News Desk - October


Monday October 22nd 2007

Roots : 30th Anniversary Edition

Celebrate the TV series that inspired an entire nation when Warner Home Video mark the 30th anniversary of the groundbreaking broadcast of Roots with a pair of must-own DVD releases – Roots : 30th Anniversary Edition and for the first time ever on DVD Roots : The Next Generations.

Available to buy from Warner Home Video on 29th October 2007, these box sets are packed with special features including documentaries and commentaries that explore the making of both series' and examine the continuing powerful legacy of these landmark shows.

With memorable performances and all-star acting talent including James Earl Jones, Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando, Georg Stanford Brown, Debbie Allen, LeVar Burton, Olivia de Havilland, OJ Simpson and Richard Thomas, Roots : 30th Anniversary Edition and Roots : The Next Generations are timeless additions to any DVD collection and make perfect gifts this Christmas.

In January 1977, 80 million US TV viewers surrounded their television sets to watch the mini-series that followed the lives of several generations of a slave family and helped to change the racial consciousness of a nation. An astounding 100 million viewers saw the thought provoking final episode, which thirty years later is still the third most watched TV show in American history while a stunning 85% of all television homes saw all or part of the mini-series. Roots remains the number one mini-series of all time.

Roots : 30th Anniversary Edition

Based on Pulitzer Prize winner Alex Haley's best-selling novel about his African ancestors, Roots is the story of Kunta Kinte, a West African youth captured by slave raiders and shipped to America in the 1700s. The saga follows the different generations up until the Civil War where Kunte Kinte's grandson, Chicken George, gained emancipation. The mini-series captivated the American television audience and became a social phenomenon unlike any other program of its time. The series brought racial issues to the forefront, became a catalyst for open and honest discussions about race and sparked a national interest in genealogy and family history.

Special Features

  • "Crossing Over: How Roots Captivated An Entire Nation" – a newly created documentary for this 30th anniversary edition examining the cultural legacy of Roots
  • "Remembering Roots" - behind-the-scenes documentary
  • Audio Commentary - feature-length commentary by key cast members including LeVar Burton, Cicely Tyson and Ed Asner
  • Video Highlights - key cast members relay their memories of filming particular scenes
  • CD-Rom Content – Roots' family tree

Roots : The Next Generations

The sequel to Alex Haley's original Roots, Roots : The Next Generations garnered two Emmy awards including "Outstanding Miniseries." The powerful saga picks up where the original left off and follows Tom and his family as they struggle to exercise the rights they gained from Emancipation. Through two World Wars and the turbulent Civil Rights movement the compelling series takes you all the way up to the 1960's and 1970's when Alex Haley, played by Oscar nominated actor James Earl Jones, begins the journey to piece his family lineage together. It is with this backdrop of social unrest that Alex Haley's search resulted in one of America's greatest stories ever told.

Special Features

  • "The Legacy Continues" - an exclusive insight into the ongoing impact of the series up to the present day

Help support DVD365.net by ordering your copy of Roots : 30th Anniversary Edition / Roots : The Next Generations by clicking below:-
Buy 'Roots : 30th Anniversary Edition' from Amazon.co.uk  Buy 'Roots : The Next Generations' from Amazon.co.uk

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