'Fences' Extends From the Stage to Film, Bringing With It All of Its Intensity and Verbosity

Viola Davis and Denzel Washington reprise their Tony-winning roles as Rose and Troy Maxson in the film adaptation of "Fences." Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

BY VW

NEAR the beginning of "Fences,"  Troy (star, director and producer Denzel Washington) delivers a long monologue during a backyard scene.

My first thought was "Oh, Lord, it's going to be a play on the big screen." I wasn't prepared for this, thus prepared to be bored, for "Fences" is a very loquacious play.

It feels less like a play as the film unfolds, but never sheds that imprint. This is intentional.

"Denzel went back to the original screenplay, and he wanted to stay close to spirit of the stage play," Constanza Romero disclosed to the New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) after its screening of "Fences" at Walter Reade Theater.

CR, a Tony-nominated costume designer, is the widow of August Wilson, the creator of "Fences," the Pulitzer Prize-winning play from which the film is adapted.

When DW phoned to get her blessing to direct the film version, she said she obliged.  "I felt like a green light  all the way, " CR said during the NYFCO Q&A.

"Fences," AW's slice of Americana set in 1950s Pittsburgh concerning the life of Troy Maxson, a onetime baseball great and garbage collector, as well as his family, opens widely on Christmas Day.

For those laboring under the assumption that "Fences" marks DW's directorial debut, it does not. That distinction goes  to "Antwone Fisher."

It has taken a while for "Fences" to come to the big screen mainly because of AW's edict  that it be directed by a black person. He produced a script, which was touched up by an uncredited Tony Kushner.

In his third outing as a director,  DW excels, particularly with himself by not overwhelming the proceedings with his consequence as the main character. The pacing is brisk  enough. "Fences" does not seem overlong at 139 minutes. Characters have organic movements,  seamlessly distractimg from all of the talk, for "Fences" is a loquacious film.

Emotions are on a tight coil, though the medium of film allows the players to let it rip. The camera subtly lingers on important details, such as an image of Pittsburgh steelworkers sans any black men, without looking askance. 

No doubt, DW admonished production designer David Gropman to keep the sets spare in deference to his source material. Surely, he had the budget to be more lavish.

The tension present in the play is as papable on screen. Viewers will find it difficult to watch at their ease, for almost every interaction is a tinderbox on the point of exploding. Even the most innocuous-seeming, as when best friend, Jim (Stephen McKinley Henderson), tracks Troy to a favorite haunt where they have a conversation heavy laden with meaningful nonverbal communication.

Troy (Denzel Washington) and Jim (Stephen McKinley Henderson) return from a day's work in "Fences."

Incidentally, the performances are generally stellar. The actors deliver like cogs in a well-oiled machine. All of the principals are reprising their Broadway roles, except the two youngest, Cory (Jovan Adepo) and Raynell (Saniyya Sidney).

Virtually every scene is powerful and significant. Two in particular stand out. The one between Troy and youngest son, Cory, is one. The boy stubbornly refuses to exhibit the manners he has been taught - Strike 3. Consequently, Troy is forced to demonstrate who is the man of his house.

A young lady with whom this reporter chatted during the reception following the film's New York premiere (at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center Rose Hall) at Tavern on the Green, judged Troy's treatment of his son harsh.

Point taken, Father might have spared the rod a bit more, after all, the boy was not without some righteous indignation. Further, the punishment did not fit the crime. However, the young pup needed to be taught some facts of life. Specifically, some  respect; a non too-gentle reminder about who pays the bills; a refresher on to whom he owes his surly, ungrateful existence.

Rose (Viola Davis and Gab (Mykelti Williamson), far left, are spectators as Cory (Jovan Adepo) and Troy (Denzel Washington) talk football.

The other scene is Rose's (Viola Davis) confronting Troy about the fallout from his infidelity. Her dissertation is so passionate that viewers will be jolted by her pain, anguish and fury; an utter betrayal of one who has been unwaveringly loyal.

"In all of his plays, August tried to pay homage to his mother, CR responded when I asked her whether he would be pleased with the film.

The short answer is yes. However, she alluded to the aforesaid and a companion scene by way of a fuller answer. "He was very reverent of his mother," she added.

"Fences" is an important work in the pantheon of American artistic expression and important for numerous other reasons.

