Fences, True to the Original?

Fences has just recently released into theaters in late 2016. Class I and Class II discipuli who have read the play might be wondering if the movie matches the original. So for those of you who are wondering if this movie succeeds in sticking with the play, I will try and answer that question.

In order to be successful in portraying the play, the actors have to portray the characters to their original outline. Their mannerisms, their views, and their intentions all have to be considered to show the characters correctly. I will not go through every character in the movie, but I will be analyzing Troy, Rose, Bono, and Gabriel as they stood out to me when watching the movie.

I would first like to start out with Bono and Troy, played by Stephen Henderson and Denzel Washington respectively. Bono’s character in the play is a jovial one, as he always seems to be laughing or making a joke with Troy. To me, Bono plays the neutral factor in conversations and arguments. He never fully sides with one person or idea. This neutrality is important because it is supposed to counteract with Troy, who is more radical with his thinking and actions. Unlike Bono, Troy is supposed to be stubborn and adamant with his ideas, even if they are disliked by other characters in the play. Even though Troy can seem very happy and loving, his anger gets the best of him and his mood can quickly swing in the other direction. I believe that the actors did very well in portraying both Bono and Troy. Bono’s script allowed him to play that neutral character, and Henderson’s individual actions during confrontations also helped to portray the character. He always seemed to be in the middle of two confronting characters. This was highly noticeable during the confrontation between Lyons and Troy in the movie, where he sat in the middle of the camera angle while Lyons and Troy argued against one another. Henderson puts on an expression of understanding and concern for both sides during this confrontation, which further adds to his neutral character. Washington on the other hand has to fill out a more complicated character. Troy’s ideas are not as flexible as Bono’s. His experiences throughout his life dictate his thinking, and the play shows that his experiences have been shocking and brutal. I think Washington played Troy as that troubled man very well, especially with his use of facial expression. There were many close-ups of Washington’s face during the movie, and one of these close-ups was during his story about his father. Washington was staring into the distance, pausing every now and again to emphasize each memory. It was because of these subtle details that I saw the Troy and Bono in the movie that I read in the play.

The next set of characters that I wanted to look at are Rose and Gabriel. Rose, who is played by Viola Davis, is the compassionate character in play. While Troy can often neglect loved ones, Rose is the character who returns all the love that Troy does not. I thought Davis’s performance actually furthered my perspective on Rose. While Davis is a great source of compassion and sympathy in the movie, she also portrays the underlying problems of her character as well. When she confronts Troy about Alberta, Davis put in a lot of emotions that I did not and could not see while reading the play. It was clear to me that Davis established a character who is compassionate and loving, but is plagued by problems that are always beneath the surface, which ultimately is the Rose that I thought about while I read the play. Moving on to Gabriel, who is played by Mykelti Williamson, is mostly a supporting character, as he fills the factor of religion and tradition in the play. I wanted to include him because of his importance to the ending of the movie, but also to highlight Williamson’s performance as well. Gabriel is not fully mentally aware due to his injury in World War II, so his speech and body language must be altered to portray this. I thought Williamson portrayed Gabriel really well through these factors. Williamson made his speaking slurred and slowed down, and his body language was sluggish as well. I could tell that he was Gabriel even before he started speaking in the movie, as it was his movements that really gave him away. The only thing that is different from the play about Gabriel is that his purpose at the end of the play is changed. I do not want to go into the specifics, as it would be spoiling it for those who have not read the play yet, but I will talk about it briefly at the end.

Fences is centered around the relationships that the characters have with each other. In order for the movie to portray the play correctly, it is important that the movie convey these relationships correctly. Being able to see the characters moving around and interacting with one another during important confrontations is a clear advantage of seeing a movie, and it can enhance understanding of relationships even further than just reading a script. In the play, there is not much stage direction as far as where the characters are in relation to one another, or what exactly they are doing during conversations. It was up to the movie director (Denzel Washington) to decide what the characters are going to do. Let’s take the confrontation between Troy and Cory for example. When Troy is talking to Cory, he is constantly doing some activity, whether it was sawing wood or just walking back and forth. When he needs to make an important point, like explaining his feelings of responsibility towards Cory, he gets closer and closer to him, and at one point there is physical contact. These actions played an important role on creating tension and establishing the somewhat cold relationship between Cory and his father. And just to expand this further, Troy’s actions go beyond just this conversation. Troy seems to never be still during conversations. His hands are always moving and when he’s standing, he is walking around and talking. I think this aspect is important to note, as it relates to Troy’s restlessness being with his own family and his desire to be free from his personal duties as a father. This desire affects his relationships with his entire family, not just Cory. Actions like these can be seen in almost every character and scene, and I think each action only furthers the relationships between each character in a direction that is loyal to the play. It is one of the clear advantages of watching a movie of a book, and I think Washington portrayed these actions correctly.

Spoiler Alert

The biggest part of the play that was changed was the ending. I do not want to spoil it for lower classmen, but I will say that the theme of religion and tradition was changed at the end. Instead of returning to roots like in the play, the movie ends with the theme of Christianity prevailing. I thought the ending of the movie suggested assimilation instead of sticking with traditional roots. I personally think that it kind of deviates from what the author, August Wilson, was trying to show. The oppression of blacks over the course of American history made it hard for them to keep to their roots of African American tradition. In the times of slavery, trying to stick to their roots was their only sanctuary in going through a brutal struggle of freedom and equality. I think Wilson, who wrote this in the time of the Civil Rights movement, wanted to recognize that. But nevertheless, Washington must have had a reason to make this big of a change, and it would be interesting to see how previous readers of the play may find that reasoning.

Other than that, the movie does portray the play to its original intentions. The various themes of the play can be seen, and the characters and their relationships are recognizable. I think if you read the play, you might as well go see it if you have the time.