Many years ago, I had the great pleasure of seeing Denzel Washington and Viola Davis perform the August Wilson play Fences on Broadway. Fast forward a few years later, imagine my surprise (?) when news came out that they would be reprising their roles for the big screen. Of course, the cynical side of me immediately went to this being the ideal awards-bait. This status was further assured when the release date was announced. Would I allow this cynicism to deter me from seeing what is sure to be a cinematic display of tour-de-force acting (which it was, by the way)? Well, obviously I am writing about it, so I did not let it dissuade me.
With a screenplay from the late playwright August Wilson and directed by star Washington, Fences is part …show more content…
Troy is a former Negro League baseball player who showed a great deal of promise until his life takes an ill-fated turn. It is this life-altering event which forever changes Troy and leaves him with a deal of bitterness, a bitterness which becomes more apparent as our story progresses.
But I am getting a little ahead of myself here - by all accounts, given the time and circumstances under which they live, the Maxsons have a rather ordinary and stable home life, which includes visits from Troy's recently departed disabled brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson, reprising his stage role) and Troy eldest son Lyons (Russel Hornsby, reprising his stage role) from a previous marriage. Another member of the extended Maxson clan is Jim Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson, reprising his stage role), Troy's coworker and best friend.
As earlier mentioned, eventually the impact of Troy's feelings about the course of his life as well as a myriad of challenges from the outside world manifest themselves, impacting the internal life of the family (I will leave it to you to see how fences come into
With a screenplay from the late playwright August Wilson and directed by star Washington, Fences is part …show more content…
Troy is a former Negro League baseball player who showed a great deal of promise until his life takes an ill-fated turn. It is this life-altering event which forever changes Troy and leaves him with a deal of bitterness, a bitterness which becomes more apparent as our story progresses.
But I am getting a little ahead of myself here - by all accounts, given the time and circumstances under which they live, the Maxsons have a rather ordinary and stable home life, which includes visits from Troy's recently departed disabled brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson, reprising his stage role) and Troy eldest son Lyons (Russel Hornsby, reprising his stage role) from a previous marriage. Another member of the extended Maxson clan is Jim Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson, reprising his stage role), Troy's coworker and best friend.
As earlier mentioned, eventually the impact of Troy's feelings about the course of his life as well as a myriad of challenges from the outside world manifest themselves, impacting the internal life of the family (I will leave it to you to see how fences come into