Masada 

After the destruction of the Second Temple, 900 Jewish zealots hold out against a 5000 man Roman legion on the mountaintop fortress of Masada.

Stars:

Peter O'Toole, Peter Strauss, Barbara Carrera

Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Peter O'Toole	...	General Cornelius Flavius Silva / ... (4 episodes, 1981)
Peter Strauss	...	Eleazar ben Yair (4 episodes, 1981)
Barbara Carrera	...	Sheva (4 episodes, 1981)
Alan Feinstein	...	Aaron (4 episodes, 1981)
Giulia Pagano	...	Miriam (4 episodes, 1981)
Anthony Quayle	...	Rubrius Gallus (4 episodes, 1981)
Paul L. Smith	...	Gideon (4 episodes, 1981)
David Warner	...	Falco (4 episodes, 1981)
Clive Francis	...	Attius, Head Tribune (4 episodes, 1981)
David Opatoshu	...	Shimon (4 episodes, 1981)
Richard Pierson	...	Ephraim (4 episodes, 1981)
Joseph Wiseman	...	Jerahmeel, Head Essene (4 episodes, 1981)
David A. Block	...	Reuben (4 episodes, 1981)
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Chief Priest (4 episodes, 1981)
David Mauro	...	Epos (4 episodes, 1981)
Alexander Peleg	...	Zidon (4 episodes, 1981)
Joey Sagal	...	Seth (4 episodes, 1981)
Michael Shillo	...	Ezra (4 episodes, 1981)
Christopher Biggins	...	Albinus (3 episodes, 1981)
Heinz Bernard	...	Elder (3 episodes, 1981)
Warren Clarke	...	Plinius (3 episodes, 1981)
Ken Hutchison	...	Fronto (3 episodes, 1981)
Reuven Bar-Yotam	...	Butcher (3 episodes, 1981)
Denis Quilley	...	Gen. Marcus Quadratus / ... (2 episodes, 1981)
Anthony Valentine	...	Merovius, Head Tribune (2 episodes, 1981)
Jack Watson	...	Decurion (2 episodes, 1981)
Derek Newark	...	Engineering Officer (2 episodes, 1981)
Michael Elphick	...	Vettius (2 episodes, 1981)
Nick Brimble	...	Milades (2 episodes, 1981)
Michael Schneider	...	Surgeon (2 episodes, 1981)

Storyline

Flavius Silva, commander in Roman Judea, wants to reach a reasonable compromise with the Jewish Zealots and withdraw his legion. Events and personalities in Rome, however, lead to his besieging the fortress of Masada. There the engineering genius of the Romans must fight both the harsh climate and landscape, and the passion and ingenuity of Eleazar Ben Yair and his people.

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Plot Keywords:

roman | masada | zealot | roman legion | epic | 

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 April 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Масада

Filming Locations:

Masada, Judean Desert, Israel

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arnon Milchan Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

394 min 122 min (theatrical) 121 min (cut) (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Josef Shaftel and Cinerama announced this as a major theatrical release in 1970.

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Goofs

During the scene in which the Jews are ascending the trail up to the summit of Masada, a vehicle the size of a bus can clearly be seen travelling on a road in the background

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Quotes

Cornelius Flavius Silva: [to Gallus] We must face the truth. We laid out this camp for the prosecution of a siege. We didn't expect them to come visiting at all hours. We expected them to be stubborn, and they've turned out to be clever. I hate cleverness! It's the soldier in me, but we could use a little bit of it ourselves at the moment.

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Connections

Featured in The 33rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1981)

User Reviews

Spectacular! Best mini-series

Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss were both great. This is probably one of O'Toole's better performances. Great story, excellent cast, spectacular locations, great performances from Barbara Carrera, Anthony Quayle, and David Warner. This mini-series is definitely well worth your time. This is based on the book, The Antagonists, by Ernest K. Gann. I read it, and the "sequel", The Triumph. Read both books, if you can find them. The Triumph is the story of Flavius Silva after Masada. Almost as entertaining as the movie.