“Masada” is a fictionalized account of the Roman siege of the famous citadel in 73-74 AD, which resulted in the mass suicide of 960 Jews who did not want to be subjugated to Roman rule. Director Boris Segal and teleplay writer Joel Oliansky put together this engrossing drama that was aired as a four part miniseries on ABC in April, 1981. It is 394 minutes long, with the story adapted from Ernest Gann’s 1971 novel “The Antagonists.”
The stellar cast is headed by Peter O’Toole as the Roman general in charge of the siege and Peter Strauss as the Jewish leader of Masada. Co-stars include Barbara Carrera, David Warner, Nigel Davenport, Anthony Quayle, Jack Watson, Joseph Wiseman, Alan Feinstein, Timothy West, George Innes, Giulia Pagano, W. Morgan Sheppard, and Richard Basehart serving as narrator.
“Masada” was filmed on location at Masada in southern Israel, with stunning cinematography by Paul Lohmann. It was nominated for thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards, winning two for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or Special (Jerry Goldsmith) and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series (David Warner).
Masada (1981)
cinema
My Review
“Masada” is a fictionalized account of the Roman siege of the famous citadel in 73-74 AD, which resulted in the mass suicide of 960 Jews who did not want to be subjugated to Roman rule. Director Boris Segal and teleplay writer Joel Oliansky put together this engrossing drama that was aired as a four part miniseries on ABC in April, 1981. It is 394 minutes long, with the story adapted from Ernest Gann’s 1971 novel “The Antagonists.”
The stellar cast is headed by Peter O’Toole as the Roman general in charge of the siege and Peter Strauss as the Jewish leader of Masada. Co-stars include Barbara Carrera, David Warner, Nigel Davenport, Anthony Quayle, Jack Watson, Joseph Wiseman, Alan Feinstein, Timothy West, George Innes, Giulia Pagano, W. Morgan Sheppard, and Richard Basehart serving as narrator.
“Masada” was filmed on location at Masada in southern Israel, with stunning cinematography by Paul Lohmann. It was nominated for thirteen Primetime Emmy Awards, winning two for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Limited Series or Special (Jerry Goldsmith) and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series (David Warner).