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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9786302571257 Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC ISBN: 6302571251 Label: Warner Home Video Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Number Of Items: 6 Publisher: Warner Home Video Release Date: December 12, 1994 Running Time: 563 minutes Sales Rank: 790 Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: January 23, 1977
Amazon.com essential video: From the moment the young Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) is stolen from his life and ancestral home in 18th-century Africa and brought under inhumane conditions to be auctioned as a slave in America, a line is begun that leads from this most shameful chapter in U.S. history to the 20th-century author Alex Haley, a Kinte descendant. The late Haley's acclaimed book Roots was adapted into this six-volume television miniseries, which was a widely watched phenomenon in 1977. The programs cover several generations in the antebellum South and end with the story of "Chicken" George, a freed slave played by Ben Vereen whose family feels the agony of entrenched racism and learns to fight it. Between the lives of Kunta and George, we meet a number of memorable characters, black and white, and learn much about the emotional and physical torments of slavery, from beatings and rapes to the forced separation of spouses and families. Nothing like this had ever confronted so many mainstream Americans when the series was originally broadcast, and the extent to which the country was nudged a degree or two toward enlightenment was instantly obvious. Roots still has that ability to open one's eyes, and engage an audience in a sweeping, memorable drama at the same time. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Highly recommend but I have a couple of suggestions
I was a month short of 9 years of age when Roots was first broadcast on TV. Til only recently I had never ever seen it. I heard a lot about it but never actually sat down to watch it. I was recently at our town library and decided to take volume 1 home. I was somewhat excited about it as I sat down to watch.
In the first volume I found the idealization of Kunta Kinte's tribe and, except for the Ed Asner character, most white characters were 1 dimensional, to be a little too difficult to swallow.
However I continue to watch.
Rating: - Best TV Miniseries Of All Time
"Roots" traces the family history of writer Alex Haley back to the late 1700's when his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte, was brought here as a slave. The show goes on to tell the stories of Kuntas's daughter, Kizzy, grandson, Chicken George, and great-grandson, Tom Harvey, as they courageously struggled to survive the brutalties of slavery in the American South.
The acting is outstanding and the characters are truly inspirational. It can sometimes veer in melodrama, as way typical of other TV miniseries at this time. But I was impressed by just how high quality this series was in most aspects. ... Read More
Rating: - A Really Great Story!
This miniseries is well worth watching again or for the first time if you never have. It is very moving and tells the story of slavery from the point of view of the slaves. Beginning with Alex Haley's book, which is wonderful in itself, this miniseries is still the most popular show to have ever aired on TV. It might take some getting used to because of the difference in TV production values but you quickly forget about it after awhile and learn to appreciate the beauty and sincerity of the production. It isn't about the amount of money spent but the effort and a job well done. The actors are superlative. ... Read More
Rating: - Roots review
This production brings this sad part of history to life superbly. I remembered it from 30 years ago when it screened on German television and have now shared it with my husband and our teenagers in New Zealand.
We appreciated the many details of the environment at the time and as it was a true family history it was very moving and unforgettable.
Rating: - Roots
I have always loved the movie, Roots. It was hard to watch when it first came out and it was even harder to watch now. I got this DVD for my son to watch because not a lot of Black history is taught at his school and he needed to see where we came from. He and his friends use the "n" word too much and I wanted him to understand how this word came to be and why it is unacceptable in everyday language.
This movie also was instrumental in giving me pride in my black heritage. Blacks were made to feel as though they were an "inferior" race of people and because of the "Roots" movie and the book author, ... Read More
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