Balloon Juice commenter lamh36 posted her final thoughts on the recently aired remake of Roots as a comment last night. I asked her if we could put it up as a guest post because I think it deserves to be seen by more than those who happened to be commenting on one particular post on Friday night. She graciously said yes and sent me the link to where she’d posted it on her own blog. She also has a very interesting post about the Roots remake that she posted before it had aired, so make sure to click through and check that one out too. Lamh36’s post viewing remarks on Roots are below.
So, yesterday I watched the finale of the Roots tv reboot.
Here are my final final reflections.
So, you may already know, I wasn’t gonna watch…then thanks to blogger Awesomely Luvvie ( On ROOTS Reimagined and Retelling This Classic Story) and other folk I respect I decided to give it a chance. I never saw the original. Usually, I shy away from this type of drama because unless you are a heartless bastard it sticks with you and unless you are a ditzy absentminded sort of person it lingers in your mind even after watching…but I disregarded my usual aversion and I watched episode one.
So first of all, History channel did a GREAT job of filling in some of the holes in the story, that folks expressed about Haley’s original book with facts, figures and real life events of the time. In fact, even though it was based on Haley’s book and ancestors, they stuck to the story Haley told, but interspersed the personal family story, with a History channel style reenactments of real life events and happenings of the time in which the story was set (if you followed them on twitter, they also sent out factoids about the time and the people during the commercial breaks, and also with blurbs at the end of scenes with significant historical impact).
Another thing I applauded, was that unlike with the orignal mini-series, they didn’t go for ANY stunt casting (no white sitcom stars or black pro-athletes in this one). Instead, other than for a couple of the iconic roles (i.e. Fiddler, Kizzy, Tom Lea…) the cast was made up of new, and hopefully, up and coming young actresses and actors of color, including some for whom the show was their very first real acting job (US or otherwise). The standouts including Malachi Kirby as Kunta Kinte, Regé-Jean Page as Chicken George, Erica Tazel as Matilda, and a number of other younger actresses and actors. The casting for the series was really good.
As I expected, each and every scene lingered. but as I watched the first ep and the second ep…I began to see this NOT as a story of victim hood, or airing grievances against white people (though to be fair from this family’s saga standpoint and millions of others who were slaves…the grievances against white folks were valid and should NOT be forgotten or erased from conversation). Anyway, I began to see it as the story of SURVIVORS! From Africa to the Americas…these people SURVIVED all this brutality and came out of it on the other side yes bloodied but ALIVE and in many cases unbowed. So even with the painful acts and lingering anger at the entire institution of slavery in America, I feel blessed to know that I come from generations of these Survivors and I’d like to hope that their stories are told and heard by as many folks as can see or hear them, Black or white.
Miss Bianca
Thanks, lamh36 and Adam, for the repost and the thoughtful words. I must have been one of the only sentient beings in America who didn’t see the original mini-series when it was first on TV (I was 11 or 12 at the time), tho’ I remember the stir about it. Now I’m wondering which version to start with. Maybe i’ll start with the book and work my way out – Alex Haley has been on my mind lately.
rikyrah
I loved Roots.
I understand the hesitation of folks like lamh. I don’t think anyone really likes to watch slavery narratives, but ones that accurately portray slavery in all its evil, have only been a recent phenomenon. I believe that we need to tell the story of this very obvious and important part of American history. Slavery is in the DNA of this country, in all its evilness, and it cannot be ignored. Should not be ignored. As long as the portrayals are accurate of the depth of the evil.
I think that, even though it was shorter, they delved into the emotions of the characters. The background of Kunta in Africa was the most marked change between the original and the updated version.I really appreciated that.
Like lamh, I’m so glad that they cast relatively unknown actors, who more than carried their weight.
Yes, they were survivors, and through horrific circumstances, they made it through. The last scene, with Lawrence Fisburne as Alex Haley, with the ancestors, upon repeated viewing, gets me as much as the original with James Earl Jones.
Thanks for posting this.
Baud
I missed it, but now I hope it’s available online at some point.
Miss Bianca
@Baud: They’ll probably release it on DVD at some point, too. That’s how I catch most of the good stuff these days.
Lamh36
Hey..cool beans!
Thx for posting it Adam.
And I’d like to apologize in advance for any grammatical errors in the other pre-Roots blog post you linked to. Unlike the final Roots post, that other post was literally a cut and paste of comments from one of my blog rolls where I comment as well…so the sentence structure and stuff wasn’t as formal as I like?
History channel has the miniseries online I believe and they are also airing separate pieces of BTS footage and another short episode that discusses the Roots story and American History
You can watch series here: http://roots.history.com/
Baud
@Lamh36: Thanks!
geg6
@Baud:
It’s everything lamh says so catch it asap!
