Roots: 30th Anniversary Special Edition
Warner Home Video

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In 1977, an inconceivable 85 percent of American households watched all or part of the miniseries Roots, the story of one American family from its origins in Gambia, West Africa, 1750, through its patriarch's horrific abduction into American slavery and continuing through the Civil War and the Reconstruction. Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning genealogical saga by Alex Haley, Roots resonated powerfully with American audiences, putting a human face to our conflicted legacy of racism and slavery. Thirty years after its premiere, the miniseries stands the test of time and still packs the same emotional lashing it did back in the Carter era.

Roots introduced young LeVar Burton (Star Trek: The Next Generation) as African adolescent Kunta Kinte and around him assembled a cast of entertainment icons like Cicely Tyson, Ben Vereen, Maya Angelou, John Amos, Edward Asner, Lloyd Bridges, Sandy Duncan, Lorne Greene, Vic Morrow, Deadwood's Ian McShane and even O.J. Simpson. The series -- which originally unspooled over eight consecutive nights on CBS -- rightfully remains the most watched miniseries of all time.

The miniseries' eight two-hour episodes are bundled here on three double-sided discs. Key cast and crew are assembled to provide start-to-finish audio commentary recollecting the filming in Savannah, Georgia. In the disk-three bonus documentary "Remembering Roots," filmed when actors came in to record their DVD audio commentary, grand dame Cicely Tyson talks about how the movie created a national dialogue and inspired the whole genealogy craze, while Leslie Uggams lauds Haley's work as the history books that our schools don't have. And in case you have trouble remembering just how Chicken George is kin to Kizzy, you can access the entire family tree on CD-Rom. A fourth, single-sided bonus disc comprises the 1978 documentary "Roots: One Year Later," which marvels at the phenomenon, and the brand new 2007 featurette "Crossing Over: How Roots Captivated a Nation."