Almost 20 years after the initial chapters of Alex Haley's "Roots", TV audiences got the opportunity to see another side of his family. This time, it is his father's side, as seen through the eyes of the half-white Queen (Halle Beery), a dainty but strong young woman, daughter of a slave and the white man she loved. The horrors of being a "half breed" are shown through humiliation by both the darker blacks and the whites who still think of her as a black girl regardless of the truth. Unlike "Roots", the story does not open in Africa; It starts before Queen's birth, exploring the hidden romance of her mother Easter (Jasmine Guy) and the son, Col. James Jackson Jr. (Tim Daly) of her master. Daly marries the beautiful belle Lizzie (Patricia Clarkson) but continues to love Easter, which brings out Lizzie's resentments. Queen grows up, becomes the companion to her half sister Jane (Jane Krakowski) who never finds out the truth. The men go off to war, tragedy strikes for the women remaining behind, and when the war is over, Queen must find her way as a free woman without a home.
Clarkson swings back and forth between resentment and gratitude, showing her anger towards both Easter and Queen, yet relying on Queen during moments of crisis. Ann-Margret, as the plantation matriarch, expresses sympathy towards Queen, but never refers to her once as her granddaughter, only acknowledging that she cares for her like she would for any other slave that they nurse through illness, feed when they are hungry and bury when they die, just like their Christian duty says they should. It is ironic that during the war while the men are away, it is Queen who holds the two women together, but as soon as the war is over, things are back as they were before, at least as far as how the white women treat her.
Most of the white characters are treated in a fair manner, with some more racist than the others. It struck me as ironic that one woman let it slide off her tongue that black people didn't have souls as if she was saying good morning. This happens after Queen has had encounters with two obsessively preachy spinsters (one of them being Sada Thompson of "Family" fame) who try to take Queen's illegitimate baby away from her in order to save its soul from its damned mother. Thompson has one sweet moment where she explains to Queen that she wished she knew how it felt to be loved by a man, but that doesn't stop her from eventually crossing the line with her.
Berry shines as Queen, whether finally allowing herself to explode at Clarkson for all the indignities she's placed on her without ever saying thank you, or dealing with the sight of her lynched lover hanging with body burnt beyond recognition on a noose. There is one moment close to the classic Leslie Uggams/Sandy Duncan scene in "Roots" (where Kizzy sees Missy Anne years after she betrayed her) when Queen is about to board a coach, and the wealthy white woman, thinking she's also white, thanks her for her company, cursing all the free blacks she must now share the coach with. Berry's look of satisfaction as to knowing the truth is hysterical.
This is a lavishly detailed mini-series about a quarter of the length of "Roots" (only three parts) with one of the most beautiful and lush musical scores I've heard on film. While, unlike "Roots", this only focuses on the legacy of one character, it still triumphs because it is about her rise above the indignities she's undergone and her perseverance to survive. The wonderful Danny Glover is excellent as Alec Haley, the loving man she meets as her life begins to settle down in place, even though she faces madness after catching on fire in a kitchen accident. Her experiences in the ultra-cruel mental institution are difficult to watch. When Queen revisits her first home to show her two sons where she was brought up, Berry shows much strength as she encounters the still bitter Lizzie in one final confrontation. It is ironic that with all of the religious talk jumbled in her head that her own inner strength and faith ultimately rewards her, and the legacy of her descendant will be set to tell all of his family's remarkable journeys.
Clarkson swings back and forth between resentment and gratitude, showing her anger towards both Easter and Queen, yet relying on Queen during moments of crisis. Ann-Margret, as the plantation matriarch, expresses sympathy towards Queen, but never refers to her once as her granddaughter, only acknowledging that she cares for her like she would for any other slave that they nurse through illness, feed when they are hungry and bury when they die, just like their Christian duty says they should. It is ironic that during the war while the men are away, it is Queen who holds the two women together, but as soon as the war is over, things are back as they were before, at least as far as how the white women treat her.
Most of the white characters are treated in a fair manner, with some more racist than the others. It struck me as ironic that one woman let it slide off her tongue that black people didn't have souls as if she was saying good morning. This happens after Queen has had encounters with two obsessively preachy spinsters (one of them being Sada Thompson of "Family" fame) who try to take Queen's illegitimate baby away from her in order to save its soul from its damned mother. Thompson has one sweet moment where she explains to Queen that she wished she knew how it felt to be loved by a man, but that doesn't stop her from eventually crossing the line with her.
Berry shines as Queen, whether finally allowing herself to explode at Clarkson for all the indignities she's placed on her without ever saying thank you, or dealing with the sight of her lynched lover hanging with body burnt beyond recognition on a noose. There is one moment close to the classic Leslie Uggams/Sandy Duncan scene in "Roots" (where Kizzy sees Missy Anne years after she betrayed her) when Queen is about to board a coach, and the wealthy white woman, thinking she's also white, thanks her for her company, cursing all the free blacks she must now share the coach with. Berry's look of satisfaction as to knowing the truth is hysterical.
This is a lavishly detailed mini-series about a quarter of the length of "Roots" (only three parts) with one of the most beautiful and lush musical scores I've heard on film. While, unlike "Roots", this only focuses on the legacy of one character, it still triumphs because it is about her rise above the indignities she's undergone and her perseverance to survive. The wonderful Danny Glover is excellent as Alec Haley, the loving man she meets as her life begins to settle down in place, even though she faces madness after catching on fire in a kitchen accident. Her experiences in the ultra-cruel mental institution are difficult to watch. When Queen revisits her first home to show her two sons where she was brought up, Berry shows much strength as she encounters the still bitter Lizzie in one final confrontation. It is ironic that with all of the religious talk jumbled in her head that her own inner strength and faith ultimately rewards her, and the legacy of her descendant will be set to tell all of his family's remarkable journeys.