And who could forget the all time classic Roman accent:

'Welease Bwian'

I am Spartacus.

Peter O'Toole's speech as the Roman General Flavius Silva (I know he's Irish) in TV-Movie MASADA is one of the great movie sppeeches in my opinion. Ranks up there with Patton - only Patton's troops didn't just try to kill him before he gives his speech. O'Toole rallies his mutinous legionnaires after surviving an assasination attempt by a one of his Centurions. Curses his troops ("..you dumb b*stards..) then pardons his guilty Centurion in front of his legion. Anger, leadership,magnanimous - it's all there. Really magnificantly done- O'Toole really pulls it off you don't get a sense it is an Englishman or an Irishman playing a part. He really captures what it must take to be capable to lead a legion in a desert wilderness.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by SPOT:
[QB] Peter O'Toole's speech as the Roman General Flavius Silva (I know he's Irish) in TV-Movie MASADA is one of the great movie sppeeches in my opinion. [QUOTE]


I agree. There are very few actors out there that I would equate with Peter O'Toole when it comes to pure acting ability. I vividly remember being totally enthralled with his performance when I first watched Lawrence of Arabia.

I particularly enjoyed the Roman portion of Mel Brooks' "History of the World Part 1", with Mel, Gregory Hines, Dom Deloise as Caesar, and the guy who used to play Ernest T. Bass on "The Andy Griffith Show" telling Marca Antony, as he appraoched the emperor, "Remember, thou art mortal! Remember thou art mortal!" to which, of course, Marc Antony uttered the now legendary reply, "Ahhh, blow it out your a*s!" LOL! Classic stuff!

Cheers!

Rick...

That was a great t.v. movie. You know, I think "Masada", unintentionally, came off more as as a tribute to the ingenuity, tenacity, and leadership of the Roman Army. When you watch the movie, you seem to sympathize more with them rather than the jews holding out in Masada, who in contrast, came off more like radical religious zealots in the vein of Jim Jones and the Jonestown Massacre.

I haven't seen it in years, but I specifically recall the scene when the Roman Engineer is hit, and dictates the plans and measurements for the seige machine on his death bed. Now that's dedication

LOL, good observation. And I agree.

It's also helped by the fact that Peter Strauss, although he is an okay actor and does a decent job as the Jewish leader, is simply overmatched by Peter O'Toole and Anthony Quayle on the Roman side.

I'm Spartacus

I, Claudius.


The Jedi Master