My preference is that it remained a play only. Alas, as such, far too few would have an opportunity to see it. As a film, it opens up to the world. One hopes the world will embrace it.

Jim (Stephen McKinley Henderson), Troy (Denzel Washington) and Cory (Jovan Adepo) in the Maxson backyard where a fence construction is in progress.

"Fences" has myriad teachable moments. About dreams destroyed. About extremely limited opportunities sanctioned by the State. About injustice. About the basic unfairness of life. About brokenness. About forgiveness. About love. About the black experience in America. About black history.  About American history. 

Just as important, it is a fine entertainment, showcasing fine performances.

"Fences" is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, language and some suggestive references; visit www.fencesmovie.com to learn more about the film.

In 'Get on Up, Becoming James Brown With Every Murmur, Milestone and Mashed Potato

Chadwick Boseman as James Brown in "Get on Up." Photo from "Get on Up" Facebook page.

MR. Chadwick Aaron Boseman is on trend to becoming a household name. His journey started with “42,” playing Jackie Robinson.

In “Get on Up: The James Brown Story,” opening today in U.S. theaters, the South Carolina native portrays another legendary, history-making figure. The moment CB shows up on screen, speaking in that rapid-fire rasp, he morphs into “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business.” (See video below).

The film, directed by Tate Taylor, tracks JB's life from his difficult childhood in Georgia to the early 1990s, around the time he begins to make a comeback after a stretch in prison for failing to stop for police and leading them on a two-state car chase.

CB delivers an electrifying performance, exquisitely capturing JB's hubris, in what is sure to be considered one of the best films of the year. And perhaps, the best biopic of the year from a story by Steven Baigelman, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth. It was adapted for the big screen screen by JB and J-HB.

“Get on Up” will not be forgotten during awards season. CB is sure to see his name on some Best Actor lists … More shortly

“Get on Up” is rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug use, some strong language, and violent situations; visit http://www.getonupmovie.com/ to learn more about the film.

'Red Tails' and 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'

INCREDIBLY, “Red Tails” is the first widely released feature film based on the story of The Tuskegee Airmen. HBO’s “The Tuskegee Airmen” (1995) enjoyed a very limited release in theaters, but only after its debut on cable.

For those scratching their heads, the flyboys in question is the U.S. Army Air Corps' 332nd Fighter Group, the all-black combat unit trained at Moton Field in Tuskegee, Alabama around the time of the WWII. They served and fought heroically in a segregated military.

The George Lucas-produced “Red Tails,” which opens today, picks up the action in Italy where the airmen are grounded 100 miles behind enemy lines except for meaningless flight exercises. It is an important film because it puts the spotlight on a piece of American history and military history that continues to linger in the wings. Even today – in the 21st century – one still hears through the grapevine the occasional story of a university history professor, for instance, asserting that no black pilots served during WWII.

If for no other reason in a culture where books are increasingly falling out of favor with the masses, “Red Tails” should be required viewing. The service of these young men to their country should be as well-known to the general public as the number of days Kim Kardashian was married.

While “Red Tails” is important viewing, it is aside from some spectacular fight sequences not an engaging film. In fact, it has many cringe-worthy moments … More shortly.



Also opening today is “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” another film based on true events.

Specifically, it is adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer’s best seller about precocious and extremely curious 11-year-old Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn in his acting debut) who finds a key left behind by his father Thomas (Tom Hanks) who died in one of the Twin Towers on 9/11. Oskar sets out across the boroughs in an Alice in Wonderland-like pursuit of the item that the key opens.

As with the book, many reviewers are ambivalent. Whether they like the film or not, they cite the nature of the material, wondering whether it is exploitative; some disdainfully dismiss it as cloying. The tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001 is still fresh in the psyche of many Americans, particularly New Yorkers and those in the Tri-state area. It is sacred territory on which one must tread extremely carefully, lest s/he upset tender sensibilities. Generally, reviewers based in the Northeast are a bit more circumspect than those from other regions.

There is almost universal agreement, though, that the film is well-acted. For his turn as Oskar, TH is getting a lot of positive notice in a cast that also includes Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Max von Sydow and Jeffrey Wright.

“Red Tails” is rated PG-13 for some sequences of war violence. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" is rated PG-13 for emotional thematic material, some disturbing images and language.