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The Dovekeepers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dovekeepers
GenreBiblical
Historical Drama
Based onThe Dovekeepers
by Alice Hoffman
Teleplay byAnn Peacock
Directed byYves Simoneau
StarringCote de Pablo
Rachel Brosnahan
ComposerJeff Beal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producersRoma Downey
Mark Burnett
John Weber
Frank Siracusa
Yves Simoneau
Production locationsMalta
Jordan
Israel
CinematographyGuy Dufaux
EditorsSylvain Lebel
Isabelle Malenfant
Running time180 minutes
Production companiesTake 5 Productions
Whiz Bang Films
Lightworkers Media
CBS Television Studios
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseMarch 31 (2015-03-31) –
April 1, 2015 (2015-04-01)
Related
Masada

The Dovekeepers is a two-part television adaptation based on the book of the same name by Alice Hoffman from executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. It features the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War.[1] The program premiered in the United States on March 31, 2015 on CBS.[2]

Plot

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According to the official trailer,

From the producers of The Bible, comes the story of a place called Masada, where three extraordinary women faced an army of thousands. A healer accused of witchcraft. An outcast haunted by her past. A woman with the heart of a warrior.

The trailer featured the tagline, "Their journey. Their passion. It all leads up to this. Take a stand."

Main cast

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Episodes

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Ep. # Title Original airdate Viewers
(million)
1.1"Part 1"March 31, 2015 (2015-03-31)8.99[3]
Roman historian Flavius Josephus chronicles the lives of three Jewish women during the Romans' siege of Masada in A.D. 73, where more than 900 Jews were able to take refuge at the fortress for months. But first he pressures two of them into telling their versions of the story; Shirah, believed to be the witch of Moab, and Yael, an outcast to her father and neighbors. In order to tell the story, they must first go back to the beginning and share accounts of their pasts.
1.2"Part 2"April 1, 2015 (2015-04-01)6.40[4]
Shirah and Yael remain in the custody of Flavius Josephus in his house in Rome. They tell of how Shirah's warrior daughter, Aziza joins them in their duty of keepers of the messenger doves in their home. Roman commanders Flavius Silva and Claudius devise a plan in how to get their soldiers into Masada. But to the Jewish sicarii, it's "freedom or death" as they hole up in the last Jewish fortress in Judea before the fateful day of the siege.

Reception

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The adaptation garnered negative reviews: Keith Uhlich of The Hollywood Reporter writes "True to its title, this romantic-historical miniseries is more fowl than fair. CBS' two-part adaptation of Alice Hoffman's best-selling novel is a cheap, chintzy adventure." while Brian Lowry of Variety writes "Designed to play as a moving adaptation of Alice Hoffman's bestseller, The Dovekeepers is more of a wounded duck."[5]

See also

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  • Masada, a 1981 television dramatization of the events at Masada

References

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  1. ^ "The Dovekeepers: Synopsis". Alice Hoffman. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  2. ^ "The Dovekeepers". CBS. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
  3. ^ TV by the Numbers
  4. ^ "'Dovekeepers' Ratings End Down, 'American Idol' Even, 'Black-ish' Rises". 2 April 2015.
  5. ^ "The Dovekeepers".
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