Roots - opening credits - Alex Hayley

The opening credits to the TV series Roots, based on the book by Alex Hayley.

[@bluesex1boy]

the music still gives me chills Quincy Jones did a superb job

[@mr.billthrower7392]

This particular opening theme wasn't written by him

[@thejetset3357]

​@@mr.billthrower7392Michael Jackson wrote it.

[@DavidEdelsohn]

Composed by Gerald Fried

[@mosheridan7016]

When tv was tv

[@stevenvoorhees3107]

ROOTS is American television's greatest achievement, IMO. And Alex Haley's source novel's one of the finest books I've ever read.

[@miss.phyllisreneefoster9547]

I Would like to dedicated this song today, to Mr Louis Gossetts jr. thats has past away, today on this good friday Day, Today, In 2024, what a great Exstrodenary Talented we lost today, I will always remember his work in Roots and Officer and a Gentlman and in the Josephine Baker Story what an Icon and a exstrodanare he will be greatley missed I dedicated this song to him today his chariter help make Roots what it was, Rest in peace Mr. Gossett Jr. your truly an Icon Amen.

[@lexxphil]

Gives me chills every time.

[@kunlesotunde3229]

Remember watching it as a young boy in London in 1977. Gave me an idea of what slavery was really like. The actors really did a terrific job.

[@nrodry76]

Beloved tv series. Didn’t miss a single episode on its premiere.

[@sexymike1253]

Watched this and The Next Generation in 2015. One of the most beautiful Mini Series of all time.

[@majorg6065]

Is the next generation good? I’ve seen the original series twice, the remake, and the roots Christmas gift. Now thinking about watching the next generation.

[@andreasconnor7309]

One of the best and most interesting series of all time. And probably the best opening ever on a serie this is

[@cheryldsalter4091]

TIMELESS SCORE AND SERIES!

[@jojones2500]

This makes me emotional . Moving music and scenes .

[@animieluver10]

Oh my god, I am in love with this series. We started watching it in my tenth grade English class about two weeks ago and were about half way through the series. It's a really great series that show and it can teach us alot about our history, whether it be good or bad.

[@p994able]

I love the music and artwork all together! I really moves me

[@sierraswag87]

this gives me chills this movie is amazing

[@karlc2869]

R.I.P. Louis Gossett Jr.

[@antiquax]

A brilliant series - the cruelty it depicts is almost unbelievable

[@orangelazarus6056]

Happy 45th anniversary to ROOTS (premiered 45 years ago tonight on ABC). This theme song is one of the most underrated tracks of all time. Sends shivers down my spine every time I hear it. Thanks to Alex Haley for the story, and to Gerald Fried for the music. This’ll probably keep haunting my nightmares for years to come!

[@echad6259]

I remember they used to air this in it's entirety every year.

[@pauljenkinson126]

brilliant tv series I can remember from when I was a kid I was six at the and now got it on box set

[@Clark.Griswold]

I grew up watching this mini-series like most and it stuck with me my whole life. And as much as I despise Hollywood remaking the classics, I wouldn't mind seeing an updated version of this. I don't think it's a matter of making it better, just giving it a facelift. I might be wrong.

[@glaucepotter16]

Wonderful serie. In Brazil, it was a sucess!

[@TheLampDancer]

I wtched this and was amazed. It totally changed my outlook on life in general. I don't see it about being only about African-American sufferage, but about the human condition in general. I think Roots applies to every culture around. Loved the film. I think schools need to show everyone of their students both Roots films. It shows how every part of the human condition. Haley did a pretty good job on writing a heart warming story that conveyed beautiful meaning.

[@kekeirvin8366]

but it didnt happen to everybody it happened to us.... dont piss me off

[@o0oGKo0o]

Wow..just finished watching this show on MLyngsoeL's channel...truly marvelous.

[@santason1987]

I saw this show just 2 years ago and that really make me discover who i am, i'm from the french caribe but i never been told the slavery history, no movies, no lectures, nothing at the school, roots is a fantastic movie but also a historic painting, that's important people to know this story. That really shocked me and inspire this theme i called kunta kinte memories

[@momof2preciousangels]

I love love love this. This is one of my all time favorite movies. I just bought Roots The Next Generation and have watched the first one and am excited to watch the rest. I recently read the book and that is my favorite book. That one and Uncle Tom's Cabin are my two favorite books. I have become very interested in the early history of the African Americans because of reading these books and have since read many books on slavery.

[@ankokugaiBOSS]

@EDDIEP35 yes! and the artwork was so incredibly accurate in details of the actors' facial features. Simply amazing.

[@caroleklein6299]

Who was the artist?

