5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Historical portrait that recounts one family’s struggle to resist the institution of American slavery, as they carry on the legacy of Kunta Kinte despite enormous hardship and inhumanity. Based on Alex Haley’s best-selling novel.
Starring: Malachi Kirby, Forest Whitaker, Laurence Fishburne, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anika Noni RoseHistory | 100% |
War | 41% |
Drama | 24% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
American broadcast network television changed forever on the evening of January 23, 1977, though as so often seems to be the case when an epochal shift occurs, it wasn’t part of some supposed master plan. Roots: The Complete Original Series debuted that winter evening, creating a sensation that only built over the subsequent several evenings as further episodes unspooled, with the final episode airing on January 30, 1977 garnering an almost unheard of 71% share of all people watching television. It’s notable that Roots was therefore “must see TV” well over a decade before the National Broadcasting Company started branding some of its shows with that rubric, but it’s also notable that despite a popular misconception, the 1977 Roots was not the first miniseries. Short (or at least shorter) form series had already been more customary across the pond in the United Kingdom, but even American audiences had already been exposed to multi-night “special events” like QB VII and (especially) 1976’s Rich Man, Poor Man. ABC was evidently actually fairly nervous about Roots, tailoring promos to more prominently feature the white actors than the black, and playing down the more brutal aspects of the slave trade. They needn’t have worried—the audience, while understandably shocked at one of the more detailed (if not always completely factual) accounts of one of the more shameful scars on human history, saw Roots as both dramatic and educational, and in fact the whole viewing experience often became a family affair, replete with discussion sessions afterward. It was a rare moment of communal togetherness in the often fractious world of the United States, and the original Roots still holds an honored place in the annals of broadcast television. So, some might wonder, why remake it? While there ironically may be no good answer to that question, it’s therefore also ironic that this “new, improved” Roots is in its own way as riveting and meaningful as the original. It’s a somewhat flashier production, able to utilize elements like a widescreen aspect ratio, surround sound and a more blatantly cinematic ambience to give this version “zazz” (as they say), with an understanding that “zazz” is hardly what Roots calls for. Therefore, one of the most commendable thing about this iteration of Roots is how emotionally relevant and compelling it is.
Roots is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films and the History Channel with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The IMDb lists the Arri Alexa as the camera utilized for this shoot, and the results are often incredibly gorgeous, offering a razor sharp counterpoint to the often questionable morass of (im?)morality on display. While a quartet of directors and a pair of cinematographers evidently contributed to the final product, the overall look of the miniseries is quite homogenous, something that's even more remarkable when one considers the far flung locales that are being depicted. The first part of the miniseries tends to exploit more tones in the brown ranges, as Kunta's African youth is detailed. Once things move into the American South, there's a bit more variety on display, but again the production design is often deliberately tamped down and even bland, allowing for brief pops of color in elements like scarves or natural items like fruit and vegetables. There's intermittent color grading on display, but detail levels are rarely if ever affected in any material way. Fine detail is often impressive, especially in the many close-ups. Contrast is also solid and consistent throughout the presentation. Compression has been well handled and no overt problems were noticed in preparation for this review.
Roots features a nicely detailed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers some excellent surround activity in many sequences including everything from African raids to the hold of the slave ship to Revolutionary War battles to even the gentle wafting of breezes through a cotton field. Some of the ambient environmental effects are subtle at times, but discrete channel placement is the norm rather than the exception, especially when the miniseries ventures outside (which it frequently does). Dialogue is rendered cleanly (the miniseries is multilingual, with some forced English subtitles on occasion).
The first Roots was such a phenomenon on so many levels that a remake would seem on its face to be a fool's errand. The fact that this Roots succeeds in such large measure is not so much surprising (given the talent involved) as it is actually uplifting, knowing that Alex Haley's incredible tale can "survive" even the efforts of a bunch of Hollywood types trying to reinvent the veritable wheel. This is a somewhat glossier version of the story, but it's also considerably more graphic than the original version. Those may seem to be mutually exclusive elements, but this Roots manages to balance them incredibly effectively. Technical merits are strong, and Roots comes Highly recommended.
1977
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