Masada [DVD]

All fine with the delivery. This was an unusual watch for me. I had seen it when it was first shown on tv in 1981 at the age of ten. I loved it and it left a profound effect on me, especially the ending. So 42 years later at the age of 52 i sat down to watch it again after ordering it off Amazon. I was not sure what to expect as what you think is good when you are 10 maybe not considered good at 52. But it was every bit as good as the first time i watched it. Well put together, great acting and just all round great. I watched the whole series over 2 nights and was riveted from the get go to the end. Peter O Toole was great as always, but his oppenent played by Peter Strauss in a co starring role is his equal in my opinion. Seems Peter Strauss has been forgotten about these days. He has the next biggest part after Ó Toole in the movie and yet on the front sleeve it names four actors, who apart from O Toole have m!nor roles. No mention of Strauss. So after watching it again for the first time in half a century i can heartily recommend this excellent mini series.

Two surviving women and five children are the historian Flavius Josephus's main source for his writings, a man whom the Jews in Masada considered a traitor and happily would have killed. Recent study has cast doubt on some of the history, some studies from archaeological digs even casting serious academic doubt on whether the mass suicide actually took place at all. This DVD of the mini-series is well worth the time and money as it brings his words off the page.Peter O'Toole, Anthony Quayle, Denis Quilley, David Warner, Timothy West and Peter Strauss is a fine set of actors and they handle the parts to perfection. Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss in particular have the heavy responsibility of conveying the Roman commander, General Cornelius Flavius Silva, and the Jewish Zealot, Eleazar ben Yair, respectively, endeavours they perform very effectively. Besieging Masada (Hebrew for fort) against his own instincts and previous agreements, Silva carries out the decisions of Emperor Vespasian,(Timothy West )and we see in so many ways the soldier's duty being carried out very effectively with unspoken reluctance, a reluctance O'Toole captures so well in so many non-verbal ways. Strauss's Eleazar ben Yair is a man to be reckoned with, a man for whom Silva has great respect but a man who finds himself gradually cornered - literally and metaphorically by the might of Rome - into making those final choices which ring loudly through the centuries. So loudly does his voice echo through the barren landscape, Israeli army officers take their oath of allegiance on Masada, an oath which includes the words "Masada shall not fall again". This scene is shown at the beginning of the film and, for me, this is one of the fascinations of the film and others like it, e.g. "I Claudius", "Rome", "Julius Caesar" and the reason why standing in the forum in Rome or Pompeii, the Coliseum in Rome or Pozzuoli or gazing at Tragan's column are so moving, repelling, attractive and fascinating at the same time. The ambivalence is captivating.The great power of Rome brought about by the might and efficiency of its army (and all that suggests) and the suicidal patriotism and fundamentalism of the Jewish Zealots are brought into vivid life which reminds us of a simple fact; these historical characters were "merely" people, albeit special people but human beings just the same. The siege ramp and the remains of the fort are testament to the lives led at this special place and the DVD brings it all alive.Combined with a reading of Josephus, some other research into more modern studies of Masada and, stepping outside the film to consider people just living their lives, this DVD provides a well of ideas and "entertainment", all for a price cheaper than one evening at the cinema. Buy it; its a classic.

This mini series in four parts is broadly based on true events about a Roman general who is trying to stop a Jewish rebellion.This is a really good series that plays out like a long feature film. I remember this show on TV in 1983 but it is better to see it on DVD. There are four parts and each part is feature length but it is better to watch the whole set close together. The whole project is very good since the mini series offers a good slice of time to develop the characters and the feel of the long siege that takes place in the plot. This would not have the same effect in a single feature film.In the year 70 AD, the Romans launch an attack on Jerusalem. And although this is mostly successful some resistance fighters, led by Eleazar Ben Yair, take refuge in the hills. They defend a seemingly impregnable rock fortress at the summit of Mount Masada and hold out long enough to humiliate the forces of the Roman general Flavius Silva who is later sent to disperse the rebellion.Silva is on the brink of retirement and needs a speedy resolution to this problem. But it is not an easy task to get into the fortress. Silva is further hindered by the arrival of a young and brutal new officer called Falco who has been sent from Rome.According to Roman historians, Herod the Great fortified Masada at the beginning of the first Jewish/Roman war against the Roman Empire. A group of Jewish rebels called the Sicarii overcame the Roman garrison of Masada and used the mountaintop as a base for harassing the Romans.The Romans led by Silva, surrounded Masada and built a wall and then siege embankment in a massive feat of engineering. The Jews had a steady supply of water and food supplies that enabled them to hold out for a few months.The Romans finally breach the wall but then discover that the 960 inhabitants had set the buildings on fire as well as committing mass suicide.If you like films about the Roman Empire this will appeal and it offers more insight into the subject from a true story perspective. There are not a lot of battle scenes. But the project moves at a good pace and it is always engaging and interesting. This is drama about the lives of people of that time period and it explores how both sides had reasons for their actions.The production is excellent and the development of the characters is very good. The acting and direction are also of high standard and this makes a highly original production.

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Hi have not watched MASADA science 1982/1983 on a 21 inch tv set Black and white t v ,to see it in full colour now is just so cool on a 75 inch , sords and Sandl epic , Peter O tool Emmy was stolen from him , if a dvd collecter, must have , a true story ? over six hours of the greatest story ! and Peter O tools acting you will ever see , must have in dvd colection , cameron , P,s just watch Peter O tool acting , it is a must , where's the 15 min doc , Cameron from oz

Unico Dvd originale in lingua inglese sull'assedio di Masada, la fortezza costruita da Erode il grande nei pressi del mar morto. Sito archelogico di grande valore visitabile in Israele.

Eine TV Miniserie. Gut gespielt in der Hauptrolle von Peter O'Toole. War zum Kauf animiert durch einen Besuch in Masada im Februar dieses Jahres.