M. Charles Cohen
This award-winning six-part historical epic was one of the first examples of the miniseries format and one of the highest-rated television programs in broadcasting history. Based on the best-selling novel by author Alex Haley, Roots chronicles the progress of Haley's own family across many generations, from the kidnapping of an African warrior by American slave traders to eventual post-Civil War freedom. Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) is a young tribesman of coastal Africa who has passed the rituals marking his transition into manhood. Searching for wood to build a drum, he is set upon by slavers who sell him in the United States after a nightmarish Atlantic crossing. Defiant, Kunta refuses to consider himself a slave, despite some sage advice from his mentor, the more mature Fiddler (Louis Gossett Jr.). As the years pass, the aging Kunta (John Amos) is hobbled for his repeated escape attempts. Realizing he'll never return to Africa, Kunta settles down, becoming husband to Bell (Madge Sinclair) and father to Kizzy (Leslie Uggams), a girl infused with her father's independent spirit. Sold and then raped by her new master, Kizzy has a son, Chicken George (Ben Vereen), a happy go lucky cockfighting expert who uses his skills to buy his freedom. George paves the way for his children, the great-grandchildren of Kunta Kinte, who finally become free in the aftermath of the Civil War. Roots (1977) was followed by a sequel miniseries, Roots: The Next Generations (1979), and a made-for-television feature, Roots: The Gift (1988), as well as another telefilm based on the family history of the Haley clan, Queen (1993). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- LeVar Burton, Louis Gossett, Jr., (more)
- 1976
This TV movie was the longest--and dullest--of the three filmizations of George Brewer Jr. and Bertram Block's play Dark Victory. Elizabeth Montgomery stars as a successful TV producer (an heiress in the original play) who suffers from headaches. Her doctor (Anthony Hopkins) knows that the ailment is an incurable brain tumor, but at first he keeps this information a secret from the producer. When she learns the truth, she is bitter and resentful, but before walking gently into the Hereafter she falls in love with and marries the doctor. The 1939 Bette Davis Dark Victory wrapped this up in 106 minutes; the 1963 Susan Hayward remake, Stolen Hours, lasted only 100 minutes. Elizabeth Montgomery's Dark Victory is stretched out over two and one-half hours...and when it's all over, she's just as dead as Davis and Hayward (The Montgomery version was later pared down to 90 minutes, only a minor improvement). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Elizabeth Montgomery, (more)
- 1974
In this drama a young couple suffer a terrible tragedy that forces them to begin acting like mature adults. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Set in Canada at the turn of the century, Drylanders stars James Douglas as a veteran of the Boer War. Returning home, Douglas finds city life not to his liking, so he opts for the life of a wheat farmer. At first prosperous, Douglas' farm falls victim to a nationwide drought. He struggles to keep the business afloat, but dies before rain comes; his wife (Frances Hyland) valiantly carries on her husband's work. Originally written for television by M. Charles Cohen, Drylanders was prepared for theatrical release through Columbia Pictures--and thus became the first non-documentary feature ever produced by the Film Board of Canada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Hyland, James Douglas, (more)
- 1962
The Formative Years consisted of two separate miniseries dramatizing the formation of Canada in the 19th and 20th century. The first group of three episodes, focusing on the War of 1812, was broadcast under the blanket title "A War for Survival," and featured an all-star cast. University of Toronto professor John T. Saywell showed up on the fourth episode to moderate as discussion on the first three. Next came the five-part "Road to Confederation," a documentary miniseries produced by the National Film Board which offered in-depth studies of such noteworthy Canadians as John A. MacDonald, Alexander Galt, Georges-Etienne Cartier, Charles Tupper, and Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine. The Formative Years aired on the CBC's late-evening Wednesday schedule from October 31, 1962 to January 16, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
