Roots: The Original Series [DVD] [1977]

• The disk has English audio and subtitles.

Based on Alex Haley's best-selling novel about his African ancestors, Roots follows several generations in the lives of a slave family. The saga begins with Kunta Kinte (played by LeVar Burton), a West African youth captured by slave traders and shipped to America in the 1700s. This young man is torn from his homeland and in torment and anguish brought to the slave markets of the new world. The film traces his life and those of his family, depicted up until the Civil War where Kunte Kinte's grandson gains emancipation. It captures generations of love, tears, pain, strife, sacrifice and happiness, reminding us of the resilience and resource of the human spirit even under crippling injustice. Roots garnered widespread popularity in the 1970s and made its mark in TV ratings, with on average 130 million viewers--almost half the country at the time--watching all or part of the series. This DVD collection is a celebration of 30 years since its original release. Also available: Roots: The Complete Collection i>, which contains this box set of the original series, plus Roots: The Next Generation i> and, for the first time on DVD, Roots: The Gift, which focuses on the lives of two slaves from the original series. Note: The discs are double sided and only have one episode per side expect for disc 3 which has two episodes on side A and documentary on side B and the 4th disc has the 2007 documentary.