"And we embraced a slightly new but perhaps the most ancient and classic take on the character and the story.After a civil war, Julius Caesar was determined to capture his enemy, a general named Pompey, pursuing him around Europe and into Egypt. "There's just a very appropriate timing for this story right now," Mr.
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The performer suggests that in an age when women's rights are being recognized, appreciating the full contributions of such a singular woman as Cleopatra may finally be possible. George maintains that Cleopatra was a clever and ambitious politician who died trying to unite the ancient kingdoms of Rome and Egypt.Īctor Billy Zane portrays Caesar's general, Marc Antony, who became Cleopatra's lover following the death of Caesar. idle and lying around eating grapes all the time," she says with a laugh. "The flighty aspect of her is basically Roman propaganda that then got picked up by Shakespeare, where you have scenes of her. George, who adds that much of the historical record concerning Cleopatra was penned by her Roman enemies. "She was obviously very appealing, very charming, but was not flighty and silly," says Ms. The author says she sought to dispel the notion of Cleopatra as a sexual bimbo. The ABC miniseries, based on the 1997 Margaret George novel "The Memoirs of Cleopatra," follows Cleopatra from age 20 to her suicide. "When you see the topography of the city as we've discovered it," says explorer Goddio, speaking about how the layout explains ancient texts from Julius Caesar, "you perfectly understand why he was attacked on that place and how he could have burned his fleet from the palace where he was besieged." "Now, with this new work, we can begin to work with the archaeology rather than just the legends of the city and the woman." perhaps in history," she says, pointing out that historical sites have remained shrouded in as much legend as fact. "Cleopatra certainly is one of the most famous women of the ancient world. "Alexandria is one of the most famous cities of the ancient world," observes Egyptologist Emily Teeter, who was on the Goddio team. In addition, he has retrieved from beneath layers of silt a 2,000-year-old shipwreck and two sphinxes, one of which is thought to represent Cleopatra's father, King Ptolemy XII. In a decade-long project culminating last fall, he has uncovered the remains of the palace of Cleopatra. Material for the Discovery program came from the work of underwater explorer Franck Goddio, on the site of the ancient city of Alexandria, submerged for thousands of years.
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(ABC was not above riding on the notoriety of Monica Lewinsky - the first TV ads for this miniseries aired during the Barbara Walters interview). Then, ABC will air a four-hour miniseries, "Cleopatra," (May 23).
Competing for the same viewer time slot will be A&E, airing "Cleopatra's World: Alexandria Revealed" (Sunday, 9-11 p.m.). The Discovery Channel presents an archaeological documentary, "Cleopatra's Palace: In Search of a Legend" (Sunday, 9-10 p.m.) followed by "The Real Cleopatra" (10-11 p.m.), a documentary portrait narrated by Angelica Huston.
This time, producers of several specials are determined to deepen the public's understanding of arguably the most famous woman in ancient history.
But not the sexy vamp portrayed on film by Elizabeth Taylor or the spunky ingenue of Shakespeare's imagination in "Antony and Cleopatra." This time Cleopatra, history's ultimate seductress, is the subject of a slew of new TV projects. Just when you thought the political temptress-as-prime-time entertainment was safely off television (and out of the country!), she's back.
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