Save to del.icio.us Share on newsvine Share on Digg Television: Celebrate the holiday honoring true freedom fighters Neal Justin: Is it OK for journalists to make political donations?
Television: 10 TV moments that shook, rattled and rolled us Television: So, what was 'The Sopranos' finale all about? With July 4th right around the corner, you're probably planning family picnics, staking out the perfect place to watch fireworks and pulling out your dusty John Philip Sousa albums. Here's one more thing to add to your holiday to-do list: Watch "Roots.
" Investing more than 10 precious summer hours in a 30-year-old TV miniseries may sound like an odd way to celebrate the country's birthday, especially when there are fresh episodes of "The Simple Life Goes to Camp" to savor. But I can't think of a better way to honor Independence Day, for this classic tale is not really about slavery. It's about freedom and the lengths to which we'll go to get it, even when it takes a century to get a taste.
When "Roots" was first aired in 1977, it was an unprecedented viewing event, attracting more than 100 million viewers for the final episode. To be honest, I can't remember if I was one of them. I was only 9 and in the midst of a heavy Popsicle addiction that melted many memories of my childhood.
For those my age and younger, the recent DVD release of "Roots: 30th Anniversary Edition" shouldn't just be a suggestion; it should be a requirement. Back then, miniseries had little more visual style than a "Love Boat" episode. Money was spent more on high-profile casting, and in this department "Roots" shines -- although watching O.
J. Simpson chase down a frightened African and put him in a headlock is doubly disturbing. Filling the roles of racist whites are some of the 1970s' most clean-cut actors, including Lloyd Bridges, Sandy Duncan, Lorne Greene, Ralph Waite, Ed Asner and Robert Reed.
I don't know if it was just a gimmick, but the vision of Mr. Brady ordering a slave to be whipped increases the horror. If the producers could have arranged it, I'm sure they would have put Captain Kangaroo in a KKK sheet.
But the most memorable performances belong to LeVar Burton and John Amos, who play, respectively, the younger and older versions of Kunta Kinte, a TV character as shrineworthy as Ralph Kramden or Mary Richards. After Kinte is captured by slave traders in the mid-1700s, he is brought to America, where he constantly tries to escape -- even though he has no idea where to go. At one point, he seems convinced that if he runs fast and far enough, he'll wind up back in Gambia.
The price he pays is enormous. You've probably seen the most indelible scene of "Roots" a million times, the one in which Kinte is tied up and whipped until he answers to his name. But what you may have forgotten is that the near-death ordeal happens while the wealthy plantation owner sits calmly in his office, reading the scriptures with a magnifying glass.
Kinte's escapes end when bounty hunters chop off half of his foot, but his quest for independence is handed down to later generations, including Kizzy (Leslie Uggams) and Chicken George (played by Ben Vereen with proud-as-a-rooster energy), eventually reaching "Roots" author Alex Haley, who makes an appearance in the final installment. Haley's story is America's story, whatever your race. It's one of fighting the odds for what's right, and handing down that passion to our children.
Revisit that journey -- and pass the apple pie. Find jobs by keyword: Save to del.icio.
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