Roots - Die nächsten Generationen

As great as the original ROOTS was, this sequel was even better. Boasting more top-line established movie greats than the original, such as Marlon Brando (who received an Emmy), Henry Fonda and Olivia De Havilland, it was just better made. Of course the power this continuing saga had was based on the original's greatness, so without the original this could not stand. But the lives of Kunta Kinte's descendants depicted here, from where the original left off around 1870, to the adult Alex Haley (masterfully played by James Earl Jones)working on his incredible genealogical novel, was spellbinding and immensely touching throughout every chapter.

Carrying over from the original, Georg Stanford Brown as Chicken George's son, Tom Harvey, Brown sets the tone for this sequel with his thoughtful performance as a man dealing with freedom for the first time in his life, and how it affected his daughters, one of whom would become the grandmother of Alex Haley. Irene Cara and Dorian Harewood would add to the roster of stellar acting as Alex's parents, and extremely notable too were efforts by Beah Richards, Bernie Casey, Andy Griffith, Howard E. Rollins, Richard Thomas, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, Damon Evans (as a young adult Alex Haley), and many others. A thoroughly rich and rewarding experience made even more spectacular because of its important subject matter.

If you're an instructor of History or Anthropology, as a visual recording of historical facts; viewing the entire Roots collection (including "Queen") is imperative.

It is also entertaining to see how the lives of people in these movies evolved.

Does anyone ever sit down to watch Part One of Roots without the other? I didn't even know it was separated into two parts until looking up the information online. As is the case with nearly every miniseries saga, the modern era is far less interesting than the historical ancestors. However, The Next Generations spends the vast majority of its episodes still as a period piece, from the 1880s through WWII. So, while Levar Burton is no longer in it, we still get to completely immerse ourselves in sympathetic and determined characters played by Dorian Harewood, Ruby Dee, Debbi Morgan, Marc Singer, Georg Stanford Brown, Avon Long, Irene Cara, and at long last James Earl Jones.

As was the case in the original, tons of Hollywood stars flocked to the small screen to be a part of the life-changing miniseries, and in Part Two, you'll see Olivia de Havilland, Henry Fonda, Marlon Brando, Harry Morgan, Beah Richards, Claudia McNeil, Brock Peters, Paul Winfield, Ossie Davis, Diahann Carroll, Dina Merrill, Richard Thomas, Debbie Allen, Andy Griffith, Paul Koslo, Pam Grier, James Broderick, and Michael Constantine all show up through the seven episodes, adding interesting faces and unique acting styles to an already fascinating story. On a completely unrelated note, I got a kick out of seeing Howard Rollins and Brian Stokes Mitchell both included (though in different episodes) since they both ended up playing Coalhouse Walker Jr. In Ragtime; Rollins starred in the film, and Mitchell was onstage in the musical (one of my favorites).

This mini series was televised in 1979, at which time, I was only 15 years old. I remember Roots, the original mini series which told the story of an African who was brought to America and was a slave. Although I had read about slavery in the history book, I never imagined how slavery really imprisoned the actual slaves. It's a part of history that we as Americans don't like to discuss, because of the shame. However, it did happen. It's strange how we show rememberance for the Hollocaust, which didn't even happen here, but we shun the topic of slavery, only briefly touch on it in the history books. Watching the series Roots really tears at my very soul for what 100 million slaves had to bear, how they lost their families, their language, religion, and ultimately themselves is heart wrenching. Roots, The next Generations, was also very deep, with an all star cast, and I was truly touched by the story of Alex Haley'

Sorry, but i can't accept the user rating for ROOTS: THE NEXT GENERATIONS. 5.6/10!!!!. Is that all!!!. This is a brilliant series in it's own right not to mention being the perfect continuation of Alex Haley's classic saga, 'Roots'.

I suppose the best part of NEXT GENERATIONS is the final part, the one we've all been waiting for. Alex Haley 'finding' Kunta Kinte in the African village of Juffaree where he was born all those years ago. James Earl Jones was an excellent choice to play Alex Haley. If you've seen ROOTS then you must see NEXT GENERATIONS without fail. It's just as good and just as touching.