Sunday, December 18, 2016

FENCES, directed by and starring Denzel Washington and Viola Davis

Denzel Washington and Nancy Pelosi at the film premiere of FENCES  at the Curran Theatre 
FENCES.

Last week, I was fortunate to have attended a special preview of Denzel Washington's film version of August Wilson's play, Fences, at the newly, and gorgeously, renovated Curran Theatre. The event was historic in that it was the 30th anniversary of the premiere of Fences, the play, which opened at the Curran in 1987 when Willie Brown was mayor.  This night, he introduced the film.  There was a panel discussion after the film featuring Washington, who also starred as Troy Maxon; Stephen Henderson, as Jim Bono, an old loyal friend; Jovan Adepo as Cory, Troy's youngest son; and Mykelti Williamson, as Gabriel, Troy's mentally shattered brother.  Unfortunately, Viola Davis who played Troy's wife, Rose, couldn't make it.  "She's working," Denzel quipped.  Also on the panel was Wilson's widow, two-time Tony nominated for Costume Design for plays, Constanza Romero.  
She enriched the discussion with anecdotes about the genius playwright who died in 2005.  They met  in 1990 when she designed the  costumes for Wilson's play, The Piano Lesson; married in 1994 and had one child.

Fences opens "wide" across the country on Christmas Day. Still, previews already have opened in New York and LA.  However, this is not a holiday film.  Fences, as are all Wilson's plays, is about black families struggles not only to get ahead, but with troubled relationships based on past experiences.  In Troy's and Bono's case years spent in federal prison; the oppression suffered by their slave elders, indignities and on-going oppression at the hand of the privileged white world.  Troy is not only shattered by these experiences, but endures deep guilt about how he obtained the money to buy a house for himself, Rose and their sons, at Gabriel's sacrifice for which he, Troy, feels he is, but was not responsible. In his mind and soul, he's fighting the Devil.   Families love desperately, need each other yet push those closest away.

The film follows the play under Washington's sure hand.  The actors are superb- especially Washington and Davis.  And of course, Mylelti Williamson , One feels almost embarrassed as though one is watching real life unfold, fall apart and reconnect in real life.  Some scenes are both heart- and gut-wrenching, such as Troy's final scene with Cory (Adepo).  I found myself in tears at times.

At the end of the panel discussion, Constanza Romero announced that she has signed over the rights of all of Wilson's plays to Denzel Washington to convert to film.  Washington laughed, saying, "As producer," adding that he would not have the energy to direct and act in the films.  One could understand, as we, watching this film, felt totally wrung out yet at the same time utterly joyful because of the way Washington and the actors brought off the ending.  And the matter of the mysteriously closing gate at the end was discussed.  Only one of the characters, the most innocent, reacted to it.  Watch for it in the final scene or you'll miss it.