Washington himself plays the lead, troy maxson, a middleaged african american in 1950s. Fences was a huge success with both critics and viewers, and it drew black audiences to the theatre in much larger numbers than usual. Sep 27, 2016 fences trailer 1 2016 denzel washington, viola davis drama movie hd official trailer. That week troy asked his boss why white men do the driving while the black men do the lifting. Fences takes place in the front yard of troys ancient twostory brick house. Stay in the know with the latest movie news and cast interviews at. Because the play had four years of preproduction development before it opened on broadway, wilson had a chance to tighten and revise the action, watching his characters mature into lifelike creations.
The story of a onetime promising baseball player, now working as a pittsburgh garbage collector, and the complicated relationships with hi. Maxson once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but was deemed too old when the major leagues began admitting black athletes. Rand, about the fact that only whites are assigned to drive the trucks at their garbage collection company, while black employees are hired exclusively to carry the garbage. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Set in the 1970s, tom spader is an attorney who is determined to end what he has dubbed the colored mans losing streak. Fences opens in 1957 with 53yearold troy maxson and old friend jim bono drinking on troys porcha friday night ritual. Previously, washington directed the 2002 movie antwone fisher and the 2007 movie the great debaters. Fences is a play by august wilson in which frustrated protagonist troy alienates his family through a series of tragic decisions. In his younger days, troy was an excellent player in negro league baseball and continued practicing baseball.
Fences story, fences hollywood movie story, plot, synopsis. Jan 05, 2017 denzel washingtons film fences, an adaptation of the play by august wilson, could well have yielded an excellent movie rather than a turgid one, and consistently inspired performances. What fences misses about adapting plays for the screen. Troy maxson, the father of the family, was a baseball player in. Fences is an anguished family drama forged out of an exotically oldfashioned sense of. Not only does denzel washington play the lead role in fences, but he also is the movie s director. The focus of wilsons attention in fences is troy, a 53yearold working class head of household who struggles with providing for his family. Gaberial got taken to the asylum because troy couldnt read and sign the papers. But sitting down to this movie sometimes feels like being told to eat up your healthy green vegetables. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing fences near you. Either we indoctrinate ourselves against that which we saw as wrong with our parents, or we catch their disease. With denzel washington, viola davis, stephen mckinley henderson, jovan adepo.
The movie stars washington, viola davis, stephen henderson, jovan adepo. Not only does denzel washington play the lead role in fences, but he also is the movies director. Troy maxson denzel washington makes his living as a sanitation worker in 1950s pittsburgh. Troy and bono go to troys house for their weekly ritual of drinking and talking. Now the two work together as garbage collectors and sip gin every friday night. Fences is a poignant commentary on the meaning of life, for. Maxson once dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but was deemed too old when the major. Arguably august wilsons most renowned work, fences explores the life and relationships of the maxson family. Fences is an anguished family drama forged out of an exotically oldfashioned sense of destiny. Fences trailer 1 2016 denzel washington, viola davis drama movie hd official trailer. Fences is part of a cycle of 10 plays about the africanamerican experience that amounts to a critique of the american dream from the standpoint of people intent.
On the surface, it seems pretty obvious where the plays title comes from troy and cory spend a lot of time building a fence. Fences is a 2016 american period drama film starring, produced and directed by denzel washington and written by august wilson, based on his pulitzer prizewinning play of the same name. Good fences is about an upwardly mobile black family for whom the american dream becomes a nightmare. The play begins on a friday, troy and bonos payday. In addition to washington, the film also stars viola davis, stephen mckinley henderson, jovan adepo, russell hornsby, mykelti williamson and saniyya sidney principal photography on the film began on april 25. Denzel washingtons oscardestined drama, fences, based on the tony award and pulitzer prizewinning 1987 play by august wilson, is the story of troy maxson, a 53yearold black man in. Fences summary from litcharts the creators of sparknotes. The play follows troy maxson, a 53yearold man who struggles to provide for his wife and son in a time when slavery is over but the civil rights movement has still not come to fruition. The play, fences by august wilson describes the life of an africanamerican family that is por. This repeated scenario forms the basis of august wilsons pulitzer prizewinning play, fences. Good fences was directed by former cinematographer ernest dickerson and produced in part by his frequent collaborator spike lee.
