| Author |
Message |
Hskrfan
Member
06-30-2011
| Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 9:26 am 
Is anyone watching the Mini Series.
I tuned in and was hooked.
I barely remember the 70s version but am very impressed with the remake.
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 10:15 am
I don't think I saw any of the original but I remember it being on, I was probably too young to appreciate it.
I watched the two hours last night but probably will fall behind during the week (I think it's on two hours a night until Thursday) and won't finish for a while.
I have some reservations about the show. Obviously on the historical side it is essential that people know what happened, and that it is expressed in a way that makes us, as much as it is possible, feel the pain not just read it as sterile text. But I wonder if it will actually reach the audience who need to see this, and instead will just be seen by people who already get it, and people who will become angered by it.
I follow Levar Burton on twitter (he was the original Kunte Kinte and was a big part of this production), and he's getting slammed about laying guilt on people. He's also getting a lot of people thanking him of course.
I don't know, it would just be sad if something that is meant to unite is used to divide, and in the current climate it seems that everything is used to divide.
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Hskrfan
Member
06-30-2011
| Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 12:37 pm
Kitt,
Kind of understand your point, however, you can't avoid things just because it may divide us.
There will always be some who choose to ignore history or claim it was not really that bad.
Those people are Post Rational (you can't reason with them) and you can't let their ignorance dictate from telling the truth and presenting facts.
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Tuesday, May 31, 2016 - 1:29 pm
I agree, but the original is out there, and from what I read is still as powerful as it ever was, doesn't seem dated or anything like that, and it just seems bad timing to redo this now when bigotry and aggression is being celebrated, when they will use it as more fodder. They are already doing it online.
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 10:14 am
Last night's one was awful watching, particularly the part with the daughter.
Levar Burton tweets that when the dad lion holds the cub up to the sky in The Lion King, that it came from the naming ceremony in Roots. I'm never going to see that again and not think of it.
It seems the show isn't getting as much press/coverage as I thought it would. 5 million viewers but I haven't read so much about it today. I guess the detractors aren't watching (no surprise there) so they've said all they were going to say.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 11:06 am
We watched it last night off of our DVR. Powerful, thought provoking, disturbing, interesting, shameful history, and well done kind of sums up the key points exchanged between my wife and I. My wife did not watch the original series back in 1977 but I remember it not only because the subject matter but also as the first miniseries and retrospectively how far ahead of its time it was.
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Pamy
Member
01-01-2002
| Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 7:04 pm
I rewatched the original this past year and it does hold up, so much so that I dont' think they needed a remake. It is just as shocking now as it was then
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Beth4freedom
Member
10-24-2003
| Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 7:21 pm
I remember the original Roots so powerfully, so vividly, that I was reluctant to watch a remake, even it is spearheaded by the original "Kunta Kinta" actor Levar Burton. Finally did watch a large portion of the 2-hr plus new Roots Part 1 on demand (history channel and/or A&E); they spent an overly-long portion of first episode in Africa, much longer than I remember in original Roots, although I liked their including an on- board slave revolt a la Armistad. Other personal review note: I admire Forrest Whitaker as an actor and have loved him in a lot of roles, but he is just NOT Fiddler; he lacks Louis Gossett's spirit and twinkle in the eye.
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Rupertbear2
Member
07-15-2015
| Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 7:49 pm
I watched some of it tonight but from what I saw...I think I much prefer the original.
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Naja
Member
06-28-2003
| Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 7:49 pm
We are really enjoying the new one. I think a new one really has a place at this time besides showing how it was for slaves. I know my niece and nephew, 18 and 14, completely tune out or pass by anything on tv that isn't filmed in HD or at least in widescreen. Stretching out standard definition shows to full screen doesn't cut it for them. It's considered ancient to them.
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Kitt
Member
09-05-2000
| Wednesday, June 01, 2016 - 9:49 pm
Levar Burton was on The Talk today and said something similar. We as ~more mature~ folk might see the quality of the original, and younger people might see the quality of the original if they could sit through it, but they can't, it is too old style to them.
I wasn't prepared not to see Kunta again. It is good to see successive generations but sad to know Kunta must be gone by now, and not to know what came of him.
A trip to England is strange. After tonight we are in 1836, and by then slavery is abolished in England and the Royal Navy have set up blockades to stop the slave trade by any country from Africa. They can use Toby as a servant of course, but legally he is a free man. What that meant in 1836 I don't know, and I am guessing we'll get an education in that tomorrow.
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Hskrfan
Member
06-30-2011
| Thursday, June 02, 2016 - 8:00 am
I like the remake better. It is much more graphic than the original (although I fear real life was even more graphic and disturbing). It is also from the perspective of the slaves, as it should be. For those who aren’t happy with the remake don’t watch it. However, if a new generation can watch learn and most importantly grow for it, I say Bravo.
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Jimmer
Moderator
08-30-2000
| Thursday, June 02, 2016 - 8:08 am
It's interesting to think of a historical piece as being "too old style".
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