When talking about Roots it's good to keep in mind Woodrow Wilson's praise of D.W. Griffith's Birth Of A Nation. "History written with lightning" were the words of the 28th president for a ground breaking film reflecting his southern upbringing. Something similar should be said about Roots which gives the history of slavery as seen through the eyes of the descendants of Kunte Kinte of which author Alex Haley was one.
Every black male player of the time in 1977 whose name wasn't Sidney Poitier seem to participate here and those who didn't make it to the original production made it to the sequel. The females did just as well. Levar Burton who played the teenage Kunte Kinte was given his first big break and this became one of two career roles for him, the other being Geordi LaForge on Star Trek The Next Generation.
Favorites of mine included John Amos who played the adult Kunte Kinte renamed Toby by his owners. He never forgets his Roots which is the whole basis of the mini-series. But he does become a father. His daughter is played by Leslie Uggams and she's a standout as well. So for me is Lou Gossett, Jr. who played The Fiddler who tries to teach Kunte Kinte aka Toby how to survive. Amos is not a willing pupil to say the least.
The white players here in southern society have some juicy roles as well. My absolute favorite here is Sandy Duncan who is the quintessence of the empty headed southern belle brought up when push comes to shove to regard her slaves as property.
One thing that is rarely discussed about Roots is the tradition in many cultures of oral history. It is his African tradition of that that keeps the generations in touch with the African past. Slave owners were quite specific about not teaching their slaves how to read and write. Illiteracy is a powerful weapon, but it need not be invincible as Roots demonstrates.
The story of Kunte Kinte's descendants takes us to shortly after the Civil War in the Reconstruction Era. This is as much history written with lightning than Birth Of A Nation was in its time.
In fact back in 1915 it would have been impossible to conceive of something like Roots being written and performed. That in itself is a testament as to how far we've come as a society.
Every black male player of the time in 1977 whose name wasn't Sidney Poitier seem to participate here and those who didn't make it to the original production made it to the sequel. The females did just as well. Levar Burton who played the teenage Kunte Kinte was given his first big break and this became one of two career roles for him, the other being Geordi LaForge on Star Trek The Next Generation.
Favorites of mine included John Amos who played the adult Kunte Kinte renamed Toby by his owners. He never forgets his Roots which is the whole basis of the mini-series. But he does become a father. His daughter is played by Leslie Uggams and she's a standout as well. So for me is Lou Gossett, Jr. who played The Fiddler who tries to teach Kunte Kinte aka Toby how to survive. Amos is not a willing pupil to say the least.
The white players here in southern society have some juicy roles as well. My absolute favorite here is Sandy Duncan who is the quintessence of the empty headed southern belle brought up when push comes to shove to regard her slaves as property.
One thing that is rarely discussed about Roots is the tradition in many cultures of oral history. It is his African tradition of that that keeps the generations in touch with the African past. Slave owners were quite specific about not teaching their slaves how to read and write. Illiteracy is a powerful weapon, but it need not be invincible as Roots demonstrates.
The story of Kunte Kinte's descendants takes us to shortly after the Civil War in the Reconstruction Era. This is as much history written with lightning than Birth Of A Nation was in its time.
In fact back in 1915 it would have been impossible to conceive of something like Roots being written and performed. That in itself is a testament as to how far we've come as a society.