Review by Uriah43

This four-part mini-series begins immediately after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A. D., with the leader of the Sicarii faction, "Eleazar ben Yair" (Peter Strauss), escaping and redeploying his remaining forces into the mountain stronghold of Masada. Not long after, a Roman general named "Cornelius Flavius Silva" (Peter O'Toole) is ordered by "Emperor Vespasion" (Timothy West) to besiege Masada and bring the leaders responsible for the rebellion to Rome in chains. During this lengthy siege, General Silva meets a beautiful Jewish captive named "Sheva" (Barbara Carrera), who is not an admirer of the Sicarii and tries to guide him toward what is best for the Jewish populace remaining in that area. Rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was an entertaining mini-series that contained about as much historical accuracy as Omar Sharif's 1965 movie "Genghis Khan." Maybe even less. I say this because the real Eleazar ben Yair was not the good guy he was depicted in this mini-series, as his raid on Ein Gedi and the massacre of 700 Jewish women and children can attest. Further, the actual ending to this mini-series isn't quite how things really happened. But again, I don't want to spoil anything--so I won't comment on that specific detail any further. Additionally, although they certainly contributed to this film in their own unique way, some of the main characters were entirely fictional, too. But that's Hollywood for you. In any case, although this mini-series is undoubtedly entertaining, the preposterous historical exaggerations are too great to ignore, and I have rated this series accordingly.