Masada (1981): Season 1, Episode 2 - Part II - full transcript
70 A.D., the fall
of Jerusalem...
...and the destruction of
the Second Temple.
The Jewish rebellion against
the Roman occupation...
...is declared over.
But Eleazar ben Yair and
his family flee the city...
...vowing that the Judean War
is not ended.
Eleazar and his followers make
their headquarters...
...on top of the mountain
fortress of Masada,
where they begin to conduct raids
on Roman occupied villages...
...in the south of Palestine.
These guerrilla attacks threaten
the alleged Roman victory.
The General of the Tenth Legion,
Flavius Silva,
arranges a meeting
with Eleazar.
That's what we'll--
settle for.
I don't doubt it. I think
your people would settle...
...for a great deal less.
Yes, but you're talking
to me now.
You know what I say
makes perfect sense.
Will you take the terms
back with you?
It does make perfect sense.
Returning to Rome, Silva's hopes
to implement the truce in Judea...
...are quickly dashed by
the Emperor Vespasian.
Caesar, what do they want?
A temple, their own governor.
These things they had once.
It's my belief that our strategy
there has been a mistaken one.
What they wanted is what we
should have done in the first place.
It's too late.
You can't grant concessions
once you've proclaimed the victory.
What's left of the opposition
must be stamped out,
the entire leadership
brought here in chains,
and the Tenth Legion brought out
within six months.
Silva is sent back to Judea,
after securing the services
of veteran Siege Commander...
...Rubrius Gallus.
Silva is also informed that
two of his officers are spies...
...for the Emperor's
political enemy.
And while Silva is
still in Rome,
these two men plot to hand over
Jewish land to Roman soldiers,
in exchange for their
mustering-out pay.
Well, in dispatches,
we can call it, uh...
...reward for acts of bravery.
During the truce?
Oh, the Jews will have broken
the truce.
They will!
Putting their treacherous plans
into effect,
the Romans forcibly appropriate
the Jewish lands,
killing whoemever they have to
in the process.
Centurion!
Not a Centurion, darling,
I'm a Tribune.
I was born in Egypt.
I learned things in Egypt.
I could give you to them,
afterwards.
You won't.
Among the refugees
fleeing to Masada,
were many of the Esennes,
a highly religious Jewish sect.
Truce has been broken.
The Roman Commander has seized...
...all the farmland of the
Lower Jordan Valley.
How does it seem to you?
We have Vespasian's answer.
Now let's give him ours.
Don't drink it.
What's wrong?
-Where are your cattle?
-I don't keep cattle.
I have some sheep.
Over there.
Go get them.
You can come with us
if you want...
...but if you stay,
you'll be thirsty.
What have you done?
We've made your well water
fit for the Romans.
They take one beast from
every herd, slaughter it...
...then poison the water with
the carcass and the entrails.
Still, it's localized.
There's nothing wrong with
the water north of here.
Yes, but, for how long?
We seem defenseless against
their rage. You saw...
...the courier's report
this morning.
It's more than 20 men lost
so far.
I suggest we make some attempt
to strike back.
And the men will need
double rations of stream water.
Otherwise, in these con--
He's been given the
Governor-Generalship.
And... Rubrius Gallus.
You know...
...I had the feeling.
Twenty years!
Not in twenty years I've seen
rank stupidity to winkle this!
I did what I thought was best
at the time, of that I'm guilty.
A donkey's epitaph.
At times, an audacity
is necessary.
Of the hundred parts to a good
commander, audacity is one!
The smallest and
the least important.
But you surprised me!
I thought you were brighter.
And what are
your orders now, sir?
That's a proper response.
I'd hoped we'd had the chance
to contact our friend, the zealot...
...before he knew the facts...
...but the acting General
has removed that possibility,
along with the possibility
of surprise and negotiation.
My command decision
is made for me.
All elements of the Legion
to move on Masada!
Bringing his Jewish harem
with him!
As if he expected
to live forever!
Rather stylish.
Pretty thing.
It's an inspiring sight,
isn't it?
It's the best thing we'll have
to look at for a long time.
I've been South before.
When do we finish
with them?
They cloud my thinking.
It's untidy.
I have something in mind.
Concentrate on Masada.
But if the actual
propagation of children...
...is superior to the method
of adoption...
But this is an assumption
I'm not prepared to make--
We need four more men
on the pulley rope.
Let us examine what Gershon
of Damascus has to say...
...in connection with the
practice of celibacy--
On your feet!
Don't bruise that animal...
It's unblemished
and consecrated!
Bring him back.
Eleazar!
Eleazar, out there.
Get the rest of those
slings in place!
We've sighted them!
That's right, bring up
the stones.
The sacks, too. Hurry!
Aaron.
I've been down to the
supply bins. Figs, taste it.
-It's delicious.
-It must be a hundred years old,
from Herod's time.
It still amazes me.
I want those slings covered up
with straw, also the kettles.
Why, to hide them
from the birds?
Done.
Look.
The first hyenas of spring.
Moabites, probably.
Cheap wine and friendly women
for the soldiers.
They're bright.
They left the best
camping sites for the Romans.
Good will is the most important
feature of any business.
They're the only ones who
make profit out of this.
Some time in my life,
I wouldn't mind being like them.
Having no stake on
how a battle comes out.
My friends, they're going to
wait until morning...
...to come the rest of the way in.
So we can see the dress parade
and be terrified.
Romans... they love spectacle!
5,000 men against 900,
that is a spectacle.
Only this time, the end
will be different.
They don't know that yet,
but the sun will teach them.
They must camp down there...
...where a lizzard cannot live
in summer.
And summer is not far off.
They must pack in their water
from as far north as Jericho.
We have water to spare.
They will set up
their catapults...
...and their scaling-ladders...
...but the angle is too steep
for the stones,
and an old woman
or a small child...
...can push a ladder down.
Be proud!
Sleep well tonight!
Where they march is
where we want them to be.
Impressive!
-Yes... Impossible!
-Exactly...
...which is why I sent for you.
Nobody can do the impossible,
that's what the word means.
I've seen you do it.
Well... We'll see.
No sign of activity.
Maybe they decided
not to hold.
They're here.
Let's make it official.
Trumpets and cornets,
to the front!
Now!
You know, we're all
well within range here.
Not just comedown range.
-What about our catapults?
-Difficult angle.
Any stone we shoot up there
becomes a weapon for them.
We'd become their armorers.
What is it?
Flavius Silva's come back.
The ground you occupy
is the property and territory...
...of the Emperor, Senate and
people of Rome!
In their name I order you
to depart from it!
The ground you occupy
was given as promised...
...to the children of Israel
by Almighty God,
King of the Universe and
Lord of mankind!
Since time began,
He has punished...
...anyone who trespassed
on his children's land.
I have warned you once...
...and one warning is all
that He allows.
You have sentenced yourself
and your soldiers to death!
Formalities are over!
Let's get to work!
Tenth New Orders!
The Governor General has decreed
that maximum military discipline...
...will be maintained.
We are under the eyes
of the enemy...
...and we'll behave ourselves
accordingly.
Full armor, including
breast plate and helmet...
...will be worn during
all duty hours.
Water rations were limited to
three canteens per day,
drawn at sunrise,
at noon and at sunset.
As regarding the body of water
to the south of the camp...
the surgeons advise that due to
the unnaturally high salt content...
it is fit neither for drinking
nor for bathing.
Consequently,
troops are to regard the area
as out of bounds.
Any infractions of the
above regulations...
...will result in immediate
and severe punishment,
up to and including
the death penalty.
May the Gods preserve
our Emperor!
Have you noticed?
They're surrounding us.
I know.
There are three camps already
set up on the other side.
They must think we want
to get out of here.
Have you noticed?
We have an audience.
The watch report said
the children are playing.
Otherwise, it says there is
no activity whatsoever.
About half a dozen males
are guarding the watch tower,
some in the fields,
some tending animals,
scarcely any adults
to be seen...
