gicuz I found a dvd edition by amazon prime. Euro17,00. This confirm the existence of a DVD release.

mistressmalevolent By casting Americans as the Jews and Brits as the Romans the original intention must have been to make the Romans the bad guys, but despite a highly effective "bad guy" supporting performance by David Warner (who won an Emmy for this) the Romans come across as reasonable and fair-minded and with the exception of a radiant Barbara Carrera the Jews come across highly unsympathetically as religious fanatics and terrorists. This is largely due to casting the cream of British theater acting as the Romans and comparatively weak US television actors as the Jews, the best of whom is Peter Strauss, who although a decent actor, has his limitations shown up in every scene he shares with O'Toole, who is at the top of his game throughout. O'Toole's penultimate soliloquy at Strauss's house is wonderfully written and breathtakingly accomplished; it is so powerful, and his disgust at the fate of the Jews so profound, that the closing real-life scenes at Masada are greatly diminished in impact and fail to achieve their intended emotional effect, coming across instead as banal and jingoistic. Still, well worth your time and money

rleroe Long-last on DVD, Masada depicts the true story of the Jewish struggle atop Masada following the A.D. 70 destruction of Jerusalem. While visiting the site in 1989 I was told that Peter Strauss asked to spend a night atop the mount, then the Israeli Air Force flew overhead scaring him considerably. The film wisely starts with a documentary showing the significance this site has today. Peter O'Toole is superb and the script is well-written. You expect the Roman General to be the "bad guy" and you discover otherwise. Much of the conversation is quite clever, especially from the Roman bureaucrats and the political intrigue. You'll want to read about the archaeological excavations and to visit Masada after seeing this wonderful movie. This is from the golden age of TV mini-series.

Eagle1280 This story brings out the idealist and the need for faith in me whenever I view it. The historical accuracy and the sheer information provided about the Roman Empire, the province of Judea circa 70AD, and the Roman Legions, are truly astonishing. Every semester, whenever I teach World Civilizations I at Essex County College in Newark NJ, I always include a classroom viewing of the 2 hour version for my students (and lament not time enough to show the full saga). Peter O'Toole's performance as the competant but troubled Flavius Silva I humbly believe is his masterwork and the life he places in his character is thought provoking and emotionally stirring. The music, the material, the true story and the detail from building the ramp to the costumes and location re-create what actually happened better than any textbook or lecture could. By the way, Barbara Cararra almost steals the show from Peter O'Toole and her acting performance also deserves special mention. I proudly own the full saga on VHS and eagerly await the DVD edition. This is a must-see for anyone interested in Roman, Israeli, or general history.