[@oisindurkin]

your right. it was such a big deal all over the world at the time, and these titles give me goosebumps at the memory, but theres NO WAY i could sit through this today. its so flat and poorly filmed, though some of the performances are still powerful. i guess its what it MEANT to people, then and now, than what it is....

[@lorenzoguice]

And what's sad is we still not free

[@majorg6065]

The show can be streamed for free (with ads) on Tubi

[@THEadrimoniy]

Same here, superstarjosh! I love that shot of him...it captured his spirit. :)

[@jmjfanss]

We need a blu ray version.

[@majorg6065]

There is one, it’s very well remastered

[@miniprizes]

Uncle Ruckus should watch this.

[@mandelbrotsetfool]

at the end of day our young species on mother earth will soon learn that all humans are just one species of life in this beautiful 3d plane of existence we call our youniverse.

[@simanevidal8598]

Ça me rappelle mon enfance cette série

[@carbonsteelblade]

thanks man i alway`s liked the opening

[@WhiteLotusTile]

Omg the epicness...

[@Juliaflo]

@hutch2818 I distinctly second that, this being the 35th anniversary of the one that set the standard for miniseries.

[@227060]

i think the pictures are part f just one big image they are moving around, I'd love to see the thing in its entirety since they are beautiful pictures

[@TheCaptain64]

omg i was 13 when this prgrame come to t.v.in 77 here in the uk & it has and had a profound affect on me all my life i now have it on dvd and have probly watched it 100 times or more in the last ten years as well as roots the next generations and "queen" what was done to black peoples was a terrable thing but thay also need to relise that slavery was practised between the defarant tribes as well long before the white man came along, not that thats and excuse mr Hailey sir thank you and R.I.P.

[@86Sentra]

love this music

[@TheMasterOfOmni1900]

after watching the whole series i want to cry in happiness

[@valuecalc]

Alpha, that music is stunning and never seems old and tired. The newer "Roots" isn't quite as mesmerizing.

[@pissedoff7771]

i love quincys work.my girl freinds and i put the color purple in on a friday playing it over and over until sunday evening.doing house work laughing at certain parts and crying.we marveled at how ceily and sofia over came all the negative things that were in their way.old mister got his in the end.he knew he had to make things right.these youngens out here better make things right and stop killng.in the end the most harden criminal trys to weasle their way out when caught.

[@lewismz49]

We are currently watching this in history we watch it every week and at first i thought it would be a Shit series but it learned me alot! I feel sorry for the people who was a slave back then we all should teach each other equal and i would buy this on dvd if i can find it

[@fellownoobs5376]

Yeah we finished episode 5 of roots today for my history class, you should get the book that the show was based on

[@nicholasgoodrum1713]

Man to man is so unjust 💙 🙏 🥀 x

[@silvereagle2061]

Its a shame that this was meant to open each and every episode yet now is never aired. What a waste of art.

[@echad6259]

Helluva story

[@ASCUMM011]

EPIC.

[@pauljenkinson126]

and the music is good too

[@Noodles37UK]

Controversial or not, read the book, it's amazing.

[@scaron1933]

I've always found it curious that this opening opens episodes 3 through 8 and not 1 and 2. Mini Series of this size and length really didn't exist before Roots so I wonder if the 1st two episodes were filmed and completed with the possibility of future 2 part episodes to finish out the book but then they were like this is so good we just need to get to the half way point in the book. Would also explain how Roots the Next Generations ended up being its own separate mini series despite being part of the book. Anyway the restored blu ray is wonderful and really brings out the lush production (at least for its time) that has been missing for years. Only thing I wish they would have included is the "A Novel for Television" ABC placed before some of its mini series.... always felt that was a nice touch for taking journeys as impactful and epic as Roots.

[@orangelazarus6056]

I’ve been curious about this too, and from what I’ve been able to infer from interviews, they put this series together really, really quickly. Alex Haley was literally giving the writers chapters to adapt for the screen right after he finished them. The music was recorded and added at the tail-end of the production. They must’ve added this intro in after the first two episodes were already wrapped up and ready to broadcast.

[@zombiefulci3301]

​@@orangelazarus6056Tells of the mythic talent of Gerald Fried to pull out a magnificent theme that encapsulated the ambience. From what I can surmise, Quincy Jones just didn't have the ability to write anything catchy or profound for Roots, the producers had to call in an expert. Quincy Jones still shamelessly takes credit for this theme

[@hutch2818]

@ycdtotv Agreed, but I don't know what that has to do with particular series

[@moviebuff1975]

The original broadcast on ABC had a slightly different opening. Instead of the title ROOTS on the screen, it showed the book rising up and the title was on the book cover, along with "AN ABC NOVEL FOR TELEVISION." I wonder if this version was created for local syndication showings or international broadcasts. It's the version on vhs and dvd.