I, too, was leery of watching but she was the one who talked me into it. And I’m so glad she did. I read the book and saw the original back in its first iteration and was incredibly moved by it as a young adult. But this one, though shorter, was much more rich with history and experience. Just a great tv experience with great social and emotional value. And yes, they are survivors. My ancestors faced hardships and survived but the slaves of America and their progeny are the very definition of survivors.
Baud
Still can’t believe the History Channel did something so positively historical.
Ben Cisco
Haven’t seen the new one, been preoccupied. Vividly remember the original and the fact that attendance at my high school dropped precipitously after somebody decided to make a “joke” the morning after the premiere that was…poorly received. Based on your recommendation, I’ll give it a go when I can. Thanks for posting this.
henqiguai
@Baud(#8):
After having just read an article in Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek on National Geographic Society, NatGeo cable, and the Murdock media empire, I suspect History Channel (a property of the Discovery network, I believe) is probably feeling the heat of competition and the fact that upgraded non-reality (semi-scripted) crap is becoming more in demand. But that’s just my cynical hope surging to the fore.
Amaranthine RBG
I’m with Snoop on this one.
Anoniminous
Every white American needs to go to colonial Williamsburg or someplace and see a reenactment of a slave auction. Slavery was a defining characteristic of the United States and the cultural spin-offs and mores slavery created are still active today.
Mary G
Thanks for this, lamh36. I avoid slavery films too, out of guilt. I don’t know for certain, but I am pretty sure that my father’s ancestors owned slaves. They mainly lived in Alabama and Mississippi and I know they had money. So I have that inherited blood on my hands. I’m sorry. I wish there was was a way to make amends.
My dad had the good sense to get himself disinherited before I was born, at least.
Love your comments, links and gifs. This is an important post and I am glad Adam frontpaged it.
Adam L Silverman
@Lamh36: You are quite welcome! It needed to be on the front page.
Adam L Silverman
@Baud: We all know why:
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/45/e9/61/45e9611843dd4f549f199a7cf2ba2701.jpg
Adam L Silverman
@Anoniminous: And once you’ve done that and need something to lighten the mood, go watch the Tea Party folks who go to Colonial Williamsburg to ask, in earnest, the guy reenacting George Washington what to do to fix American since President Obama has destroyed the Constitution.
Mnemosyne
I haven’t been watching much TV lately so this wasn’t on my radar, but I want to watch this and “Underground,” which is WGN’s series about the Underground Railroad.
@Mary G:
People got mad at me for pointing this out in another thread, but slavery was pervasive in the North prior to the American Revolution, so pretty much every family who had servants (middle class and above) had at least one slave. My ancestry on my mother’s side goes back to Jamestown, so unfortunately I know many of them owned at least a few slaves. It wasn’t just something that happened on plantations in the South.
smith
It’s interesting that having ancestors who owned slaves is such a fraught subject that their descendants, who have no control over their ancestors’ behavior, feel especially guilty about it. I understand and agree with the argument that white people enjoy material and social privileges today because of the legacy of slavery. However, while slavery was an unalloyed evil, equally evil is the long ugly hangover from slavery, the persisitent racism and lack of concern for the value of black lives that formed the original rationale for slavery. All white people, regardless of whether their forebears owned slaves, have benefited from that ongoing racial injustice, and all need to acknowledge it. This is the one problem I have with reparations for slavery — not that it’s inappropriate to try to make things right, but that it’s not correct to identify the need for reparations as stemming solely from slavery rather than from the ongoing, present racism that infuses our society. If we don’t recognize ongoing racism as the basis of the need to make amends it will be too easy for white people who didn’t directly benefit from slavery to deny any responsibility.
Brachiator
I barely knew this remake even existed. I didn’t see much publicity for it, and most of that was the false controversy over whether there should even be a remake, that it could never live up to the original.
So, I didn’t get a chance to see it, and hope to catch it later on.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mnemosyne: No, people did not get mad at you for pointing out that slavery was pervasive in the northern colonies. People called you out for inaccurately stating that everyone in the northern colonies owned slaves.
henqiguai
The care and feeding of slaves was an expensive proposition. It’s doubtful even a large minority of families in the slave-holding South had slaves.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus:
Please explain the vast difference between “slavery was pervasive” and the more colloquial “everyone had slaves” that was so confusing.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mnemosyne: Go reread the thread.
Mnemosyne
@henqiguai:
That’s because you’re picturing slavery as being reserved to large plantations with hundreds of people working there. If you have a small household in a state where where slavery is legal and just need a couple of servants, it’s just as easy — if not easier — to buy them because you’re going to have to feed, clothe, and house them anyway, so why also take on the expense of paying a salary to someone who can leave whenever they want?
That’s the form it took in New England, and I’ve never seen any evidence that it completely died out in the South in favor of the plantation system. To put it bluntly, it was like having a car — a necessity that was also a status symbol to your neighbors.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus:
I will if you go back and re-read what I actually said, with context, and not what you guys assumed when you skimmed it and two words jumped out at you.
