Customer Reviews
Powerful Historical Drama - Recommended! 
2008-10-07
Much more than a costume drama, very powerful movie! I was a teenager when Masada aired as a mini-series back in the early 1980s and bought the movie to show my teenage children who are now studying Roman history.
While some of the historical "facts" may be in question, the portrayal of 70 AD period Roman and Jewish life and politics is captured in fantastic detail and brought to life by a very fine collection of actors (O'Toole and Strauss). The cinematography and music score are just outstanding and really add to the dramatic feel of the movie.
Based on the excellent book, The Antagonists, the story covers deep issues that are still relevant today.
Highly recommended!
Masada The Epic Mini-Series 2008-08-14
Since I recently spent three weeks in Israel and visited Masada the Epic Mini-Series brought to life that wich I could only imagne. Thank you for provideing all this at such a reasonable cost.
Brief opinion 2008-08-11
Attractive historical event, perfectly chosen movie crew and technique usually gives perfect results or perfect movie. It is a pity that You don't offer even english titled version???
"We have won a rock in the middle of a wasteland on the shore of a poisoned sea." 2008-07-25
Back in 1981 this epic mini-series about the ill-fated Jewish rebellion against Roman rule pulled in what was then the biggest TV audience of all time, yet it's languished on the shelf forgotten for the past couple of decades. This DVD isn't even released by producers Universal and comes with no extras, though it does include the six-hour-plus series, but not the abridged feature film version released outside the US as The Antagonists, which apparently featured some different scenes (the abridged version was not a success: in the UK it had the dubious honor of being the lowest-grossing film of it's year).
As with most siege epics, the action is limited to the beginning and the end, with much of the interim filled in with intrigue and character development while we wait for the big battle that in this case, famously, never actually happens. Not altogether surprisingly it spends more screen time with the Romans than with the zealots - even if the zealots' strategy was more than simply watching and waiting while sporadically taunting their would-be conquerors, with their penchant for spectacle and infighting, the Romans are always better dramatic value in these sorts of epics. Certainly Peter O'Toole effortlessly dominates the series as the humane Roman commander forced by the political situation back in Rome to fight the rebels rather than negotiate with them only to find himself facing mutiny, senatorial spies and other political animals as well as heat, windstorms and not enough water before his legions can even start to virtually move mountains to reach the clifftop fortress of Masada. By contrast, then-reigning king of the miniseries Peter Strauss has less to work with as his character spends much of the series waiting and trying to raise moral with only a few half-hearted attempts at soul-searching along the way, only really coming into his own in the still powerful final scenes.
The supporting cast is impressive, with a line-up of familiar Brits including David Warner, Anthony Quayle, Timothy West, Dennis Quilley, Anthony Valentine and Nigel Davenport making up the officers, emperors and senators while the likes of Jack Watson, Norman Rossington, Warren Clarke, Michael Elphick and Nick Brimble swell the Roman ranks. The Judeans have to make do with Barbara Carrera, Joseph Wiseman, David Opatoshu and Paul L. Smith. For the most part they're blessed with exceptionally good dialogue with few lapses (though Anthony Valentine's "I'm a tribune, darling" is an unwelcome moment of unintended camp) thanks to Joel Oliansky's surprisingly intelligent and often witty screenplay, which boasts a good understanding of the politics of the day on both sides and an ability to offer memorable character moments for even the bit players - siege engineer's Quayle's briefing on the practicalities how to get the most out of slave labor is a perfect example of how to juggle exposition and background research without it seeming like a history lecture.
Visually it's often impressive too, although at times Boris Sagal's direction is caught between location naturalism and old-school studio work. The destruction of Jerusalem has something of the look of a late De Mille epic to it, with Albert Whitlock's old school columns of fire matte paintings having an almost storybook stylisation that wouldn't look out of place in The Ten Commandments but despite some obvious studio interior-`exteriors' in a few scenes, it's a genuinely spectacular production from a time when the big-screen epic had long fallen from favor. There's also an extraordinarily good score from Jerry Goldsmith (with additional music by Morton Gould based on his themes) at the peak of his powers even if his great elegiac finale cue was never used. Still pretty impressive stuff.
A bit too melodramitic but good. 
2008-07-25
Masada is a good movie. It's not on a scale of others set in the same era. Peter O'toole gives a good performance as do Anthony Quayle and some others, but the action is limited and the staging stiff. As a made-for-tv movie it is average. The length is far to long and the story could have been shortened by an hour. The most irritating aspect is the music which is annoying at best.
the best that TV mini-series can offer 
2008-07-24
An epic true story of Jews fleeing Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Pursued to a mountain stronghold of the Herods they face lives enslaved or suicide. This is the full-length television miniseries.System Requirements:Running Time: 394 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 741952648291 Manufacturer No: KOC-DV6482
el cid & masada 2008-07-20
both excellent dvds. Cannot wait for 55 days at Peking.What about a special edition King of Kings. Going off the subject slightly. I am anxious to purchase the following dvds in the very near future if they ever become available: Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon, AD-Anno Domini & Washington Behind Closed Doors. Again excellent value and presentation.
Masada - The Complete Mini-Series 2008-06-10
As good as I remembered it. It was great to be able to view the whole series at once.
Masada - My visit & the mini-series. 2008-05-28
My wife & I visited Masada recently while on a "Holy Land Tour". While at Masada, I learned about the mini-series and was excited to order it after returning to the US. The DVD gives the viewer actual 1981 footage of Israel Army (IDF) recruits being sworn into military service at the begining and end of the film. It is my understanding that this practice ended approx 10 years ago; however it emphasizes how important Masada is to the national heritage of Israel. In fact one Israel tour internet site states that it is the second most visited historical site behind Jerusalem itself. The DVD gives excellant footage of Masada and the surrounding area of the Dead Sea. Several sets in the DVD, including the synagogue, closely resemble the actual ruins. This 1981 mini-series may not be of "2008 picture quality" but it is an excellant portrayal of actual events and is a must see for anyone going to, or having been on Masada. I highly recommend it.
Such an Awesome Movie 2008-05-26
I just really enjoyed watching this epic series. I watched it for several nights and enjoyed every minute of it!