[@myrablue1307]

Yes, I was just thinking about that- the book rising up. I wondered if they changed it due to Alex Haley being sued.

[@redblack8766]

Loon be like "Alex Hailey plagiarized The African, thus Africans were never persecuted".

[@Juliaflo]

@hutch2818 You could never had said it more sweetly. Chances are that people will never be able to see it the same way, now that we have an African-American (actually Afro-European) President.

[@KjvYaBoyIsHere]

This is the mos incredible movie i have ever seen this and nesxt generations

[@reggiesmith7026]

Watchin (Finding your roots) the Roots of LaVar Burton the actual man who played Kunta Kinta who had white confederates in his family frm the southern south

[@Mspendragon72]

AMEN.

[@Ninaj09]

@santason1987 except in haiti. here, since the first grade, we learn about all the hardship our ancestors have endure. I've think that it's shame that in the rest of the caribe, children do not learn about the history of their ancestors. we should do something about it

[@rappheonix9867]

bout time people put down the remote and open a book to learn about something possitve to better are future

[@valuecalc]

rap pheonix , it is "our" future.

[@reginald29061]

I wonder if " ROOTS" is on the banned book club list by some folks. It should be required reading by everyone especially those wanting to understand the African American experience.

[@MacjulesShakespearecorner]

Good episode 00:40

[@reneanguiano5248]

I remembered watching this in high school. sadly I don't think today's generation would appreciate it or take it seriously

[@nikkirose5569]

Um unless they had a black mother

[@amerikkasmostwantedniggayo2953]

0:17

[@jasonhall3955]

I totally agree. With the way our country is today with such a "Politically Correct" culture, it will probably never be aired again.

[@catticazzazatom6406]

i was studying mandica language :( it was difficult manden land was a rich muslem kingdom and have a great university. in Egypt place called bolaq al Dacror because some ppl was arraived to Giza named takror from west Africa , they was take a rest and continue to the Hag in Makka

[@DwightKoh93]

Like 'Momento'.

[@aitraining]

@PvtPyle17 yeah i agree. lets not also forget having john amos as an older levar burton??? A burly muscular guy who looks nothing like Levar. casting was a little off but this opening was great and the series teriffic.

[@thejetset3357]

How about the casting of Chicken George? The actor is dark black, yet he had a white father. Really? Couldn't they find a mulatto play that role?

[@1963tatanka]

好きな時代劇の一つだね、「ルーツ」は。アメリカのテレビドラマでは一番好きです。

[@tranurse]

@pah550 exactly. i don't want to be color blind, because i think like you said it would be boring if we were all alike. i just don't see where it matters.

[@ObsceneLobster]

roots is the most memorable movie sereies ever i actully used to be really racsict mother fucker to blacks but when i watched roots it changed me showing me the hard ship that blacks went trough but i got a major headache when the night riders came trhough and burned down the builings in ep6 beacuse of their yelling

[@zombiefulci3301]

Gerald Fried wrote this NOT Quincy Jones

[@LogicMind99]

somebody said it woulda been nice if they had shown Roots from the end to the beginning.

[@JCADET90]

Sadly, you're correct, but it's still a great story.

[@ObsceneLobster]

Jesus man cant we all just get a long we are all the same no matter what religon what skin color what race you are we are all people living in this world we dont have a need for racism or hatred killing a human is like killing your own siblings and thats acctully what religion tried to do but all it did was cause hatred divisoin and war so if we all come together we can overcome anything

[@Mysterwright]

[@jmjfanss]

@WildBill6942 I Doubt it, they should just leave it alone.

[@Djchrisbeatmaker]

Ariel Aries bring me here.

[@tekkenfan999]

@rita king yea i agree black people work so hard for freedom nd black people now jst dnt understand that

[@bigchet]

0:49 where was this scene! I feel like the intro depicted most of the film accurately until this picture which seems to show what looks like an older chicken George heading west on a wagon train? Wish they included something like this

[@Sueb18631]

That's from the end of the last episode where they're all heading off of the Harvey plantation to freedom. But don't ask me who the balding white guy is who's behind George and Matilda, he doesn't resemble ANYBODY who's in the show!!

[@Mysterwright]

I find it highly upsetting how the USA is browbeaten for its treatment of slaves and yet the same thing has happened for THOUSANDS of years in Europe. Even today, there are parts of England that still frown down upon minorities. Not to say that they have negative intent but the same ignorance we've had and are working to change isn't the same case across the planet. That's unfair also. I believe it'd go a long way to tell UK what happened once slaves here were freed in Iberian Peninsula.

[@wonjubhoy]

It was Arabs and turks who enslaved Europeans. England liberated much of Africa from slavery during the 19th century. England was much quicker than the USA on the issue of abolition. When Canada was ruled from London they gave sanctuary to runaway slaves from America. On the issue of minorities have a look at rishi sunak and safiq khan and tell me which positions they hold and where.

