Masada – The Complete Epic Mini-Series

Description

In first century A.D., Flavius Silva (Peter O’Toole),
commander in Roman Palestine, leads his forces in combat against the remaining
Jewish Zealots who have taken refuge in the seemingly impregnable fortress of
Masada. There, the engineering and military might of Rome faces the passion
and ingenuity of Eleazar Ben Yair (Peter Strauss) and his people. Based on the
novel “The Antagonists” by Ernest K. Gann, this epic, 4-part mini-series was
shot on location in Israel. “A victory? What have we won?” laments
a breathtaking Peter O’Toole as the Roman warrior Flavius Silva. “We’ve won a
rock in the middle of a wasteland, on the shores of a poisoned sea.” Thus does
Masada, the epic 1981 miniseries about a horrific battle in ancient Palestine,
echo the terrible toll of war in general, and of the brutal conflicts in
today’s Middle East in particular. Masada, from the golden age of miniseries
(Roots, Shogun), is a transportive viewing event–shot on location, and
apparently no expense spared. The film retells (with some dramatic license)
the true story of an uprising in Palestine of a ragtag band of Jews, in a
fortress called Masada, who refuse to surrender to the governing Romans.
O’Toole, as Flavius Silva, is the brilliant commander who, over the course of
several years of trying, and failing, to breach Masada, comes to regard the
leader of his foes, Eleazar ben Yair (the charismatic Peter Strauss), with a
certain amount of respect and awe. If left to Flavius, he might have simply
leave the holdout fortress and return to the Italy he so longs for; but the
Roman emperor demands victory–at any cost. The performances are uniformly
crisp and believable; the direction by Boris Sagal, economical; the
screenplay, sharp and incisive. David Warner, who won an Emmy for his
performance, plays the brutal Roman henchman Falco with seething
determination. The location shooting is nothing short of spectacular. There is
sorrow in the story of Masada, but an uplifting message in the ability of true
believers to create their own destiny. –A.T. Hurley

Features:

Product Details:

• Format: NTSC, Multiple Formats, Full Screen, Color
• Contributor: Anthony Quayle, Peter O'Toole, Christopher Biggins, John Terry Bell, Ernest K. Gann, David A. Block, Giulia Pagano, Heinz Bernard, Richard Basehart, Boris Sagal, Reuven Bar-Yotam, Peter Strauss, Joel Oliansky, David Warner, Barbara Carrera See more
• Language: English
• Number Of Discs: 2
• Runtime: 6 hours and 34 minutes
• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.53 inches; 0.48 Ounces
• Director ‏ : ‎ Boris Sagal
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Multiple Formats, Full Screen, Color
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 6 hours and 34 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ September 11, 2007
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Peter O'Toole, Peter Strauss, Barbara Carrera, Anthony Quayle, David Warner
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 2.0), Unqualified