...most likely keeping
to the shady areas.
Very sensible. Have our watch do
likewise for the rest of the day.
-Dismissed.
-Yes, sir.
General,
what do you make
of that report?
Well, humm...
...I'm not sure that I make
anything of it, sir.
Hmmm. Quite so?
It's obvious we must have
a closer reconnaisance.
-We must test their defenses.
-Err-- a closer reconnaisance?
Under cover of darkness
we must send a scouting patrol...
...up that serpentine path on the
east side of the mountain.
With your pardon, sir,
I can't send men up there.
It would be nothing
short of suicidal!
I think what the Governor General
has in mind...
...is two officers.
Is this in the nature
of an honorable exit?
I've already explained
the purpose of the patrol.
No. I won't do it.
-It's obvious, Vespasian knows.
-There's nothing for him to know!
The Senior Tribune is correct.
The Governor General
makes it possible...
...for your families to inherit.
You have the opportunity
to avoid the...
...humiliation and discomfort
of death by strangulation.
I strongly advise
that you take it.
You had a better than
ordinary career.
This way you can leave
a statue behind.
What exactly are you, Tribune?
Sir, I'm the Imperial spy...
...as opposed to the
Senatorial spy.
Or I was.
The Emperor has decided to do away
with the practice in this case.
He wants you to feel that
you have his complete confidence.
That will be a great comfort
to me in the days to come.
Dismissed.
What sort of a staff have you
gathered around you?!
You'd better send him
on that patrol, too!
No.
That was quite enough
for one day.
Unless you have
something to tell me?
What?
Governor?
About the girl...
her name is Sheva.
-Yes?
-Favor for a favor?
Keep her.
I hadn't thought of it.
She is quite out of
the ordinary.
If it weren't for
the job on your hands...
...I might almost envy you.
-Long live--!
-It's not necessary!
Where are they?
I see them.
Should we let them come
all the way up, take them alive?
If he'd send them up this way,
what kind of hostages could they be?
Maybe he's testing
our marksmanship.
This is no test.
Prove it.
Now.
He liked his comfort.
Send the armor to his family
in Neapolis.
Give the clothes away.
-There is one other item, sir.
-I'm aware of that.
-See what Quadratus left.
-Yes, sir.
It's Sheva, isn't it?
Correct.
You're being addressed...
...by the Governor General!
Thank you. I know.
He wants you to stand up.
Do you?
I spent too much time
in this country...
...to expect manners from a Jew
of either sex.
Keep your seat. In fact,
I'll join you.
Now, as regards you,
this is somewhat ticklish.
I don't want to be the slightest
cause for trouble.
I can be out of here as soon as
you give the order.
Yes, and you wouldn't last
half the morning by yourself.
That would be murder.
Surely, you can spare
three or four soldiers.
I could spare them, but
you couldn't handle them.
And the ones who had
to stay behind...
...would be even less happy
with their luck...
...than they are now.
A woman like you is generally
out of the reach of a private soldier.
And once they had a taste
of the officer's privilege...
...I'm afraid they'll just
want more.
Truth is, I'm not sure
I have the right to let you go.
In a sense, you're as much a part
of the man's legacy as his helmet.
Then, I belong to his heirs.
Yes, and he made me
one of his heirs.
You'll be kept here
for the time being...
...under guard and
under my protection.
Then I can expect
to be sent for?
You can expect to be alive
this time tomorrow...
...and for that you should thank
your God and your late protector.
Don't bother to get up.
May I?
There's only one way
to do this.
Go on.
We have to build
an assault ramp...
...up against this western side.
With what material?
We can't wait for shipments.
You see the ridge
over there?
We have to bring a large part
of that over here and...
...up against that.
-Can we do it in the time we have?
-With luck.
But it's a terrifying
amount of work.
You're terrified?
Always, when luck is a factor!
Send the priest to me! Now!
This animal offered
for sacrifice...
...was born when the moon
was in the most favorable...
...of the sixteen zones...
...into which the etruscan fathers
divided the sky.
Its liver had no suspect spots.
There's is no foreign
matter present.
All omens are favorable...
...for the campaign you're about
to begin...
...for the greater glory
of Rome...
...and the Emperor who leads...
...the destiny of the Empire!
What are they doing now?
Making sure none of their gods
is unhappy.
The goat god must be unhappy.
Romans don't worship animals,
they pray to gods
made in their own image.
A very convenient host of them.
Unlike your people,
they have only one.
"...The fool saith in his heart,
there is no God."
If it came to Solomon's notice,
...think how many
must've been saying it.
That was a thousand years ago,
where they all fools?
We're not a rare species.
And you think I'm one of them?
I remember my husband almost
throwing a man out of his house...
...when he suggested that God might be
only a convenience of the priests.
And that was not so long ago.
Well, not so long ago
I had a brother.
We had a temple.
Not so long ago, there weren't
Romans throwing children into fires.
When the temple was destroyed
we all wondered...
...why God would allow
such a thing.
But wondering isn't the same
as doubting.
Miriam, I saw it fall.
I saw the veil ripped away
from the inner chamber,
so they could drag the slaughtered
pigs over the altar.
If there is a God,
maybe He's already gone
over to the Romans.
I love you. And I know
you still believe.
Today, we begin
the final task...
...of the Tenth Legion
in Judea!
With these stones,
we pave the road home!
Number three!
Stop! Four!
Stop!
I think I begin to see
what they're trying to do.
Keeping busy.
Romans always build...
...when they don't know what else
to do with themselves.
-I know what they're up to, the idiots.
-What?
They think they can
breach our walls...
...if they get their catapults
to a higher level.
Well, could they?
Only if we let them.
Keep moving, keep moving!
They're taking it quietly,
aren't they?
Exactly how long
do we have to wait?
Another week.
I like to watch them work,
don't you?
Well done!
I'm going to send a detail
out to those vagrants...
...and buy you some wine!
Now!
If we continue at this pace...
I'm going to--
Now!
Get away!
Don't try to return
their fire!
Get this catapult back!
Now!
Keep moving! Keep moving!
Get the wounded back!
Help the wounded!
I was about to ask
how you are, but...
...there's no need.
Obviously, you enjoy it.
As you would if it were
the other way around!
You're honest.
You're also wrong!
I should have anticipated it.
-Aw, rubbish!
-No!
He knows how to wait.
That's his genius.
To make us think all they had
was manure.
Why so soon?
Why not destroy four or
five weeks work, two months?
You're overanxious, perhaps?
You're not all that sure
of your people...
...you had to give them
a tiny victory?
Enjoy it.
All officers to me.
14 dead, a few horses,
10 mules.
The pens held
for the most part.
One of the larger water stations
was demolished.
A detail has set out
for Ein-Gedi for more.
I want a permanent
observation post...
...on the high ridge.
Three shifts a day.
If we are surprised again,
all three shifts...
-...will answer for it.
-Yes, sir.
The camp will be rebuilt
immediately!
You now know the range.
Keep the frontline
well out of it.
Dismissed.
And, I'll try and think of
an alternative plan by morning.
There is no alternative.
Well, I doubt if they run
out of rocks very soon.
I want two squadrons of cavalry
with 4 days provisions...
...mounted and ready
to leave in one hour.
You'll have them, sir.
May I ask--?
Path-forging expedition, we'll call it.
You will command it.
Find the Chief-Armorer and
have him report to me.
The Chief-Armorer, sir,
is dead.
Then there is a new Chief-Armorer
whether he knows it or not!
There is a way,
it's not complicated...
...and it'll get
your ramp built.
Is the need so obvious
you can see it in my face?
Idiots...!
They set the tent ropes
too tight.
What stars are those?
That constellation is called
Keymah, I think.
Why? Does it make
a difference?
Not to me, but I told her
you knew everything.
You see?
You're Simon's oldest
daughter, right?
Next to the youngest, Koutura.
I have three older sisters
and a brother.
I used to know everything.
-That's where we should be.
-And why aren't we?
Because we're lazy,
wicked man.
