Masada The Complete Miniseries
Masada – The Complete Miniseries : VHS
This 1981 television miniseries, based on Ernest K. Gann’s historical novel The Antagonists, is a dramatization of a documented revolt by nearly a thousand Jerusalem Jews against Roman oppressors in A.D. 72 to 73. Following a city-wide siege by Rome’s soldiers, Jewish Zealots move into a fortress in the mountains of Masada, from which they present a defense strong enough to convince the enemy to negotiate. Peter O’Toole, in all his golden dignity, plays Cornelius Flavius Silva, commander of the Roman legions, and Peter Strauss is Zealot leader Eleazar ben Yair. Both are outstanding as representatives from each side trying, in good faith, to find a way out of the deadlocked situation. Unfortunately, neither realizes that Rome has no intention of yielding, resulting in one of the greatest tragedies in Jewish history. A strong cast of character actors–David Warner, Barbara Carrera, Timothy West, and Anthony Quayle–is rewardingly watchable, the action and sets are persuasive without overwhelming the story’s human dimension, and direction by Boris Sagal (The Omega Man) is crisp and enthralling. This was a pleasure to watch when it was first broadcast, and it holds up very well today. –Tom Keogh
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Split families give holidays their own flavor
Split families give holidays their own flavor – Newsday.com
Kids have divorced parents who are fighting, or dad has a dinky apartment and he’s feeling sorry for himself, or mom misses her holiday customs,” said Jeannette Lofas, a social worker and president of the Stepfamily Foundation, which has offices in Manhattan and Sag Harbor. “We’re becoming a nation of kids who hate the holiday.”
Children of split families usually celebrate split holidays. Some can walk from mom’s house to dad’s for Christmas dinner. Others have to brave the holiday airport madness to fly to a parent who has moved out of state. Still others celebrate Hanukkah with their mother and Christmas with their father, and sometimes assorted step-relatives.
Read more Split families give holidays their own flavor – Newsday.com
