Line #65 Series/Masada


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4	''Masada'' is an American historical drama {{miniseries}} that first aired on [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] in April 1981. It is a dramatization of the [[TheSiege siege]] of the citadel of Masada in [[UsefulNotes/{{Israel}} Judea]] by legions of UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire in AD 73 during the first UsefulNotes/JewishRevolts. The series' script is [[TheFilmOfTheBook based on the novel]] ''The Antagonists'' by Ernest K. Gann while also using details from historical sources by Roman Jewish historian [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephus Flavius Josephus]].
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6	It was directed by Boris Sagal (his last completed work before his death) and starred Creator/PeterOToole as [[UsefulNotes/TheGloryThatWasRome Roman legion]] commander Cornelius Flavius Silva, Peter Strauss as the Jewish Sicarii commander Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Creator/BarbaraCarrera as Sheva (Silva's Jewish mistress), Anthony Quayle as Rubrius Gallus, Creator/DavidWarner as Pomponius Falco, Timothy West as [[UsefulNotes/{{Vespasian}} Emperor Vespasian]] and Creator/PaulLSmith as Gideon. O'Toole was nominated for an Emmy for his performance, his first appearance in an American TV production. Music/JerryGoldsmith and Morton Stevens composed the series' score, which earned Goldsmith an Emmy. David Warner also won an Emmy, for Best Supporting Actor.
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8	The story is set three years after the fall of UsefulNotes/{{Jerusalem}} in AD 70. Flavius Silva, commander in Roman Judea, wants to reach a reasonable compromise with the Jewish Zealot faction known as Sicarii, and withdraw his legion. Political pressure in UsefulNotes/{{Rome}}, however, leads to his besieging the fortress of Masada, the LastBastion of the Zealots. There the engineering genius of the Romans must fight both the harsh climate and landscape, and the passion and ingenuity of Zealot leader Eleazar ben Ya'ir and his people.
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10	!!This miniseries provides examples of:
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12	* TwentyFourHourArmor: Averted. When not in battle the Romans are shown wearing their simple tunics, and when the Romans storm the citadel and discover all the defenders have committed suicide, Silva removes his armor in short order as he realizes he's not going to need it.
13	* AffablyEvil: Falco is soft-spoken but his villainy quickly shows.
14	* AnimalMotifs: The head of the siege tower's BatteringRam is shaped like, well, a ram's head.
15	* AmbiguouslyGay: Falco and his effeminate secretary Albinus.
16	* {{Badass Israeli}}tes: Eleazar and his men, very much so. They conduct some really daring raids to hamper the Romans before TheSiege begins.
17	* BatheHerAndBringHerToMe: Silva orders this done with Sheva (though she bathes alone).
18	* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: How the siege ends for the people of Masada.
19	* TheBigGuy: Gideon (Paul L. Smith), among the Zealots. He is the strongest guy in all of Masada -- it takes up to ''six men'' to carry a big wooden beam similar to the one Gideon carries ''alone'' to reinforce the wall that's to be destroyed by the Roman siege tower's ram.
20	* CadreOfForeignBodyguards: Falco has Germanic guards.
21	* CatapultToGlory: Of the harmful variant for the catapulted people. Pomponius Falco, now in command of Silva's troops thanks to a fake imperial letter, orders them to do this with Jewish slaves until Masada surrenders while Silva is preparing himself to leave the camp with Sheva. [[ConscienceMakesYouGoBack After hearing the catapulted slaves' screams, Silva can't stand it anymore and rushes to the catapults]], gladius in hand, then puts his men's loyalty to a test in front of Falco. His men approve his action, and he forcibly deposes Falco of his authority, stopping the massacre in the process and allowing the siege to continue under his command and following his code of honor.
22	-->'''Flavius Silva:''' WE ARE LEGIONARIES! [[EveryoneHasStandards WE ARE NOT BARBARIANS]]!
23	* CompilationMovie: The miniseries was cut down to a 2-hour movie called ''The Antagonists'' (just like the original book the mini-series is based on) for theatrical release.
24	* CorruptPolitician: Pomponius Falco. Rubrius Gallus warns Silva about some suspicious deaths which were linked to Falco's rise in the highest circles of power in Rome, in the Equestrian Order notably.
25	* DavidVersusGoliath: 900 Jewish people in Masada against 5000 Roman legionaries.
26	* DespairEventHorizon: As Falco catapults more and more Jewish slaves to their death, Eleazar reacts to the situation with a mix of rage and despair, with some [[SmiteMeOMightySmiter blasphemy]] thrown in inside the synagogue, until Silva stops the massacre.
27	* {{Determinator}}: Both Silva and Eleazar. Silva won't quit Palestine until the last remnants of Jewish resistance are beaten. Eleazar is very willing to [[OccupiersOutOfOurCountry fight Roman invaders]] to the death.