A bad example for this child.
-And that one.
-So my father tells me.
Take the young lady
back to her mother...
...and join us in there.
-You're serious?
-Yes, I'm serious.
You, too. Go get the others.
I think they would like it
if we acted like Jews.
You don't have to apologize
for praying.
Only to you.
I would ask God about
Flavius Silva...
...if I could truly believe again
in a God that would answer me.
I would ask Him what's
he's going to do next,
so I could do something first,
just for a change.
You've done exactly the right
thing every time.
And to do that,
is to do Godspeeding.
I know He's there.
And he knows He's there.
You have other things
to think about.
But it would be very comforting
if I also knew He was there.
-That's a certainty.
-That's a reasonable assumption.
-I've made you angry again.
-No, not angry.
Confused. Frustrated.
-All right, yes, angry.
-You want me to lie to you?
I want you to help me
to understand you.
To understand this.
I've never kept
anything from you.
But I thought you were fighting--
we were all fighting...
...because we wouldn't accept
any master before God.
But if you don't really
believe in God...
...then, what difference
does it make?
Why must we live up here
like-- animals on a tree?
Why do you keep at it?
Well, I suppose somebody has
to carry on the family business.
-That's no answer.
-All right, then.
Whether or not I truly
believe in God...
I do believe one thing:
No man should be
another man's slave.
Behave yourselves.
Will Eleazar ben Yair
and the others...
...lead us in a psalm
of thanksgiving?
O give thanks unto the Lord
for He is good,
because his mercy
endure us forever.
I called upon the Lord
in distress.
The Lord answered me...
...and set me in a high place.
All nations compassed me about,
but, in the name of the Lord,
I will destroy them.
They compass me about
like bees.
They are quenched by
the fire of the thorns.
In the name of the Lord,
I will destroy them.
They compassed me about, Jah,
but in the name of the Lord
I will destroy them.
O Israel trust thou
in the Lord,
He is their help
and their shield.
The Lord is on my side,
I will not fear.
What can man do unto me?
Keep moving!
Get them on their feet!
Keep moving!
Keep them moving!
Get those Jews in the line!
Move along! Move along!
Slave labor is always
a chancy business.
I had to get a canal dug
in Livonia once...
...and I mishandled the bloody thing.
I lost 500 men in a week...
...before I could resolve
the problem.
Believe it or not,
it's a question of morale.
Now, the situation here
is trickier than usual...
...because these 2,000
are not born slaves.
They're soft, city types.
A few farmers, here and there,
but flabby, for the most part.
Now, a man like that
you can work for...
...8 hours without food
and about 6 without water,
but the next day
he's useless. Useless!
Too tired to eat when you
get around to feeding him.
So, what's the answer?
You feed and water him
on the job.
No more than he needs,
but remember,
he's at his best when
there's a reward in sight.
Now, the largest effective
work force we can use...
...at any one time,
is about 200.
Once the walls are finished
and we can concentrate...
...on the filling in process,
we'll be able to use
a hundred or so more,
probably in four-hour shifts.
That means that,
for most of the time,
a lot of them will do
nothing but sit around.
So, they'll need covering
from the sun.
Finally, whipping.
Now,
we must expect to lose about
5 men a day from whipping.
More than that we can't
afford to lose.
And we have got to make
the guards understand that...
...over-whipping is worst
than no whipping...
...because, if the death rate
goes too high...
...we won't have
enough men left...
...when the time comes
that we need them all,
the time when the equipment
has to be hauled up that ramp.
But, we can keep
the death rate down...
...by rotating the guards
more often.
The shortest way
to put it is this:
treat them decently and
they'll do very nicely.
-What have you got there?
-What does it look like?
-Does he want her?
-No, he just wanted to say...
...he was sorry for not thinking
about it sooner.
Looks good.
Everything in here looks good.
Out!
Compliments of the
Governor General.
Do you remember her?
Do-you-remember-her?
I miss her very much.
I didn't drink this way,
not even in the field...
...when I could count on
coming back to her.
And I cannot keep drinking
this way now.
My dear love,
I wish to leave you
this side of death...
...while we both breathe and
sense the life of the other,
while even our thoughts
are in harmony...
...although you are far away.
You and I have shared
everything,
but most especially,
loneliness.
But I want this death
of mine...
...to take loneliness with me
and leave love behind.
In fact, this is
my last request.
One who is dying,
begs you to live...
...not in memory
but in flesh.
Find joy and comfort,
that would be my memorial.
My reward will be...
...if you always pronounce
the name Livia with affection.
Your Excellency.
Oh...
...yes. I did send
for you because...
...I've come to a decision
about your status here.
Yes.
I will do you the courtesy
of not being coy.
The situation has thrown us
together.
I'm a man who does not
thrive on solitude.
So, we're going to be spending
a certain amount of time together.
I've already explained it would be
impractical to let you go just now.
To be honest,
I'm not sure I would
if I could.
Those are the conditions
in a nutshell.
I hope I can make it
reasonably pleasant for you.
Is all that clear?
Seems clear enough.
If it was only that I wanted
there're more than 20 whores...
...in those striped tents!
Then I misunderstood,
forgive me.
-Exactly what do you want?
-A certain civility.
A human exchange.
You're an Alexandrian,
unless I'm mistaken.
I thought you would understand
that sort of thing.
Alexandria is where I was born.
I'm a Jew.
That's all too obvious.
What is it about you, people?
You never fail to make me feel...
...like a disapproving dowager.
You're all I used to hate
about silly children!
I apologize for all of us.
What now?
Now, you may oblige me
by getting dressed.
I don't mean to downgrade
your beauty.
Will you take some wine?
Thank you, I won't.
No doubt you don't trust it.
You sent for me so that we might
have some polite conversation?
Don't patronize me!
You are the commander.
So I am, that's why
I did send for you.
But how could you know that?
I'm sorry.
From time to time,
it would be helpful if I felt...
...there was someone
I could talk to freely.
That's important.
You could speak freely.
I'd be grateful for that.
Well, not all at once.
You'll have to come
to trust me a little.
Just a sip?
May I speak freely?
It's ghastly.
Well, I suppose it's not
a drink for women.
And that's you and
my late wife.
She wasn't fond of it, either.
The sculptor never saw her,
except in death.
But he captured the softness.
You're voice is not
unlike hers.
As for the rest,
Livia would admit it...
...you're more beautiful.
Yeah, I'm an unhappy widower.
That is rare, I believe.
What was the cause?
Here. It began as a huskiness
in the way she spoke and then...
...when she was sure,
she decided to take
her own life.
She put it rather prettily
in the letter she sent me.
"I have arranged to take
a vessel to Caprice."
"I specify the journey
must be made at night."
"I want to look down at the stars
reflected in the sea..."
"...and join them."
I try no to look at
the stars anymore.
It must be very painful.
You see, what I could always
count on with her...
...was that when we came together
it was much her desire as mine.
Sometimes even more so and I
became used to that and...
...it spoiled the other for me.
Would you like me to go?
She wrote that letter
three years ago.
You haven't answered
my question.
No...
They have to be killed, so why
are we bothering to discuss it?
No! It is impossible!
No, it's not impossible, rabbi.
That I can demonstrate immediately.
-No!
-Have you looked?!
In three days,
only three days!
What choice do we have?
They're going to die, anyway.
So, it makes no difference
who kills them, uh?
Just as it makes no difference
who kills you.
It makes no difference to me.
Why should it? Before this war
you were a murderer.
A thief, a spoiler of women!
Eleazar, you'd better
say something!
We kill no more Jews.
Then what do we do?
Come with me.
To begin with,
we empty the dirt
out of this pond.
-What's he talking about?
-Truly, I don't know.
We will fight them now
with the two weapons we have.
Our brains...
...and that sun.
By order of His Excellency...
...from sundown today, the water
ration will be reduced...
...to one half its present amount!
That must be done...
...in order to keep
the prisoners alive...
...so that they can be used
to complete the task...