[@karellt2355]

What I don't get if someone can explain in a dignified manner why Africans didn't fight back as the Native Americans did? And I know that some Africans sold others. And yes i also know there was a few revolts but 200 to 300 yrs from 1619 to early 1800s when they stopped African cargo; that's alot. Again in a dignified manner. Thanks!

[@orangelazarus6056]

The Europeans offered African chiefs more money and guns than they had ever seen to sell prisoners of war into slavery. The money was so good that many African nobles were willing participants. As for why more slaves didn’t revolt - it’s hard to stand up against guns and whips with your bare hands.

[@karellt2355]

@@orangelazarus6056 thank you. Good info...

[@dolla316]

Actually there were several hundreds of slave revolts not only in the United States but across the entire western hemisphere Hati being the most successful In America most were brutally put down but a great deal were successful even joining with native American resistance and being acclimated into their tribes

[@LarryLeeMoniz]

It's spelled HALEY... it's in the credits you uploaded! You misspelled it twice.

[@irish89055]

great , great theme... I thought Quincy Jones wrote the music

[@227060]

Whose the more notble character from roots. Kunta kinte or Chicken George

[@valuecalc]

227060 , Kunta, by far.

[@jeprice08]

There are some white people mentioned in the opening credits that I'm really not too fond of. It's not because of their race, it's because of what they did and not seeming to have any remorse about it. Now that I think of, I believe that that was one of the things that the average viewer was suppose to do. You're suppose to hate those who attacked and maimed and killed all those poor and innocent slaves from way back when.

[@wonjubhoy]

Do you hate Mansa Musa, Madame Tinubu or tippu Tip who were black owners of black slaves as well? Make no mistake Africans sold other Africans as slaves to Europeans. That though has been airbrushed out of history.

[@billy2rivers1]

One of the greatest tv shows ever iam white and have all the dvds.Just a shame that it leaves out the part where blacks sold out other blacks but thats by the by. The black race was treated awfuly but alex haley should have just said it was a novel and not lied to the world.

[@valuecalc]

billy2rivers1 , the film did show blacks involved in the slave trade, and why would Haley have lied? He helped Malcolm X with his biography.

[@jsnagra1able]

When Kunta is captured the scene shows black guys catching him and putting chains on him. So the topic is touched on.

[@227060]

@LoggotyroX32 Yeah, although George has a funnier name

[@JCADET90]

That's not true, Native Americans are still suffering till this day.

[@valuecalc]

Why? If they want change, then it is time to work.

[@thejetset3357]

Agreed. Native Americans were basically 95% wiped out, but don't get nearly the sympathy or coverage of blacks.

[@gjmarc]

.

[@chaazyasharal7037]

Beautiful soundtrack. It's time for the dry bones to awake! Read Deuteronomy 28! Know the truth and it will make you free!

[@diamondz4lfye313]

Yeah a lot o races were discriminated against but blacks truthfully suffered more and longer.... Blacks have been publicly and legally discriminated against for the longest and it didn't legally stop until the 70's...I don't recall reading that Italians had to ride in the back of the bus and drink out of a separate fountain

[@thejetset3357]

And yet they keep voting democrat, who were the south, kkk founders, Jim Crow supporters...

[@bartybart9000]

The BBC are going to run the whole series with a slight twist.....They are going to play it backwards....And call it "The good old days"

[@MrDarkmarius]

I have the box set of Roots & we watch it every spring. I wonder why they took LeVar Burton out of the series after a few episodes. He was perfect for that part. They could have made him look old, but I think they were after making Kunta Kinte big & muscular. Levar Burton was not big or muscular, but John Amos was big enough to look the part. I liked John as Kunta Kinte, but I would have preferred Levar. He brought an innocence to the part

[@myrablue1307]

But after everything he went through, he was not innocent anymore.

[@alexmachin4359]

New roots sucks

[@valuecalc]

It will NEVER compare to the original classic. Never.

[@travieso7925]

BLM

[@hutch2818]

Wow Corvair, some insensitive stuff out of you right there. To call American Slavery or the Holocaust a sympathy cow is pretty sad. The difference of the injustices with those other groups is that they happened thousands of miles away. This nightmare happened in our backyard. Nearly every ethnicity and religion has been persecuted at some point in history, but other than the Native Americans, black Americans back then, particularly from Africa, had it worse than anyone in our nation's history.

[@hutch2818]

They need to show this series again. To remind white people how bad black people had it. And to remind black people although there is more to be done, look how far things have come. I think both sides are guilty all too often of not remembering each of those things.

[@jakobemarques9059]

0:17