The Other Peter

O'Toole needs no accolades. But Peter Strauss's performance was authentic and stirring. His character radiates intelligence, pragmatism, and righteous anger. This was a man forced into brigandry, "terrorism", and leadership. He wasn't some desert primitive taking potshots at Romans. He had a prior life as a businessman until hard times fell on Judea, at which point he resolved that the Jewish cause would never be over. He may have _looked_ the part of an illiterate nomad, but he was far from it, and Strauss flawlessly communicated Eliazar's intelligence and passion.