...we have been asigned.
May the Gods preserve
the Emperor!
Take that up!
That's right, keep moving!
I didn't see you
take that off.
-So put it back on.
-I can't breathe with it on.
I can. If I can,
you can.
I'm not a freak and you are!
I didn't hear that. Put it on!
Well, can you hear this?
There's only one detail
that calls for no armor!
And you've just thrown it!
Everyone!
You're relieved.
Swimming! They're swimming
up there!
In sweat, you mean, like us?
No. Stop the work
and you'll hear them.
Stop work! Everybody!
Get them back to work.
Get back to work!
All you, back to work!
Back to work!
Back to work!
It was an arranged marriage.
Part of an agreement
between my father...
...and those who owned
the threshing floor.
In spite of that,
when we came to Jericho...
...and he met us at the gate,
I liked him.
I liked him all of that
first day.
All through the wedding,
all through the feast.
What went wrong?
The Jews of Alexandria don't take
certain things as seriously...
...as the Jews of Judea.
Such as what?
Such as virginity.
I had loved a man before,
I thought.
This Mathias couldn't forgive it.
He wanted to whip me!
What stopped him?
I told him I'd kill him one night
in his sleep if he did.
Not right away,
I might wait maybe a year.
Maybe two years.
He believed it.
Was he right to believe it?
No.
Go to sleep, Your Excellency.
This young animal of an
unblemished white...
...was chosen from others...
...because it bleated...
...when a flock of birds
crossed the sky at sunrise.
The organs are sound.
There is no foreign matter...
-... no foreign matter...
All omens continue favorable...
-...phhhhhh...
...for this campaign...
...for the greater glory
of Rome...
...and the Emperor!
Burning. They're always
burning something!
My father says they burn the heart,
liver and kidneys of a goat...
...so that their god of war
can smell the smoke.
What kind of god likes
burning goat's liver?
That's the way
they tell fortunes.
When will you be
slaughtering next?
Tomorrow, a very fat ram.
I have a small favor
to ask you.
Behind the tower,
the battering ram.
That means two sets of pulleys.
400 Jews pulling the tower,
another 100 pulling the ram.
Then the ram
is hoisted up here...
...into the tower.
-Oh, excuse me-- Sorry--
-It's all right, it's all right.
Come in.
How will you build the tower?
Well, we'll raise it on blocks,
leave room for the axes
underneath.
No.
...I want you to build it
lying on its side.
I don't want this tower raised
until the day the ramp is ready.
Build it behind the ridge.
Any step we can take
to keep infomation from him...
-...is worth taking.
-Sure.
Nothing much he could do
about it, even if he knew!
Well, we won't give him
that chance.
The schedule?
We're keeping to it.
-It goes well, then?
-Yes, yes...
...here, it goes very well.
What does that mean?
Keeping that woman...
...it makes for envy.
In this conditions, you could have
a mutiny on your hands.
We've been through
a lot together...
...and I thought you should know
my mind.
I do. I wish I didn't.
-Even so--
-Even so...
...I don't wish
to discuss it again.
Anything I can get you here?
I wouldn't refuse
a light snowfall.
I can't breathe!
Decurion!
Surgeon!
Come.
Put him there.
Just crouches and says
he can't breathe.
Did he get his water ration
this morning?
Well, he--
Yeah, yes, he got it.
And he lost it playing dice,
didn't he?
Didn't you, you imbecile?
When you see the men
dicing for water rations...
...I want you to stop them
from now on!
Chew on this. Eat it all!
Wash it down.
What are you staring at?
I'm starting to get the same
kind of pains and I--
The next ration is at noon.
Have you lost your sense
of smell, Eleazar?
Don't speak ill
of your profession.
Your water here,
it looks still.
I just filled these baths
this morning.
It's noon. They're drawing
their ration down below.
Don't you think it's time
to empty them?
Ah.
Amos!
-Get back! Stay back!
-All you...
...back to work!
All of you, get back!
Back to work!
Friends of the Tenth Legion!
Good afternoon!
It seemed to us you didn't have
enough water down there!
It is the custom of our country
to share what we have...
...with strangers.
And yet, I shouldn't
call you strangers.
In the past few weeks,
we've gotten to feel...
...that we know you very well.
In the nights, when a full belly
makes it difficult to sleep,
we worry about you.
Sometimes the children
have bad dreams.
My son dreams that one day,
he will look over these ramparts...
...and see 5,000 skeletons
in armor.
Load them up.
Load those catapults up!
He knows...
Move!
...a thousand years ago there were
two cities, near the Dead Sea.
They were called
Sodome and Gomorra.
You would have felt right at home
in either of them.
But it was decreed that
they should be punished...
...for their evil
and perversion.
So, there came a storm...
...of stinging dust to warn
the righteous to flee...
...and a withering fire from heaven
which consumed the two cities.
That stinging dust and that fire
return to this cursed land...
...every year.
No doubt you have been enjoying...
...the balmy spring weather
of the region,
but I'm sorry to say that
the true summer is growing closer.
And nothing that stands
where you stand...
...will leave to see
the autumn.
Now!
Hurry, load! Move, move!
Stop firing!
I said, stop firing!
Ahhh, the autumn.
Truly a time to be here,
when the breezes are cool and
the wadies run with fresh rain water.
But before those rains come, the death
I speak of will visit all of you.
When the heat begins to press...
...you'll have to dig
holes in the earth...
...to put your heads in
so you can breath.
If you are a short man, your death
will be a little easier...
...since your heart
will probably burst...
...before the fluid begins to boil
and explodes through your skin.
You have been ordered
to die this death!
Who would give such an order?
When the great patriarch Noah
had planted his vineyard...
...the adversary of God
whom we call Satan...
...tricked him into
sacrificing four animals...
...and pouring their blood
upon the earth of the vineyard.
These were a lamb, a lion,
a pig and a monkey.
Ever since then, the drunkard
has been this way.
The first sips of wine
leave him as a lamb.
A little more and,
he is a lion!
A man of purpose...
...who makes decisions and
it's not to be challenged!
But a drunkard never stops,
as a lion.
He drinks again and
becomes as a pig,
squirming in the muck.
And at the end,
he is a monkey,
screaming and swinging
from limb to limb,
his empty head untroubled
by the truth.
We have heard how Caligula made
a Senator of his favorite horse.
And we see that Rome
has not changed.
Has not Vespasian unchained
his pet monkey...
...and made him Governor General
of Judea?
Friends of the Tenth Legion!
Will you truly sacrifice
your lives...
...because a monkey wants to
scamper up this mountain...
...on a pile of your
rotting corpses?
Back to work!
Now!
Get to work!
Faster, faster!
How long could they
keep it up?
-Talking, you mean?
-I mean, the water.
Well, it rains every year,
just as he said.
They can keep it up
longer than we've got.
Put that down,
I'm not amused!
Sorry.
He's quite something,
isn't he?
He's a leader and he's doing
the only thing he can.
That speech wasn't for Romans
to hear, it was for Jews...
...and they'll be the only ones
fooled by it.
-Still, the Romans heard it.
-It changes nothing!
Then, why does it upset you so?
Because I despise waste!
And every day we spend
in this campaign...
...is a day we might spend bringing
peace and order to this country.
And because I know
he knows that!
And to feed his little boy's ambition
he deliberately hides the truth...
-...from his own people.
-The truth?
What is the truth?
That we cannot lose, Sheva.
And would you
call this "winning"?
The first thought that
came to me out there was...
...that I hoped Eleazar would be
merciful and let you live...
...after you surrendered.
I would miss you, I thought.
Every now and again,
this woman forgets herself.
Every now and again, this woman
fails to remember that she benefits...
...from the mercy of a man
who has the power...
...to turn her over to
5,000 overheated animals...
...whose attentions she surely
would not outlive!
Would she enjoy that prospect?
No, she would not enjoy it.
But it wouldn't surprise her!
Get out of here.
Vespasian's monkey...
