History and Film: Analyzing the Film Roots (1977) by Ed Asner
In this paper we have investigated a two-tiered analysis of the production and historical value of the made for TV film Roots by Ed Asner. The historical basis of the sea captain in the early 18th century parts of the film was created by producers, and not authorized by the author of Roots to be placed historically within the film. This film was created to please the white American audience for profits and ratings. To further degrade the historical accuracy of the film is Haleys novel, supposedly based on genealogical and historical fact, was a fraud and plagiarized novel.