28	* DrivenToSuicide: Everyone in the fortress once it becomes clear that they are defeated.
29	* TheEmperor: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespasian Vespasian]], who reigned from AD 69 to AD 79.
30	* AFatherToHisMen: Both Silva and Eleazar are this to their own forces.
31	* FourStarBadass: Silva, an Ancient Rome version of the trope.
32	* GenreSavvy: Both Silva and Eleazar are experienced warriors who are well aware of some of each other's tactics and weaknesses.
33	* GoodJobBreakingItHero: Silva stops Falco from catapulting the slaves just when Eleazar is about to surrender.
34	* GrayAndGrayMorality / BothSidesHaveAPoint: Both the Romans and the Zealots are right in many things they say against each other. They are also both hypocrites to some degree.
35	* HighClassCallGirl: Sheva offers herself to Roman officers to avoid being raped by demobilized legionaries. Being a beautiful woman from Alexandria and knowing her trade helps.
36	* HighPriest: Silva's legion's priest (played by Vernon Dobtcheff), who's in charge of the sacrifices to ensure victory. Silva doesn't take him seriously but these sacrifices have a non-negligeable role for the troops' motivation and morale.
37	* {{Historical Domain Character}}s: Flavius Silva, Eleazar ben Ya'ir and Emperor Vespasian.
38	* HollywoodAtheist: Eleazar isn't so much an atheist as he is somewhat cynical when it comes to G-D, after his brother was killed and the Temple destroyed in the attack on Jerusalem
39	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Narrowly subverted. When the battering ram proves ineffective against the wooden wall built by the defenders, the Romans light the wall on fire. After some time, the wind turns and the fire almost burns down the siege tower. Fortunately for the Romans, the wind turns again before it would happen.
40	* IShallTauntYou[=/=]BreakThemByTalking : Eleazar ''loves'' psychological warfare. It shows in his bravado to the Romans.
41	* IncendiaryExponent: The Zealots have no choice but to build a wooden wall behind the stone wall that is being quickly destroyed by the ram. In turn, the Romans have no choice but to put said wooden wall on fire, at the risk of a changing wind, which can propagate the fire to the siege tower.
42	* InUniverseCatharsis: More like the catharsis of a ShowWithinAShow. Emperor Vespasian attends a representation of Creator/{{Sophocles}}' ''Theatre/OedipusTheKing'', which contains probably the most famous example of catharsis in ancient theatre. A GreekChorus shows up at the end.
43	* TheLostLenore: Silva's dead wife, Lilia. He keeps a death mask of her in his tent.
44	* AMatchMadeInStockholm: ZigZagged with Sheva and Silva's relationship.
45	* MassOhCrap: When the Zealots find out the Romans built a siege tower with a massive BatteringRam. And it's coming right at them on the ramp.
46	* MillionMookMarch: Silva's 5000 men-strong legion shows up in its full force, in bright day, all around the mountain of Masada. It is said to be the standard Roman procedure before actually starting the siege, for psychological effect on the besieged Zealots. Of course, it doesn't work, and the Zealots catapult manure bags on the emissaries and laugh at them.
47	* TheMutiny: A lone legionary tries to assassinate Silva at the beginning, but Silva spares his life to show off his magnanimous authority to his troops. Several legionaries also rebel because of the [[ThirstyDesert harsh conditions]] and try to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere flee the camp]]. They're caught, and Silva punishes them by forcing them to wander in the desert without anything but their clothes.
48	* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: Almost occurs when Rubrius Gallus (the Roman engineer in chief) is shot in the neck by an arrow. Fortunately enough for the Romans, he gives sufficient instructions to finish the siege tower's construction before dying.
49	* NothingCanStopUsNow: Silva has the following line once the siege tower reaches the walls of Masada, with the ram ready to demolish the wall.
50	-->'''Flavius Silva:''' Now! Surrender now!
51	* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Pomponius Falco.
52	* OfficerAndAGentleman: Silva.
53	* OhCrap: When the besieged Jews realize that a [[SuperweaponSurprise big siege tower with a ram]] is moving towards them on the ramp. Cue the ominous {{Fanfare}} leitmotif.
54	* OldSoldier: Silva. He's been fighting in Palestine for quite a while before the siege.
55	* OurGodsAreDifferent: The Zealots, naturally. Though Eleazar's opinions are much more mixed about religion until the last days of the siege.
56	* PlatonicProstitution: Silva needs Sheva's services, mainly because he needs someone to talk to. He also sleeps with her, naturally, and ends up loving her.
57	* TheQueensLatin: The Roman characters are all played by British actors. The Jewish characters are all played by American actors.
58	* RageAgainstTheHeavens: When Falco orders the Jewish slaves to be catapulted to death, Eleazar runs into the temple angrily and starts taunting God.