Lady80s made these subtitles, which were then resynced by realIK17 on Aug 21, 2020.
of Jerusalem...
...and the destruction of
the Second Temple.
The Jewish rebellion against
the Roman occupation...
...is declared over.
But Eleazar ben Yair and
his family flee the city...
...vowing that the Judean War
is not ended.
Eleazar and his followers make
their headquarters...
...on top of the mountain
fortress of Masada,
where they begin to conduct raids
on Roman occupied villages...
...in the south of Palestine.
These guerrilla attacks threaten
the alleged Roman victory.
The General of the Tenth Legion,
Flavius Silva,
arranges a meeting
with Eleazar.
That's what we'll--
settle for.
I don't doubt it. I think
your people would settle...
...for a great deal less.
Yes, but you're talking
to me now.
You know what I say
makes perfect sense.
Will you take the terms
back with you?
It does make perfect sense.
Returning to Rome, Silva's hopes
to implement the truce in Judea...
...are quickly dashed by
the Emperor Vespasian.
Caesar, what do they want?
A temple, their own governor.
These things they had once.
It's my belief that our strategy
there has been a mistaken one.
What they wanted is what we
should have done in the first place.
It's too late.
You can't grant concessions
once you've proclaimed the victory.
What's left of the opposition
must be stamped out,
the entire leadership
brought here in chains,
and the Tenth Legion brought out
within six months.
Silva is sent back to Judea,
after securing the services
of veteran Siege Commander...
...Rubrius Gallus.
Silva is also informed that
two of his officers are spies...
...for the Emperor's
political enemy.
And while Silva is
still in Rome,
these two men plot to hand over
Jewish land to Roman soldiers,
in exchange for their
mustering-out pay.
Well, in dispatches,
we can call it, uh...
...reward for acts of bravery.
During the truce?
Oh, the Jews will have broken
the truce.
They will!
Putting their treacherous plans
into effect,
the Romans forcibly appropriate
the Jewish lands,
killing whoemever they have to
in the process.
Centurion!
Not a Centurion, darling,
I'm a Tribune.
I was born in Egypt.
I learned things in Egypt.
I could give you to them,
afterwards.
You won't.
Among the refugees
fleeing to Masada,
were many of the Esennes,
a highly religious Jewish sect.
Truce has been broken.
The Roman Commander has seized...
...all the farmland of the
Lower Jordan Valley.
How does it seem to you?
We have Vespasian's answer.
Now let's give him ours.
Don't drink it.
What's wrong?
-Where are your cattle?
-I don't keep cattle.
I have some sheep.
Over there.
Go get them.
You can come with us
if you want...
...but if you stay,
you'll be thirsty.
What have you done?
We've made your well water
fit for the Romans.
They take one beast from
every herd, slaughter it...
...then poison the water with
the carcass and the entrails.
Still, it's localized.
There's nothing wrong with
the water north of here.
Yes, but, for how long?
We seem defenseless against
their rage. You saw...
...the courier's report
this morning.
It's more than 20 men lost
so far.
I suggest we make some attempt
to strike back.
And the men will need
double rations of stream water.
Otherwise, in these con--
He's been given the
Governor-Generalship.
And... Rubrius Gallus.
You know...
...I had the feeling.
Twenty years!
Not in twenty years I've seen
rank stupidity to winkle this!
I did what I thought was best
at the time, of that I'm guilty.
A donkey's epitaph.
At times, an audacity
is necessary.
Of the hundred parts to a good
commander, audacity is one!
The smallest and
the least important.
But you surprised me!
I thought you were brighter.
And what are
your orders now, sir?
That's a proper response.
I'd hoped we'd had the chance
to contact our friend, the zealot...
...before he knew the facts...
...but the acting General
has removed that possibility,
along with the possibility
of surprise and negotiation.
My command decision
is made for me.
All elements of the Legion
to move on Masada!
Bringing his Jewish harem
with him!
As if he expected
to live forever!
Rather stylish.
Pretty thing.
It's an inspiring sight,
isn't it?
It's the best thing we'll have
to look at for a long time.
I've been South before.
When do we finish
with them?
They cloud my thinking.
It's untidy.
I have something in mind.
Concentrate on Masada.
But if the actual
propagation of children...
...is superior to the method
of adoption...
But this is an assumption
I'm not prepared to make--
We need four more men
on the pulley rope.
Let us examine what Gershon
of Damascus has to say...
...in connection with the
practice of celibacy--
On your feet!
Don't bruise that animal...
It's unblemished
and consecrated!
Bring him back.
Eleazar!
Eleazar, out there.
Get the rest of those
slings in place!
We've sighted them!
That's right, bring up
the stones.
The sacks, too. Hurry!
Aaron.
I've been down to the
supply bins. Figs, taste it.
-It's delicious.
-It must be a hundred years old,
from Herod's time.
It still amazes me.
I want those slings covered up
with straw, also the kettles.
Why, to hide them
from the birds?
Done.
Look.
The first hyenas of spring.
Moabites, probably.
Cheap wine and friendly women
for the soldiers.
They're bright.
They left the best
camping sites for the Romans.
Good will is the most important
feature of any business.
They're the only ones who
make profit out of this.
Some time in my life,
I wouldn't mind being like them.
Having no stake on
how a battle comes out.
My friends, they're going to
wait until morning...
...to come the rest of the way in.
So we can see the dress parade
and be terrified.
Romans... they love spectacle!
5,000 men against 900,
that is a spectacle.
Only this time, the end
will be different.
They don't know that yet,
but the sun will teach them.
They must camp down there...
...where a lizzard cannot live
in summer.
And summer is not far off.
They must pack in their water
from as far north as Jericho.
We have water to spare.
They will set up
their catapults...
...and their scaling-ladders...
...but the angle is too steep
for the stones,
and an old woman
or a small child...
...can push a ladder down.
Be proud!
Sleep well tonight!
Where they march is
where we want them to be.
Impressive!
-Yes... Impossible!
-Exactly...
...which is why I sent for you.
Nobody can do the impossible,
that's what the word means.
I've seen you do it.
Well... We'll see.
No sign of activity.
Maybe they decided
not to hold.
They're here.
Let's make it official.
Trumpets and cornets,
to the front!
Now!
You know, we're all
well within range here.
Not just comedown range.
-What about our catapults?
-Difficult angle.
Any stone we shoot up there
becomes a weapon for them.
We'd become their armorers.
What is it?
Flavius Silva's come back.
The ground you occupy
is the property and territory...
...of the Emperor, Senate and
people of Rome!
In their name I order you
to depart from it!
The ground you occupy
was given as promised...
...to the children of Israel
by Almighty God,
King of the Universe and
Lord of mankind!
Since time began,
He has punished...
...anyone who trespassed
on his children's land.
I have warned you once...
...and one warning is all
that He allows.
You have sentenced yourself
and your soldiers to death!
Formalities are over!
Let's get to work!
Tenth New Orders!
The Governor General has decreed
that maximum military discipline...
...will be maintained.
We are under the eyes
of the enemy...
...and we'll behave ourselves
accordingly.
Full armor, including
breast plate and helmet...
...will be worn during
all duty hours.
Water rations were limited to
three canteens per day,
drawn at sunrise,
at noon and at sunset.
As regarding the body of water
to the south of the camp...
the surgeons advise that due to
the unnaturally high salt content...
it is fit neither for drinking
nor for bathing.
Consequently,
troops are to regard the area
as out of bounds.
Any infractions of the
above regulations...
...will result in immediate
and severe punishment,
up to and including
the death penalty.
May the Gods preserve
our Emperor!
Have you noticed?
They're surrounding us.
I know.
There are three camps already
set up on the other side.
They must think we want
to get out of here.
Have you noticed?
We have an audience.
The watch report said
the children are playing.
Otherwise, it says there is
no activity whatsoever.
About half a dozen males
are guarding the watch tower,
some in the fields,
some tending animals,
scarcely any adults
to be seen...
...most likely keeping
to the shady areas.
