"Roots" (1977) TV mini-series

Directors:

Marvin J. Chomsky
John Erman

Writers:

William Blinn (adaptation)
William Blinn (screenplay)

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

23 January 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | War

Plot:

A dramatization of author Alex Haley's family line from ancestor Kunta Kinte's enslavement to his descendents' liberation.

Plot Keywords:

African American | Slave | America | Slavery | Civil War

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 14 wins & 35 nominations

Cast

Olivia Cole	...	Mathilda (5 episodes, 1977)
LeVar Burton	...	Kunta Kinte / ... (4 episodes, 1977)
Ben Vereen	...	'Chicken' George Moore (4 episodes, 1977)
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Fiddler (4 episodes, 1977)
Vic Morrow	...	Ames (4 episodes, 1977)
Ji-Tu Cumbuka	...	Wrestler (3 episodes, 1977)
Edward Asner	...	Capt. Thomas Davies (3 episodes, 1977)
Ralph Waite	...	Slater (3 episodes, 1977)
Robert Reed	...	Dr. William Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Lynda Day George	...	Mrs. Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
John Amos	...	Toby (3 episodes, 1977)
Madge Sinclair	...	Bell Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Leslie Uggams	...	Kizzy Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Carolyn Jones	...	Mrs. Moore (3 episodes, 1977)
Lloyd Bridges	...	Evan Brent (3 episodes, 1977)
Georg Stanford Brown	...	Tom Harvey (3 episodes, 1977)
Brad Davis	...	Ol' George Johnson (3 episodes, 1977)
Hilly Hicks	...	Lewis (3 episodes, 1977)
Lynne Moody	...	Irene Harvey (3 episodes, 1977)
Lane Binkley	...	Martha Johnson (3 episodes, 1977)
Austin Stoker	...	Virgil (3 episodes, 1977)
Sandy Duncan	...	Missy Anne Reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Chuck Connors	...	Tom Moore (3 episodes, 1977)
Tracey Gold	...	Young missy reynolds (3 episodes, 1977)
Moses Gunn	...	Kintango (2 episodes, 1977)
Thalmus Rasulala	...	Omoro (2 episodes, 1977)
Hari Rhodes	...	Brima Cesay (2 episodes, 1977)
William Watson	...	Gardner (2 episodes, 1977)
Ren Woods	...	Fanta (2 episodes, 1977)
Lorne Greene	...	John Reynolds (2 episodes, 1977)
Thayer David	...	Harlan (2 episodes, 1977)
Scatman Crothers	...	Mingo (2 episodes, 1977)
George Hamilton	...	Stephen Bennett (2 episodes, 1977)
Lillian Randolph	...	Sister Sara (2 episodes, 1977)
Richard Roundtree	...	Sam Bennett (2 episodes, 1977)
Davis Roberts	...	Leonard (2 episodes, 1977)
Richard McKenzie	...	Sam Harvey (2 episodes, 1977)
John Quade	...	Sheriff Biggs (2 episodes, 1977)
Cicely Tyson	...	Binta (2 episodes, 1977)
Tina Andrews	...	Aurelia (2 episodes, 1977)
Henry Butts	...	Sitafa (2 episodes, 1977)
Joe Dorsey	...	Calvert (2 episodes, 1977)
Kermit Echols	...	Vilars (2 episodes, 1977)
Richard Farnsworth	...	Slave catcher (2 episodes, 1977)
Ronnie Leggett	...	Kalila (2 episodes, 1977)
Rachel Longaker	...	Caroline (2 episodes, 1977)
Ernest Thomas	...	Kailuba (2 episodes, 1977)

Also Known As:

Alex Haley's Roots (Australia)

Runtime:

573 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG (cut) | Australia:M | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Administration Building, Malibu Creek State Park - 1925 Las Virgenes Road, Calabasas, California, USA

Company:

David L. Wolper Productions

Trivia:

Originally broadcast on ABC as eight one-hour and two-hour episodes as follows: Episodes 1,2,6, and 8 were two hours; Episodes 3,4,5, and 7 were one hour. Presented on VHS, DVD, and rebroadcast as six two-hour episodes.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the beginning of the capture scene in Episode 1 of Roots, Kunta Kinte can be briefly seen wearing shoes or sandals.

Quotes:

Kintango: Who can tell me if there was a tribal war, and the men of Mandinka had the enemy surrounded on three sides, what should be the next thing done?
Boy: The men of the Mandinka will enclose the circle and surround the enemy.
Kintango: No, the goal of war is not to kill. The goal of war is to win. By surrounding the enemy, you would force him only to fight more desperately. If you surround him on three sides and leave him an escape route, he will leave your land and there will less blood spilled on both sides. For a warrior of the Mandinka, courage is not enough.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Shelley Duvall/Joan Armatrading (#2.22)" (1977)

Soundtrack:

Oluwa

120 years worth crammed in to over 9 hours! Amazing!

There is nothing quite like Roots and i don't think anything will be done like it again. I first saw this about 5 years ago and since then i've seen it all 3 more times. It is a phenomenal achievement!

*SPOILERS*

Roots starts off around 1750 when an African baby is born called Kunta Kinte and follows his life. He gets enslaved by slavers when he's 15 and is taken to a white supremest America where he is sold at a slave market to a Virginian tobacco business man. From there we follow Kunta all the way through to old age and beyond and after he dies we follow his daughter and when she dies as an old lady we follow her son and so on. Basically the main characters die off and then the newish minor characters become main characters as well as there are new characters which are brought in from time to time. All the while though the black people are slaves and treated as 3rd class citizens. We see how they struggle with their hard life and how some of them are happy to be slaves as they've never known anything else and how some dream of freedom. Over the years and generations we see good white people, indifferent white people and very bad white people. It passes quickly through the war of independence but focuses longer on the civil war mainly because this is the beginning of the end of black slavery in America which leads to the KKK part of Roots.

After watching Roots it really does feel like you have watched 120 years of a families generations. From the beginning where Kunta is born all the way to the end where a very old Chicken George leads his family to a new free life. It is quite mind boggling.

I could write a huge review about this mighty saga but i ain't got the time and i doubt anyone would read it anyway. As a white guy i am ashamed at how white people treated black people so badly even though to a lesser extent that still goes on in the world today.

The story is amazing, the acting is award winning and i have no quips with Roots at all apart from one thing. Everyone ages through this except the amazing ageless Mr Moore. Over a span of around 50 years he doesn't age a day. When he is first introduced he looks about 50 and 50 years later he still looks like 50. I think he must be a Highlander or something! LOL

Of course, Roots was made possible by the writer Alex Haley who was a descendant of Kunta Kinte which is explained at the very end. I recommend Roots very highly. It's for people who enjoy history and an engrossing story. You will also get attached to the characters and feel a sense of loss when one of them die. I've only covered the very basics and left a ton of stuff out in this review. Just like Schindler's List you have to watch this because it is an important piece of film making based on a true story. One word....Brilliant! 10/10