James E Powell
Original Roots ran on eight consecutive nights. The show was THE story – dominated conversations everywhere – ratings went up as the show went on. No DVR, VHS, or on-demand. You had to watch it when it was on.
Nation was stunned by the first view of slavery that was remotely close to the reality. Recall how the existing narrative on slavery was pretty much Gone With the Wind.
Casting known TV actors looks pretty cheesy and probably was, BUT there was a certain impact from having these actors – nearly all of whom were thought of as “good guys” – playing cruel slavers.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mnemosyne: Done. I didn’t skim the first time and I didn’t skim this time. I still say you are wrong, but I am not going to clog up this thread repeating things said in the previous one.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus:
Wevs. If you truly think there’s an enormous difference between “slavery was pervasive” and “everyone had slaves,” then I will withdraw the latter statement and substitute the former. Happy now?
Emerald
@Baud: Makes up for a lot, doesn’t it?
Not for the alien invaders though.
KS in MA
@Lamh36: Thanks for the link, lamh, and thanks for your post!
MomSense
Thanks Lamh and Adam. I DVRd the series so I can watch when things settle down a bit and I can give it my full attention. I still remember watching the original when I was a kid.
Schlemazel Khan
@Mnemosyne:
It wasn’t so much we got mad as we pointed out that you were wrong and, additionally, that indentured servitude != Slavery. That hardly forgives our original sin but it is very different from the story you painted.
Mnemosyne
@Schlemazel Khan:
Indentured servitude and slavery existed side-by-side, and even New England households would have both slaves and indentured servants in the same household. But if you guys want to live in denial, that’s not my problem.
Schlemazel Khan
@Mnemosyne: @Mnemosyne:
You said “everyone owned slaves” when it was pointed out that was wrong you changed it a bit but were still wrong and still conflating slavery,an condition that lasted for generations with indentured servitude,an bad thing but nowhere near the evil of slavery.
Brachiator
@henqiguai:
A University of Virginia analysis puts this into perspective, looking at 1860:
And the study’s larger conclusion is inescapable:
“Slave labor was as much a part of life in the antebellum South as heat in the summer and hog-killing time in the late fall. Southerners across the Confederacy, from Texas to Florida to Virginia, civilian and soldier alike, were awash in the institution of slavery. They were up to their necks in it. They swam in it, and no amount of willful denial can change that.”
Mnemosyne
@Schlemazel Khan:
Look, you can be in denial, or you can accept history and the fact that slavery was pervasive in New England until the American Revolution. Your choice.
The Lodger
@Mnemosyne: Reminds me of the quote, “No one goes to the Hamptons anymore. They’re too crowded.”
schrodinger's cat
@Mnemosyne: Pervasive != Everyone
Pervasive == significant percentage (could be anything from 10% to 100%)
Everyone == 100%
Servants != Slaves
People in domestic service can quit, slaves cannot.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
Are people really trying to argue that the North had no slaves?
Picking on NY because I can find links quickly:
I’ll have to dig out some of my genealogy notes for the legal details, but indentured servitude wasn’t a gentle institution, either. Many of the indenture owners tried very hard to work their indentures to death before their term was up.
Omnes Omnibus
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism: No, no one argued that. People took issue with this statement: and what’s really striking is that in the pre-Revolutionary period, everyone owned slaves. Every. One. And this one: in colonial (pre-American Revolution) times, EVERYONE owned slaves.
Brachiator
@schrodinger’s cat: People held under indentured servitude could not just up and quit. But if the statement was made that there was a time when everyone owned slaves, this was an overstatement.
But stuff like this also seems to distract from the noxious racism that infected all of America. The lives of free people of color were terribly constrained even where slavery did not exist. And of course people who owned slaves could freely travel with them throughout the colonies.
Uncle Ebeneezer
I can’t wait to see Roots (it’s on Sling TV right now if you have that.)
This is a point that Rod on TheBlackGuyWhoTips podcast (which you all should check out if you like alot of laughter with your politics and Social Justice) made a month or so ago about Slavery movies. He started joking about how he can’t wait to go see the Nat Turner movie in a theater filled with White people just to laugh and cheer and make us as uncomfortable as possible but then went on to a pretty serious discussion of why he views slavery films as survival stories that speak to the incredible fortitude, faith and forgiveness of Black people given what they’ve been through. Anyways, great post Lamh36.
nutella
A memory from the original Roots:
Everybody watched it, including the elderly white Virginian woman across the street. When asked her opinion of the show she said she found it interesting but objected to a scene about a master raping a slave girl as inappropriate for television.
When we pointed out that was such a common event that they really had to include an example she insisted that it had NEVER happened.
When we asked how it came about that many black people in America have much lighter skin color than black people in Africa she snapped back “They came that way from Africa. I learned that in school.”
I’ve never forgotten that: Virginia public schools taught that to children!
We got her a history book from the library to read more about the topic but I don’t know if she was ever convinced that she’d believed an obvious lie her whole life.