Very sensible. Have our watch do
likewise for the rest of the day.
-Dismissed.
-Yes, sir.
General,
what do you make
of that report?
Well, humm...
...I'm not sure that I make
anything of it, sir.
Hmmm. Quite so?
It's obvious we must have
a closer reconnaisance.
-We must test their defenses.
-Err-- a closer reconnaisance?
Under cover of darkness
we must send a scouting patrol...
...up that serpentine path on the
east side of the mountain.
With your pardon, sir,
I can't send men up there.
It would be nothing
short of suicidal!
I think what the Governor General
has in mind...
...is two officers.
Is this in the nature
of an honorable exit?
I've already explained
the purpose of the patrol.
No. I won't do it.
-It's obvious, Vespasian knows.
-There's nothing for him to know!
The Senior Tribune is correct.
The Governor General
makes it possible...
...for your families to inherit.
You have the opportunity
to avoid the...
...humiliation and discomfort
of death by strangulation.
I strongly advise
that you take it.
You had a better than
ordinary career.
This way you can leave
a statue behind.
What exactly are you, Tribune?
Sir, I'm the Imperial spy...
...as opposed to the
Senatorial spy.
Or I was.
The Emperor has decided to do away
with the practice in this case.
He wants you to feel that
you have his complete confidence.
That will be a great comfort
to me in the days to come.
Dismissed.
What sort of a staff have you
gathered around you?!
You'd better send him
on that patrol, too!
No.
That was quite enough
for one day.
Unless you have
something to tell me?
What?
Governor?
About the girl...
her name is Sheva.
-Yes?
-Favor for a favor?
Keep her.
I hadn't thought of it.
She is quite out of
the ordinary.
If it weren't for
the job on your hands...
...I might almost envy you.
-Long live--!
-It's not necessary!
Where are they?
I see them.
Should we let them come
all the way up, take them alive?
If he'd send them up this way,
what kind of hostages could they be?
Maybe he's testing
our marksmanship.
This is no test.
Prove it.
Now.
He liked his comfort.
Send the armor to his family
in Neapolis.
Give the clothes away.
-There is one other item, sir.
-I'm aware of that.
-See what Quadratus left.
-Yes, sir.
It's Sheva, isn't it?
Correct.
You're being addressed...
...by the Governor General!
Thank you. I know.
He wants you to stand up.
Do you?
I spent too much time
in this country...
...to expect manners from a Jew
of either sex.
Keep your seat. In fact,
I'll join you.
Now, as regards you,
this is somewhat ticklish.
I don't want to be the slightest
cause for trouble.
I can be out of here as soon as
you give the order.
Yes, and you wouldn't last
half the morning by yourself.
That would be murder.
Surely, you can spare
three or four soldiers.
I could spare them, but
you couldn't handle them.
And the ones who had
to stay behind...
...would be even less happy
with their luck...
...than they are now.
A woman like you is generally
out of the reach of a private soldier.
And once they had a taste
of the officer's privilege...
...I'm afraid they'll just
want more.
Truth is, I'm not sure
I have the right to let you go.
In a sense, you're as much a part
of the man's legacy as his helmet.
Then, I belong to his heirs.
Yes, and he made me
one of his heirs.
You'll be kept here
for the time being...
...under guard and
under my protection.
Then I can expect
to be sent for?
You can expect to be alive
this time tomorrow...
...and for that you should thank
your God and your late protector.
Don't bother to get up.
May I?
There's only one way
to do this.
Go on.
We have to build
an assault ramp...
...up against this western side.
With what material?
We can't wait for shipments.
You see the ridge
over there?
We have to bring a large part
of that over here and...
...up against that.
-Can we do it in the time we have?
-With luck.
But it's a terrifying
amount of work.
You're terrified?
Always, when luck is a factor!
Send the priest to me! Now!
This animal offered
for sacrifice...
...was born when the moon
was in the most favorable...
...of the sixteen zones...
...into which the etruscan fathers
divided the sky.
Its liver had no suspect spots.
There's is no foreign
matter present.
All omens are favorable...
...for the campaign you're about
to begin...
...for the greater glory
of Rome...
...and the Emperor who leads...
...the destiny of the Empire!
What are they doing now?
Making sure none of their gods
is unhappy.
The goat god must be unhappy.
Romans don't worship animals,
they pray to gods
made in their own image.
A very convenient host of them.
Unlike your people,
they have only one.
"...The fool saith in his heart,
there is no God."
If it came to Solomon's notice,
...think how many
must've been saying it.
That was a thousand years ago,
where they all fools?
We're not a rare species.
And you think I'm one of them?
I remember my husband almost
throwing a man out of his house...
...when he suggested that God might be
only a convenience of the priests.
And that was not so long ago.
Well, not so long ago
I had a brother.
We had a temple.
Not so long ago, there weren't
Romans throwing children into fires.
When the temple was destroyed
we all wondered...
...why God would allow
such a thing.
But wondering isn't the same
as doubting.
Miriam, I saw it fall.
I saw the veil ripped away
from the inner chamber,
so they could drag the slaughtered
pigs over the altar.
If there is a God,
maybe He's already gone
over to the Romans.
I love you. And I know
you still believe.
Today, we begin
the final task...
...of the Tenth Legion
in Judea!
With these stones,
we pave the road home!
Number three!
Stop! Four!
Stop!
I think I begin to see
what they're trying to do.
Keeping busy.
Romans always build...
...when they don't know what else
to do with themselves.
-I know what they're up to, the idiots.
-What?
They think they can
breach our walls...
...if they get their catapults
to a higher level.
Well, could they?
Only if we let them.
Keep moving, keep moving!
They're taking it quietly,
aren't they?
Exactly how long
do we have to wait?
Another week.
I like to watch them work,
don't you?
Well done!
I'm going to send a detail
out to those vagrants...
...and buy you some wine!
Now!
If we continue at this pace...
I'm going to--
Now!
Get away!
Don't try to return
their fire!
Get this catapult back!
Now!
Keep moving! Keep moving!
Get the wounded back!
Help the wounded!
I was about to ask
how you are, but...
...there's no need.
Obviously, you enjoy it.
As you would if it were
the other way around!
You're honest.
You're also wrong!
I should have anticipated it.
-Aw, rubbish!
-No!
He knows how to wait.
That's his genius.
To make us think all they had
was manure.
Why so soon?
Why not destroy four or
five weeks work, two months?
You're overanxious, perhaps?
You're not all that sure
of your people...
...you had to give them
a tiny victory?
Enjoy it.
All officers to me.
14 dead, a few horses,
10 mules.
The pens held
for the most part.
One of the larger water stations
was demolished.
A detail has set out
for Ein-Gedi for more.
I want a permanent
observation post...
...on the high ridge.
Three shifts a day.
If we are surprised again,
all three shifts...
-...will answer for it.
-Yes, sir.
The camp will be rebuilt
immediately!
You now know the range.
Keep the frontline
well out of it.
Dismissed.
And, I'll try and think of
an alternative plan by morning.
There is no alternative.
Well, I doubt if they run
out of rocks very soon.
I want two squadrons of cavalry
with 4 days provisions...
...mounted and ready
to leave in one hour.
You'll have them, sir.
May I ask--?
Path-forging expedition, we'll call it.
You will command it.
Find the Chief-Armorer and
have him report to me.
The Chief-Armorer, sir,
is dead.
Then there is a new Chief-Armorer
whether he knows it or not!
There is a way,
it's not complicated...
...and it'll get
your ramp built.
Is the need so obvious
you can see it in my face?
Idiots...!
They set the tent ropes
too tight.
What stars are those?
That constellation is called
Keymah, I think.
Why? Does it make
a difference?
Not to me, but I told her
you knew everything.
You see?
You're Simon's oldest
daughter, right?
Next to the youngest, Koutura.
I have three older sisters
and a brother.
I used to know everything.
-That's where we should be.
-And why aren't we?
Because we're lazy,
wicked man.
A bad example for this child.
-And that one.
