Masada

TV Mini Series
1981
1h 39m

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

Peter O'Toole and Peter Strauss in Masada (1981)

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31 Photos

Action Drama History

After the destruction of the Second Temple, nine hundred Jewish zealots hold out against a five thousand man Roman legion on the mountaintop fortress of Masada.After the destruction of the Second Temple, nine hundred Jewish zealots hold out against a five thousand man Roman legion on the mountaintop fortress of Masada.After the destruction of the Second Temple, nine hundred Jewish zealots hold out against a five thousand man Roman legion on the mountaintop fortress of Masada.

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.8/10

2.5K

YOUR RATING

Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 2 Primetime Emmys
- 3 wins & 15 nominations total

Episodes4

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TopTop-rated 1 Season 1981

Trivia
During the lengthy location filming, Peter O'Toole was the only cast member who didn't fall ill. This was due to the fact that these were similar locations to Lawrence of Arabia (1962), and he knew how punishing and gruelling the region could be.

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

Quotes
Cornelius Flavius Silva: A victory? What have we won? We've won a rock in the middle of a wasteland, on the shores of a poisoned sea.

Alternate versions
An extremely edited, two-hour version was released on video c. 1982.

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

User reviews26

Review

Featured review

9/10

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.