I wonder if this mini-series is what set me off on my life-ling interest in history.
“Roots”, the original 1977 mini-series has arrived on Blu-ray for the first time, and it has been that long since I have seen it. I remember when it was first broadcast. It was a massive success and this was essentially a new way of telling stories on television.
What we have here is a gripping telling of Alex Haley’s novel about slavery in America over the course of several generations. Changes, alterations and deviations from the source material are inevitable, and “Roots” is no different, especially when you consider the mini-series was a new form of storytelling and the subject was (and still is) a bit of a hot-button issue. On top of that the realism here is shocking, especially to audiences 40 years ago.
Much of the first episode is about Kunte Kinte and his life as a “regular” person in his village in Africa. Things change of course when he is captured and taken into slavery. No, this is not some story where the sequence of capture and shipment to North America is a 10 minute montage but examined pretty realistically. “Roots” did not shy away from being as graphic as it could be – so much so the network wasn’t sure it would find an audience.
Eventually Kunte Kinte dies, but his dream of freedom lives on through his offspring. What they deal with has been portrayed often, but this is what set the bar and it is still effective to this day. Eventually freedom is won – but Kunte Kinte does not see it.
This is a story everybody should experience. It is a great family drama but also a great American history lesson. We all know slavery is wrong and it is a dark chapter in our history, but it is one we should not metaphorically sweep under the rug.
There recently was a remake of the miniseries which I did not watch. I was mildly interested, but this, to me, is still the definitive version. I read the book a few years after watching the mini-series and both are great, but there is a presence to the visual medium that you get.
On Blu-ray we get a fantastic picture and sound, so much better than I thought possible. I like how the aspect ratio of the original broadcast is preserved without artificially cropping the top and bottom of the screen to force it to fit onto modern televisions. This means there are black bars on the sides of the screen, there is no need to be alarmed.
“Roots” is not something for young kids. I was 9 or 10 at the time it was originally broadcast and am sort of surprised my mother let me. I don’t know if I’m going to let my 10 year old watch this. It’s good, but the subject matter and presentation are … frankly, honest. I’ll certainly let my 13 year old watch this.
“Roots” is presented in its original 8 episode format, sometimes the episodes were 2 hours in length, sometimes one hour (that included time for commercials). The result is a bit… weird. But remember, this was a new way of telling stories and the network wasn’t sure this would work. We get a series of new and old special features, and I don’t know how many of them are carried over from the previous DVD version versus any that are dropped.
One of the older ones looks at how the mini-series captivated the nation and helped shape the television landscape. Another one looks at the making of the mini-series and the difficulties of doing so. New special features include a retrospective with cast-members and how it has affected them, and another looking at the its importance. There is more but you don’t need me to list them all.
“Roots” is necessary viewing. Not only is it an important part of our nation’s history, but it is also an important part of our television history. This new Blu-ray does a great job of presenting it to those of us who remember as well as a new audience.