-So my father tells me.
Take the young lady
back to her mother...
...and join us in there.
-You're serious?
-Yes, I'm serious.
You, too. Go get the others.
I think they would like it
if we acted like Jews.
You don't have to apologize
for praying.
Only to you.
I would ask God about
Flavius Silva...
...if I could truly believe again
in a God that would answer me.
I would ask Him what's
he's going to do next,
so I could do something first,
just for a change.
You've done exactly the right
thing every time.
And to do that,
is to do Godspeeding.
I know He's there.
And he knows He's there.
You have other things
to think about.
But it would be very comforting
if I also knew He was there.
-That's a certainty.
-That's a reasonable assumption.
-I've made you angry again.
-No, not angry.
Confused. Frustrated.
-All right, yes, angry.
-You want me to lie to you?
I want you to help me
to understand you.
To understand this.
I've never kept
anything from you.
But I thought you were fighting--
we were all fighting...
...because we wouldn't accept
any master before God.
But if you don't really
believe in God...
...then, what difference
does it make?
Why must we live up here
like-- animals on a tree?
Why do you keep at it?
Well, I suppose somebody has
to carry on the family business.
-That's no answer.
-All right, then.
Whether or not I truly
believe in God...
I do believe one thing:
No man should be
another man's slave.
Behave yourselves.
Will Eleazar ben Yair
and the others...
...lead us in a psalm
of thanksgiving?
O give thanks unto the Lord
for He is good,
because his mercy
endure us forever.
I called upon the Lord
in distress.
The Lord answered me...
...and set me in a high place.
All nations compassed me about,
but, in the name of the Lord,
I will destroy them.
They compass me about
like bees.
They are quenched by
the fire of the thorns.
In the name of the Lord,
I will destroy them.
They compassed me about, Jah,
but in the name of the Lord
I will destroy them.
O Israel trust thou
in the Lord,
He is their help
and their shield.
The Lord is on my side,
I will not fear.
What can man do unto me?
Keep moving!
Get them on their feet!
Keep moving!
Keep them moving!
Get those Jews in the line!
Move along! Move along!
Slave labor is always
a chancy business.
I had to get a canal dug
in Livonia once...
...and I mishandled the bloody thing.
I lost 500 men in a week...
...before I could resolve
the problem.
Believe it or not,
it's a question of morale.
Now, the situation here
is trickier than usual...
...because these 2,000
are not born slaves.
They're soft, city types.
A few farmers, here and there,
but flabby, for the most part.
Now, a man like that
you can work for...
...8 hours without food
and about 6 without water,
but the next day
he's useless. Useless!
Too tired to eat when you
get around to feeding him.
So, what's the answer?
You feed and water him
on the job.
No more than he needs,
but remember,
he's at his best when
there's a reward in sight.
Now, the largest effective
work force we can use...
...at any one time,
is about 200.
Once the walls are finished
and we can concentrate...
...on the filling in process,
we'll be able to use
a hundred or so more,
probably in four-hour shifts.
That means that,
for most of the time,
a lot of them will do
nothing but sit around.
So, they'll need covering
from the sun.
Finally, whipping.
Now,
we must expect to lose about
5 men a day from whipping.
More than that we can't
afford to lose.
And we have got to make
the guards understand that...
...over-whipping is worst
than no whipping...
...because, if the death rate
goes too high...
...we won't have
enough men left...
...when the time comes
that we need them all,
the time when the equipment
has to be hauled up that ramp.
But, we can keep
the death rate down...
...by rotating the guards
more often.
The shortest way
to put it is this:
treat them decently and
they'll do very nicely.
-What have you got there?
-What does it look like?
-Does he want her?
-No, he just wanted to say...
...he was sorry for not thinking
about it sooner.
Looks good.
Everything in here looks good.
Out!
Compliments of the
Governor General.
Do you remember her?
Do-you-remember-her?
I miss her very much.
I didn't drink this way,
not even in the field...
...when I could count on
coming back to her.
And I cannot keep drinking
this way now.
My dear love,
I wish to leave you
this side of death...
...while we both breathe and
sense the life of the other,
while even our thoughts
are in harmony...
...although you are far away.
You and I have shared
everything,
but most especially,
loneliness.
But I want this death
of mine...
...to take loneliness with me
and leave love behind.
In fact, this is
my last request.
One who is dying,
begs you to live...
...not in memory
but in flesh.
Find joy and comfort,
that would be my memorial.
My reward will be...
...if you always pronounce
the name Livia with affection.
Your Excellency.
Oh...
...yes. I did send
for you because...
...I've come to a decision
about your status here.
Yes.
I will do you the courtesy
of not being coy.
The situation has thrown us
together.
I'm a man who does not
thrive on solitude.
So, we're going to be spending
a certain amount of time together.
I've already explained it would be
impractical to let you go just now.
To be honest,
I'm not sure I would
if I could.
Those are the conditions
in a nutshell.
I hope I can make it
reasonably pleasant for you.
Is all that clear?
Seems clear enough.
If it was only that I wanted
there're more than 20 whores...
...in those striped tents!
Then I misunderstood,
forgive me.
-Exactly what do you want?
-A certain civility.
A human exchange.
You're an Alexandrian,
unless I'm mistaken.
I thought you would understand
that sort of thing.
Alexandria is where I was born.
I'm a Jew.
That's all too obvious.
What is it about you, people?
You never fail to make me feel...
...like a disapproving dowager.
You're all I used to hate
about silly children!
I apologize for all of us.
What now?
Now, you may oblige me
by getting dressed.
I don't mean to downgrade
your beauty.
Will you take some wine?
Thank you, I won't.
No doubt you don't trust it.
You sent for me so that we might
have some polite conversation?
Don't patronize me!
You are the commander.
So I am, that's why
I did send for you.
But how could you know that?
I'm sorry.
From time to time,
it would be helpful if I felt...
...there was someone
I could talk to freely.
That's important.
You could speak freely.
I'd be grateful for that.
Well, not all at once.
You'll have to come
to trust me a little.
Just a sip?
May I speak freely?
It's ghastly.
Well, I suppose it's not
a drink for women.
And that's you and
my late wife.
She wasn't fond of it, either.
The sculptor never saw her,
except in death.
But he captured the softness.
You're voice is not
unlike hers.
As for the rest,
Livia would admit it...
...you're more beautiful.
Yeah, I'm an unhappy widower.
That is rare, I believe.
What was the cause?
Here. It began as a huskiness
in the way she spoke and then...
...when she was sure,
she decided to take
her own life.
She put it rather prettily
in the letter she sent me.
"I have arranged to take
a vessel to Caprice."
"I specify the journey
must be made at night."
"I want to look down at the stars
reflected in the sea..."
"...and join them."
I try no to look at
the stars anymore.
It must be very painful.
You see, what I could always
count on with her...
...was that when we came together
it was much her desire as mine.
Sometimes even more so and I
became used to that and...
...it spoiled the other for me.
Would you like me to go?
She wrote that letter
three years ago.
You haven't answered
my question.
No...
They have to be killed, so why
are we bothering to discuss it?
No! It is impossible!
No, it's not impossible, rabbi.
That I can demonstrate immediately.
-No!
-Have you looked?!
In three days,
only three days!
What choice do we have?
They're going to die, anyway.
So, it makes no difference
who kills them, uh?
Just as it makes no difference
who kills you.
It makes no difference to me.
Why should it? Before this war
you were a murderer.
A thief, a spoiler of women!
Eleazar, you'd better
say something!
We kill no more Jews.
Then what do we do?
Come with me.
To begin with,
we empty the dirt
out of this pond.
-What's he talking about?
-Truly, I don't know.
We will fight them now
with the two weapons we have.
Our brains...
...and that sun.
By order of His Excellency...
...from sundown today, the water
ration will be reduced...
...to one half its present amount!
That must be done...
...in order to keep
the prisoners alive...
...so that they can be used
to complete the task...
...we have been asigned.
May the Gods preserve
the Emperor!
