Stage-to-film adaptations have been frequent occurrences throughout cinematic history. Among the most famous film adaptations of plays are the works of William Shakespeare and Tennessee Williams. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth, have all received countless adaptations over the years. Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and The Glass Menagerie have also been adapted for the screen. Even though these stage-to-film adaptations are incredibly well-known and rightfully admired, Fences deserves to be included in the same conversation.
August Wilson's Fences received two renditions on Broadway. Its first Broadway performance occurred in 1987. It starred James Earl Jones, Mary Alice, Ray Aranha, Courtney B. Vance, and several others. Fences would earn 4 Tony Awards in 1987, which included Best Play for Wilson and Best Performance by a Lead Actor for Jones. Its second trip to Broadway occurred in 2010 and starred Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Mykelti Williamson, and Russell Hornsby. These five actors would reprise their Broadway roles in the 2016 film adaptation of Fences.
Wilson's Fences is set in Pittsburgh in the late 50s. The play pursues the Maxson family and the struggles they experience both personally and societally. At the center of these troubles is Troy (Washington), the patriarch of the Maxson family. He works alongside Jim Bono (Henderson) as a garbage man to make wages to bring home to his wife and son. Naturally, Troy isn't ecstatic about picking up trash and expresses his distaste for the way the world has turned out for him. As a promising baseball star, Troy continued to hone his craft in the Negro leagues but was never able to go further because of the color barrier. Troy does become the first Black driver of a garbage truck in Pittsburgh after calling out his employment company's practices. Troy's dissatisfaction with his life trickles into his relationships with the rest of his family, including his wife, his two sons, and his younger brother.
When the opportunity for Troy's youngest son, Cory (Jovan Adepo) arises to potentially play college football, Troy refuses to treat it as a possibility. Finding himself reminded of his own experiences with trying to play professional sports, he insists that all his children need to make reasonable lives for themselves so that they don't spend so much time chasing a dream that they fail to forget to prepare for their futures. The tension between Cory and Troy continues to grow as they work on building a fence around the house. Troy's wife, Rose (Davis) tries to make a case for Cory, but he's unwilling to hear it. Rose often challenges Troy, and even gives Lyons (Hornsby), Troy's older son from a previous relationship, money, after Troy refuses to.
Troy is perceived as a harsh, practical man. Washington is fantastic at portraying Troy's intensity and shares several gut-wrenching scenes with both Davis and Adepo. After it is learned that Troy has been having an affair, he tells Rose that he has gotten the woman pregnant. Davis and Washington share an Academy Award-level moment where Rose reminds Troy that they have shared the same experiences and that those can't solely be blamed for his mistakes. The mother of Troy's newborn daughter dies during childbirth, and Troy brings Raynell home, asking for Rose's help to raise her. In another memorable scene, Rose agrees to take care of Raynell, but tells Troy, "Right now, this child's got a mother, but you're a womanless man."
Troy's treatment of Cory, Lyons, and his younger brother, Gabe (Williamson), are other examples of his blunt personality. He berates the dreams of both Cory and Lyons and takes advantage of Gabe. Gabe's mental impairment as a result of his service in World War II often results in short-lived patience from others. Troy eventually decides to institutionalize him and have the other half of Gabe's monthly pension sent to him in order to keep his family financially afloat. At one point, Cory asks Troy about his apparent dislike for him, and Troy responds with, "Who says I got to like you?"
In addition to starring as Fences’ lead, Washington also directed the 2016 film adaptation. Washington’s previous experience with the play gave him the necessary insight to create a meaningful adaptation of Wilson's work. This is somewhat comparable to Paul Newman's experience with the work of Tennessee Williams. Newman starred in the film adaptation of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and went on to direct The Glass Menagerie in 1987. Washington would go on to produce the 2020 Netflix film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, another of Wilson’s plays. The direction of Washington's Fences received 4 Academy Award nominations in 2017, including Best Picture.
Washington and Davis first found success with Fences in 2010, where they both earned Tony Awards for their performances. The 2016 film would also earn Davis her first Academy Award. Davis’ role in Fences would be her third Oscar nomination, as she had previously been nominated for Doubt and The Help. After her success with Fences, Davis would star in another film adaptation of one of Wilson’s plays. She would receive another Oscar nomination for her leading role in the Netflix production of Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Translating a stage production to film isn’t as simple as it may seem. However, the experience that the cast of Fences is able to bring to the screen from their previous portrayals of their roles blends well with the cast’s new additions. Collectively, the ensemble works incredibly well together. Their individual performances and delivery of some of Wilson’s most powerful lines are truly masterful. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Romeo from Baz Luhrman’s 1996 film and Marlon Brando’s Stanley Kowalski in the 1951 adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire are two of the most notorious stage-to-film performances. The cast of Fences has surely made their case to be immortalized on the same pedestal, as there is not one person who fails to deliver in their performance.
Fences is available for rent on Amazon Prime.