LIFE
A ROYAL PAIN
Television series "Juana Inés" tells the story of an outspoken and influential feminist nun who lived in 17th-century Mexico. PHOTO COURTESY NETFLIX
HAD ENOUGH OF EUROPEAN ROYALS ON TV? SO HAVE WE. Expand your worldview with these biographical films and TV shows that bring historic leaders — outside of Europe — to life BY REBECCA RAFFERTY
A
record-breaking 29 million people streamed the fourth season of “The Crown” the week it dropped on Netflix last November. Blame it on the bored multitudes staying home and watching a lot of TV if you want. But the show, which tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and reveals the inner lives of the British royal family — humanizing them while taking a warts-and-all approach — is undeniably popular.
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Most shows and films about British or other European leaders are. We’re inundated with movies and TV series that bring historic leaders to life (“The Tudors,” “Versailles,” “The King,” “Victoria,” and many more). Maybe our fascination is due to the fact that we don’t have royals in America. But there’s a wide world outside of Europe that offers many stories of consequential historic leaders that are worth telling. While we’re impatiently waiting for the fifth season of “The
Crown” to be released (not until 2022, sorry!) take this opportunity to expand your geographic focus. Many of the stories are about non-European leaders who are revolutionaries or religious figures, not necessarily heads of state or annointed rulers. “Since it does seem to be so hard to think of fiction films and television shows that focus on established nonEuropean leaders, I wonder if one of the reasons ‘Black Panther’ has
been so popular is that it features an established African royal family,” said Jean Elisabeth Pedersen, associate professor of history at the University of Rochester. Good storytelling brings to life the histories and struggles of those of people who have been marginalized in or left out of historic accounts recorded by occupying nations. With a little digging, there are a number of television shows and films available, said Dr. Molly C. Ball,
