Masada (miniseries)

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This article is about the 1981 television dramatization. For the 2015 dramatization based on the novel of the same name, see The Dovekeepers.
Masada
DVD cover
GenreHistorical drama
Written byErnest Gann (novel)
Joel Oliansky
Directed byBoris Sagal
StarringPeter O'Toole
Peter Strauss
Barbara Carrera
Anthony Quayle
Paul L. Smith
and David Warner
as 'Falco'
Narrated byRichard Basehart
ComposersJerry Goldsmith (episodes 1 and 2, 1981), Morton Stevens (episodes 3 and 4, 1981)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producersGeorge Eckstein
Jennings Lang
ProducerRichard Irving
Production locationsMasada, Israel
CinematographyPaul Lohmann
EditorsEdwin F. England
Robert L. Kimble
Peter Kirby
Running time394 minutes
Original release
NetworkABC
Release5 April –
8 April 1981

Masada is an American television miniseries that aired on ABC in April 1981. Advertised by the network as an "ABC Novel for Television," it was a fictionalized account of the historical siege of the Masada citadel in Israel by legions of the Roman Empire in AD 73. The TV series' script is based on the novel The Antagonists by Ernest Gann. The siege ended when the Roman armies were able to enter the fortress, only to discover the mass suicide by the Jewish defenders when defeat became imminent.

Masada was one of several historical miniseries produced in the early 1980s following the success of the miniseries Roots that aired on the ABC Network in 1977 and Shogun which aired on NBC in 1980.

The miniseries starred Peter O'Toole as Roman legion commander Lucius Flavius Silva, Peter Strauss as the Jewish commander Elazar ben Ya'ir, and Barbara Carrera as Silva's Jewish mistress. David Warner, as Pomponius Falco, won an Emmy Award for his role. O'Toole was nominated for an Emmy for his performance. It was his first appearance in an American miniseries.

The music for Parts I and II were composed by Jerry Goldsmith. Because of myriad production delays, Goldsmith was forced to move on to other previously contracted scoring commitments. Parts III and IV were composed by Morton Stevens, based on the themes and motifs Goldsmith had written. Jerry Goldsmith received his fourth Emmy for his score to Part II.

Masada was filmed on location at the site of the ancient fortress, in the Judean Desert, Israel. Remains of a ramp, created during the filming to simulate the ramp built by the Romans to take the fortress, can still be seen at the site. ABC, concerned that the audience would be unfamiliar with the historical background of the story, commissioned a 30-minute documentary, Back To Masada. Starring Peter O'Toole, it recounts the history of the Jewish revolt against Rome. The network gave the documentary to its affiliates to run in the weeks before the premiere of the miniseries.

As was the case with Shogun, an edited, feature film-length version of the miniseries was made for theatrical release in other countries under the title The Antagonists. This was the version that became available on home video. The complete Masada miniseries first made it to the video market on four VHS tapes in 2001. A two-disc DVD release titled Masada — The Complete Epic Mini-Series was released on September 11, 2007. A Region 2 UK, two-disc DVD was released on 19 January 2009.

Cast

Synopsis

Part I

In the year 70 AD, with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the second temple, the Jewish rebellion against Roman occupation is declared over. But Elazar ben Ya'ir and his family flee the city vowing that the Judean War is not ended. Elazar and his followers make their headquarters on top of the mountain fortress of Masada. From there they conduct raids on Roman occupied villages in the south of Palestine. These guerrilla attacks threaten the credibility of the declared Roman victory. The commanding general of the 10th Legion, Cornelius Flavius Silva, arranges a meeting with Elazar to negotiate a truce. Returning to Rome, Silva’s hopes to implement a truce in Judea are quashed by the Emperor Vespasian because of political pressures in the Roman Senate. Silva is sent back to Judea after securing the services of veteran Siege Commander Rubrius Gallus. Silva is also informed that his second in command, General Marcus Quadratusare, and Head Tribune Merovius, are spies for the emperor’s political enemy. While Silva is still in Rome, through the treachery of these two men, the truce is violently broken by the Romans.

Part II

Learning of the breaking of the truce upon his return from Rome, Silva marches the 5000 men of the 10th Legion to the foot of Masada and lays a siege to the apparently impregnable fortress. He directs Quadratusare and Merovius on a suicidal assault of the fortress in order to remove them from his forces and make them an example to any others who share their political leanings. Rubrius Gallus directs that a ramp be built to almost the summit of the mountain intent on breaking through the Masada walls with the aid of a 50-foot siege tower that is being constructed out of sight of the rebels. When Elazar successfully attacks the Roman soldiers building the ramp with catapulted stones, Silva quickly rounds up hundreds of Jews from the surrounding area to use as slaves to continue the work; believing correctly that Elazar will not attack fellow Jews. This makes Elazar change his tactics to psychological warfare, allowing the heat of the sun and revealing the surplus of water on Masada to demoralize the Roman troops. Also, he acts to capitalize on the Roman’s belief in reading the future from the entrails of sacrificed goats, leading a party through the Roman sentries at night to feed the goats maggots, knowing that their discovery during the rituals will be seen as a bad omen. Elazar’s problems are further compounded by his own religious doubts and opposition from the more pacifist groups on Masada.

Part III

The political opportunist, Pomponius Falco arrives and under the authority of the Emperor Vespasian, relieves Silva as legion commander. Intent on ending the siege quickly through the use of terror, Falco orders Jewish slaves to be killed one by one by catapulting them into the side of the mountain until Elazar surrenders. Elazar, a religious skeptic, runs to the Masada synagogue and calls to God to stop the killing. Revolted by Falco’s barbaric actions, Silva forcibly takes back his command, stops the catapulting, and orders Falco placed under arrest. The cessation of Falco’s terror is seen by the Zealots as a response to Elazar’s praying and affirmation of his leadership to them. Rubrius Gallus is killed by a Massadan arrow as he carries out measurements on the siege ramp, only living long enough to confirm his plans to his second in command.

Part IV

As the ramp nears completion, Elazar faces the fact that the final confrontation with the Romans is not far off. The Zealots break into Herod’s Armory and begin to prepare for what they believe will be a straightforward storming of the fortress walls by the Romans. When the ramp is complete, the Romans wheel out the armoured siege tower and battering-ram. Elazar then realizes that he had underestimated Silva’s strategy. As the tower begins moving up the ramp, Elazar has his people build “an inner wall that will absorb the blows of the ram and not shatter.” Made from wooden beams from Herod’s Palace roof and packed with dirt, they finish it just as the tower reaches the top of the ramp. The Romans quickly break through the stone walls of the fortress, but the ram does nothing against the improvised inner wall. As the wall is made partly of wood, Silva orders his men to set fire to it. Deducing that it would take all night for the wall to burn through, Silva has his men stand down; the rest of the night is tense for both sides, as the fitful wind may as easily spread the blaze to the siege tower as burn down the inner wall. The next day, the Romans break into the fortress, only to discover that Elazar and his people had all committed suicide during the night.

The closing line is said by a dispirited and despondent Silva, who mourns all that has been hoped and planned and lost by both sides whilst fighting for "a rock, in the middle of a wasteland, on the shore of a poisoned sea..."

See also

External links

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