Take that up!
That's right, keep moving!
I didn't see you
take that off.
-So put it back on.
-I can't breathe with it on.
I can. If I can,
you can.
I'm not a freak and you are!
I didn't hear that. Put it on!
Well, can you hear this?
There's only one detail
that calls for no armor!
And you've just thrown it!
Everyone!
You're relieved.
Swimming! They're swimming
up there!
In sweat, you mean, like us?
No. Stop the work
and you'll hear them.
Stop work! Everybody!
Get them back to work.
Get back to work!
All you, back to work!
Back to work!
Back to work!
It was an arranged marriage.
Part of an agreement
between my father...
...and those who owned
the threshing floor.
In spite of that,
when we came to Jericho...
...and he met us at the gate,
I liked him.
I liked him all of that
first day.
All through the wedding,
all through the feast.
What went wrong?
The Jews of Alexandria don't take
certain things as seriously...
...as the Jews of Judea.
Such as what?
Such as virginity.
I had loved a man before,
I thought.
This Mathias couldn't forgive it.
He wanted to whip me!
What stopped him?
I told him I'd kill him one night
in his sleep if he did.
Not right away,
I might wait maybe a year.
Maybe two years.
He believed it.
Was he right to believe it?
No.
Go to sleep, Your Excellency.
This young animal of an
unblemished white...
...was chosen from others...
...because it bleated...
...when a flock of birds
crossed the sky at sunrise.
The organs are sound.
There is no foreign matter...
-... no foreign matter...
All omens continue favorable...
-...phhhhhh...
...for this campaign...
...for the greater glory
of Rome...
...and the Emperor!
Burning. They're always
burning something!
My father says they burn the heart,
liver and kidneys of a goat...
...so that their god of war
can smell the smoke.
What kind of god likes
burning goat's liver?
That's the way
they tell fortunes.
When will you be
slaughtering next?
Tomorrow, a very fat ram.
I have a small favor
to ask you.
Behind the tower,
the battering ram.
That means two sets of pulleys.
400 Jews pulling the tower,
another 100 pulling the ram.
Then the ram
is hoisted up here...
...into the tower.
-Oh, excuse me-- Sorry--
-It's all right, it's all right.
Come in.
How will you build the tower?
Well, we'll raise it on blocks,
leave room for the axes
underneath.
No.
...I want you to build it
lying on its side.
I don't want this tower raised
until the day the ramp is ready.
Build it behind the ridge.
Any step we can take
to keep infomation from him...
-...is worth taking.
-Sure.
Nothing much he could do
about it, even if he knew!
Well, we won't give him
that chance.
The schedule?
We're keeping to it.
-It goes well, then?
-Yes, yes...
...here, it goes very well.
What does that mean?
Keeping that woman...
...it makes for envy.
In this conditions, you could have
a mutiny on your hands.
We've been through
a lot together...
...and I thought you should know
my mind.
I do. I wish I didn't.
-Even so--
-Even so...
...I don't wish
to discuss it again.
Anything I can get you here?
I wouldn't refuse
a light snowfall.
I can't breathe!
Decurion!
Surgeon!
Come.
Put him there.
Just crouches and says
he can't breathe.
Did he get his water ration
this morning?
Well, he--
Yeah, yes, he got it.
And he lost it playing dice,
didn't he?
Didn't you, you imbecile?
When you see the men
dicing for water rations...
...I want you to stop them
from now on!
Chew on this. Eat it all!
Wash it down.
What are you staring at?
I'm starting to get the same
kind of pains and I--
The next ration is at noon.
Have you lost your sense
of smell, Eleazar?
Don't speak ill
of your profession.
Your water here,
it looks still.
I just filled these baths
this morning.
It's noon. They're drawing
their ration down below.
Don't you think it's time
to empty them?
Ah.
Amos!
-Get back! Stay back!
-All you...
...back to work!
All of you, get back!
Back to work!
Friends of the Tenth Legion!
Good afternoon!
It seemed to us you didn't have
enough water down there!
It is the custom of our country
to share what we have...
...with strangers.
And yet, I shouldn't
call you strangers.
In the past few weeks,
we've gotten to feel...
...that we know you very well.
In the nights, when a full belly
makes it difficult to sleep,
we worry about you.
Sometimes the children
have bad dreams.
My son dreams that one day,
he will look over these ramparts...
...and see 5,000 skeletons
in armor.
Load them up.
Load those catapults up!
He knows...
Move!
...a thousand years ago there were
two cities, near the Dead Sea.
They were called
Sodome and Gomorra.
You would have felt right at home
in either of them.
But it was decreed that
they should be punished...
...for their evil
and perversion.
So, there came a storm...
...of stinging dust to warn
the righteous to flee...
...and a withering fire from heaven
which consumed the two cities.
That stinging dust and that fire
return to this cursed land...
...every year.
No doubt you have been enjoying...
...the balmy spring weather
of the region,
but I'm sorry to say that
the true summer is growing closer.
And nothing that stands
where you stand...
...will leave to see
the autumn.
Now!
Hurry, load! Move, move!
Stop firing!
I said, stop firing!
Ahhh, the autumn.
Truly a time to be here,
when the breezes are cool and
the wadies run with fresh rain water.
But before those rains come, the death
I speak of will visit all of you.
When the heat begins to press...
...you'll have to dig
holes in the earth...
...to put your heads in
so you can breath.
If you are a short man, your death
will be a little easier...
...since your heart
will probably burst...
...before the fluid begins to boil
and explodes through your skin.
You have been ordered
to die this death!
Who would give such an order?
When the great patriarch Noah
had planted his vineyard...
...the adversary of God
whom we call Satan...
...tricked him into
sacrificing four animals...
...and pouring their blood
upon the earth of the vineyard.
These were a lamb, a lion,
a pig and a monkey.
Ever since then, the drunkard
has been this way.
The first sips of wine
leave him as a lamb.
A little more and,
he is a lion!
A man of purpose...
...who makes decisions and
it's not to be challenged!
But a drunkard never stops,
as a lion.
He drinks again and
becomes as a pig,
squirming in the muck.
And at the end,
he is a monkey,
screaming and swinging
from limb to limb,
his empty head untroubled
by the truth.
We have heard how Caligula made
a Senator of his favorite horse.
And we see that Rome
has not changed.
Has not Vespasian unchained
his pet monkey...
...and made him Governor General
of Judea?
Friends of the Tenth Legion!
Will you truly sacrifice
your lives...
...because a monkey wants to
scamper up this mountain...
...on a pile of your
rotting corpses?
Back to work!
Now!
Get to work!
Faster, faster!
How long could they
keep it up?
-Talking, you mean?
-I mean, the water.
Well, it rains every year,
just as he said.
They can keep it up
longer than we've got.
Put that down,
I'm not amused!
Sorry.
He's quite something,
isn't he?
He's a leader and he's doing
the only thing he can.
That speech wasn't for Romans
to hear, it was for Jews...
...and they'll be the only ones
fooled by it.
-Still, the Romans heard it.
-It changes nothing!
Then, why does it upset you so?
Because I despise waste!
And every day we spend
in this campaign...
...is a day we might spend bringing
peace and order to this country.
And because I know
he knows that!
And to feed his little boy's ambition
he deliberately hides the truth...
-...from his own people.
-The truth?
What is the truth?
That we cannot lose, Sheva.
And would you
call this "winning"?
The first thought that
came to me out there was...
...that I hoped Eleazar would be
merciful and let you live...
...after you surrendered.
I would miss you, I thought.
Every now and again,
this woman forgets herself.
Every now and again, this woman
fails to remember that she benefits...
...from the mercy of a man
who has the power...
...to turn her over to
5,000 overheated animals...
...whose attentions she surely
would not outlive!
Would she enjoy that prospect?
No, she would not enjoy it.
But it wouldn't surprise her!
Get out of here.
Vespasian's monkey...
Lady80s made these subtitles, which were then resynced by realIK17 on Aug 21, 2020.