59	* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: There are thieves, murderers and criminals in the ranks of the Zealots.
60	* RapePillageAndBurn: What the Romans do in Jerusalem at the beginning.
61	** Eleazar and his men attack Roman outposts and granaries this way in [[CycleOfRevenge retaliation]].
62	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Silva makes a truce with the Zealots at the beginning. Too bad the Emperor is not that reasonable.
63	* RebelLeader: Eleazar leads the Zealots, who rebel against Rome's authority.
64	* ReluctantWarrior: Silva. He's tired of the wars in Judea but still obliges when it's time to besiege the Zealots, even though he's well aware of the political reasons behind this.
65	* LaResistance: The Jewish Zealots resist to the Roman domination.
66	* ResistanceIsFutile: The point Silva makes to Eleazar when they secretely meet.
67	* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: What Eleazar and his warband do after the pillage of Jerusalem and once Jewish farms are attributed to demobilized Roman legionaries. For the latter, they use a [[WaterSourceTampering more subtle and effective method]].
68	* ScareChord: The music playing when the Romans discover the mass suicide of the Jews has a lot of this-
69	* SiegeEngines: The series gives a nice view on Roman siege genius.
70	** Catapults, onagers (on both sides) and ballistae. Both Masada and the Roman camp are out of reach of each other's stone-throwing siege engines, so it's either waiting for Masada's people to die of starvation (which can take months) or using a craftier solution. That's why Silva recruited Rubrius Gallus.
71	** A particularly elaborated siege tower is being built in secret, out of the sight of the besieged Zealots. It is due to reach the walls of the fortress using a gigantic stone ramp. Then...
72	** BatteringRam: With a massive bronze ram-shaped head to take down the walls of the fortress. And mounted at the top of the siege tower, no less.
73	* ShootTheBuilder: Rubrius Gallus' fate. Though the Zealot who shot an arrow in his neck didn't know he was building a siege tower and a ram.
74	* SmugSnake: Falco. He thinks his political power (acquired through morally questionable means) is all he needs to command a legion.
75	* StaffOfAuthority: The legatus baton that was given to Silva. It is held high while proclaiming "above your head and mine" to represent the Emperor's authority and the right to command the legion. Falco takes it briefly before giving it back to Silva once he is deposed.
76	* TheStrategist:
77	** Eleazar on the Jewish side.
78	** Silva on the Roman side.
79	** [[TheSmartGuy Rubrius Gallus]] is the best Roman siege engineer at Silva's disposal and gives him very helpful advices, especially concerning the management of slaves.
80	* SuicideMission: Silva sends the two officers who are spies for the Senate on a mission to scout out the Serpent Path up to Masada, with the clear expectation that they won't be coming back.
81	* SuperweaponSurprise: The Romans manage to keep the construction of their {{battering ram}}-[=equipped=] [[SiegeEngines siege tower]] secret to the besieged Jews until its day of deployment, and by that day it's too late for Eleazar to device any serious counter-plan. All he can do is reinforcing the wall that's to be destroyed by the ram, and that plan doesn't work for long.
82	* TakeThat: InUniverse. The satirical play that follows the tragedy Vespasian was attending is not of his taste (although he makes a show of laughing at it), as it features actors in giant head costumes representing the nations conquered by the Roman empire. The Jewish effigy shows up, refuses to kneel in front of the Emperor's effigy and starts hitting everyone on the head. Unsurprisingly, the author of the play is anonymous.
83	* TalkingToTheDead: Silva to Eleazar's corpse at the end.
84	* ThirstyDesert: The Judean desert is not the most hospitable land to wage a war, especially in summer. Silva learned it through the years before the siege and regularly point this out. Also, the people of Masada take baths, and audibly, in order to upset the Roman troops, whose rations of water are strictly limited. They also drop their used water down the cliffs during the Romans' drinking pauses, for additional taunting.
85	* TooDumbToLive: Rubius Gallus goes in range of the Jewish archers in broad daylight to make some measurements for the ramp. He ends up with an arrow in the neck.
86	* TrainingThePeacefulVillagers: And the priests as well.
87	* UnderestimatingBadassery: UsefulNotes/TheRomanEmpire's legions conquered the Mediterranean world and the besieged Zealots still laugh at them. But once the Roman siege genius shows its full might...
88	* WasItReallyWorthIt: In the words of Silva:
89	-->'''Legionary:''' For the Senate and People of Rome. To them, the victory!
90	-->'''Flavius Silva:''' Victory? We have won a rock in the middle of a wasteland on the shores of a poisoned sea...
91	* WeatherOfWar: Extreme summer heat, sandstorms... Welcome to the Judean desert.
92	* {{Worthy Opponent}}s: Silva and Eleazar consider each other as brilliant tacticians not to be underestimated, and tough oppnonents.

Context Series / Masada