Page "Cleopatra Jones" Paragraph 22

Critic Francesca T. Royster states, “ Tamara Dobson is a lost African queen, dripping in furs and silk robes.

She is a hybrid of an exotic queen from the past, a homegirl who knows her way around her old neighborhood of Watts and a special agent for the CIA.

In the film, we see a double act of appropriation made possible by the ambiguity of the Cleopatra icon .” Shots of Dobson emphasize her exotic beauty especially when imaged through the male gaze.

As Cleopatra strolls down the street, men of every race and age are dazzled by her black beauty.