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Roots

  • TV Mini Series
  • 1977
  • TV-14
  • 9h 48m
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
18K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,561
147
Roots (1977)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer1:28
2 Videos
81 Photos
BiographyDramaHistory

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

  • Stars
    • LeVar Burton
    • Robert Reed
    • John Amos
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    8.4/10
    18K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    1,561
    147
    • Stars
      • LeVar Burton
      • Robert Reed
      • John Amos
    • 73User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 9 Primetime Emmys
      • 17 wins & 35 nominations total

    Episodes8

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated1 Season1977

    Videos2

    Roots: 30th Anniversary Special Edition
    Trailer 1:28
    Watch Roots: 30th Anniversary Special Edition
    Roots: 30th Anniversary Special Edition
    Trailer 1:28
    Watch Roots: 30th Anniversary Special Edition

    Photos81

    Richard Roundtree and Leslie Uggams in Roots (1977)
    Roots (1977)
    Ji-Tu Cumbuka in Roots (1977)
    Cicely Tyson in Roots (1977)
    Cicely Tyson and Maya Angelou in Roots (1977)
    LeVar Burton in Roots (1977)
    John Amos and Madge Sinclair in Roots (1977)
    Leslie Uggams in Roots (1977)
    Sandy Duncan and Madge Sinclair in Roots (1977)
    Georg Stanford Brown in Roots (1977)
    Irene Cara and Beah Richards at an event for Roots (1977)
    Irene Cara at an event for Roots (1977)

    Top cast

    Edit
    LeVar Burton
    LeVar Burton
    • Kunta Kinte…
    Robert Reed
    Robert Reed
    • Dr. William Reynolds
    John Amos
    John Amos
    • Older Kunta Kinte…
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    Louis Gossett Jr.
    • Fiddler
    Lynda Day George
    Lynda Day George
    • Mrs. Reynolds
    Olivia Cole
    Olivia Cole
    • Mathilda…
    Madge Sinclair
    Madge Sinclair
    • Bell Reynolds
    Ben Vereen
    Ben Vereen
    • Chicken George Moore
    Lloyd Bridges
    Lloyd Bridges
    • Evan Brent
    Chuck Connors
    Chuck Connors
    • Tom Moore
    Georg Stanford Brown
    Georg Stanford Brown
    • Tom Harvey
    Lorne Greene
    Lorne Greene
    • John Reynolds
    Ralph Waite
    Ralph Waite
    • Slater
    Sandy Duncan
    Sandy Duncan
    • Missy Anne Reynolds
    Brad Davis
    Brad Davis
    • Old George
    Edward Asner
    Edward Asner
    • Capt. Thomas Davies
    Ji-Tu Cumbuka
    Ji-Tu Cumbuka
    • Wrestler
    Hilly Hicks
    Hilly Hicks
    • Lewis Harvey
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Author Harold Courlander successfully sued author Alex Haley for plagiarizing works which led to the book that served as the basis for this miniseries. Haley paid $650,000 in an out-of-court settlement.
    • Goofs
      Kizzy, a slave who works in the fields, has long, beautifully manicured fingernails.
    • Quotes

      Omoro, Kunta's father: [holding his infant son up to starry sky] Kunta Kinte, behold the only thing greater than yourself!

    • Alternate versions
      The original version of Roots on ABC featured slightly different opening titles. The Roots Mural was the same, but when the title Roots was shown on-screen it was over a dark blue background. The cover of the novel rises up from a horizontal to a vertical position. The screen says "AN ABC NOVEL FOR TELEVISION ALEX HALEY'S ROOTS THE SAGA OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY." Current VHS, dvd, and re-broadcasts simply have "Roots" on a black background, without the other information. Also, the end credits have been changed considerably. In the original, there were eight sets of end credits (one for each episode.) When the show was re-edited to six episodes, names were combined for different hours and some of the end credit sequences (with a still from that episode) are missing, including one featuring Kizzy and Missy Anne having a picnic.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 29th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (1977)
    • Soundtracks
      Oluwa
      by Quincy Jones

    User reviews73

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    EXTRAORDINARY PIECE OF HISTORY AND DRAMA
    I first became interested in Roots when I heard about it on the Disney Channel movie "The Color of Friendship" in 2001. The next time it resurfaced was in Jan. 2002, when Hallmark was going to reair it. Rather than wait (and waste tape) for every night, I bought it on DVD. It is amazing how the crew acheived the dream of Alex Haley's ancestors horrid past, from slave capture to auction, to escape to crippling, to being sold and death. The one thing that shocked me the most was how the KKK was involved in that family's life. When there were funny moments, I laughed and when there were sad moments, I wept. To sum it up: Roots is a masterful miniseries that no family should be without.
    helpful•9
    8
    • Mrj72188
    • Jan 21, 2002

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 23, 1977 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Raíces
    • Filming locations
      • St. Simons Island, Georgia, USA
    • Production companies
      • David L. Wolper Productions
      • Warner Bros. Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      9 hours 48 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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