyptian subjects.
It has been more than 40 years since Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, but before the "cold peace" of 1979, the two neighboring countries fought four all-out wars, but the ties between the two countries are still very close.
The relationship between governments has always been very close, mainly due to common security considerations and cooperation, but there is little interaction between the two peoples. A grassroots movement aimed at resisting the normalization of Israel still has considerable appeal among many Egyptians.
"So, they can't find an Egyptian or Greek actress to play this role. They have no choice but to play Cleopatra by Israeli actress Gado? "
An Egyptian woman said, "Cleopatra is a famous figure in Greece. She is definitely an Egyptian like Muhammad Ali. " She refers to the Albanian general Osman, who established the last monarchy in Egypt at the beginning of19th century and ruled until 1950.
Cleopatra's mother is generally regarded as Egyptian, but this has never been clearly proved.
Gal Gadot is not the first actress to play Cleopatra. Before her, her roles were claudette colbert, Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor. Their film 1963 is the most unforgettable one in the life of the queen of Egypt.
No Egyptian actress played Cleopatra in an important Hollywood movie, but there is a little-known Egyptian movie in 1943, in which the late aminah Riske played Cleopatra.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Egyptian poet laureate Ahmed Shoji (1870- 1932) wrote a little-known poem "The Death of Cleopatra".
Similarly, in the last century, Cleopatra was the protagonist in Timor's satirical novel Cleopatra Khan.
Egyptians believe that there are five Arab actresses who can play Cleopatra.
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