Troy will be king inside that fence, monarch and master of a postagestamp plot of concrete and weeds and bare earth. Fences study guide contains a biography of august wilson, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Rand, their boss, why the black employees arent allowed to drive the garbage trucks, only to lift. Advertisement autoplay when autoplay is enabled, a suggested video will automatically play next. Act one is comprised of four scenes and act two has five. And perhaps thats why wilson never made much of an effort to put his plays on film. Dec 23, 2016 fences is a film about how our environment shapes us, and how, no matter how noble their intentions, our parents cant help but mess us up in some fashion, just as their parents had done for them. For long stretches, that slight period remove works for the movie. The first act of the play is a swirling portrait of troy maxsons life. Fences is part of august wilsons pittsburg cycle, a collection of ten plays. Theres his best friend, bono, whom he met while in prison.
Dec 16, 2016 fences is a drama genre movie directed by denzel washington and written by august wilson, based on his play of the same name. The friends, both trash collectors, discuss their boss, rand. Joe, a rancher in the mountains of colorado, has his life of solitude interrupted when his luckless son gets paroled from prison and moves back in with him, bringing his illfated ways along. However as we dive deeper into the story of troy maxon, suppressed emotions and family. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of fences by august wilson. Fences is a drama genre movie directed by denzel washington and written by august wilson, based on his play of the same name. Divided into two acts, fences begins on a friday nightpayday for bono and troy when the two friends engage in a weekly ritual of drink and conversation. The film certainly feels like a play, as the performances are. The play fences, written by august wilson, begins in 1957 and focuses on the protagonist troy maxson. In fences, the titanic talents of denzel washington and viola davis are once again on full display. The play follows troy maxson, a 53yearold man who struggles to provide for his wife and son in a time when slavery is.
Fences looks like a simple title, but by the time you get to the end to the play, you just might see that it has lots of meanings. A workingclass africanamerican father tries to raise his family in the 1950s, while coming to terms with the events of his life. Denzel washingtons film fences, an adaptation of the play by august wilson, could well have yielded an excellent movie rather than a turgid one, and consistently inspired performances. The two reprise their roles from the 2010 revival of august wilsons play of the same name, for which each earned a tony award. Denzel washington directed and stars in this adaptation of august wilsons pulitzer prizewinning play, which centers on a black garbage collector named troy maxson in 1950s pittsburgh. Fences official trailer 1 2016 denzel washington, viola davis drama movie hd. This moving drama was written in 1983 and earned wilson his first pulitzer prize. The sixth play in august wilsons pittsburgh cycle, fences takes place in 1957 in what is assumed to be pittsburgh, pennsylvania.
Fences is a 1985 play by american playwright august wilson. Stay connected to your students with prezi video, now in microsoft teams. Fences is, since it debuted in the early 80s, a symbol of how live theater can still inspire. Fences on dvd march 14, 2017 starring denzel washington, viola davis, mykelti williamson, russell hornsby. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Set in the 1950s, it is the sixth in wilsons tenpart pittsburgh cycle.
The play fences is about troy maxson, a middleaged black man, and his struggles. Fences is a film about an emotionally damaged man who struggles with his past while at the same time trying to provide for his family. With two pulitzer prizes and his tenplay magnum opus, the pittsburgh cycle, of which fences is the sixth work, wilson takes his rightful place. Plot summary resolution falling action troy goes to the hospital to see alberta give birth but she died while in labor. When one reads fences, yes it is about the struggle of african americans in the time period, but it also incorporates baseball as multiple plot elements, and a metaphor for life. Fences themes from litcharts the creators of sparknotes.
The house is a source of both pride and shame for troy. The movie sheds light on various themes such as family dynamics, personal truths, and above all the power of forgiveness. Nov 22, 2016 for long stretches, that slight period remove works for the movie. Fences is part of a cycle of 10 plays about the africanamerican experience that amounts to a critique of the american dream from the standpoint of. Over the course of the play, we see the fence gradually reach completion. Fences is as faithful, impeccably acted and honestly felt a film adaptation of august wilsons celebrated play as the late author could have possibly wished for. Feb 09, 2017 but sitting down to this movie sometimes feels like being told to eat up your healthy green vegetables. As they talk, we learn that troy has confronted their boss, mr. The original 1983 play by august wilson won the 1987 pulitzer prize for drama as well as the 1987 tony award for best play. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in fences, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Like all of the pittsburgh plays, fences explores the evolving african american experience and examines race relations, among other themes. Fences is a poignant commentary on the meaning of life. Set in pittsburgh in the 1950s, fences explores the experience of one black family living in the era of segregation and a burgeoning black rights movement, exposing, at the heart of its characters psychology, a dynamic. Everything you need to know about fences movie 2016. This lesson will provide a scenebyscene summary of august wilsons play fences 1986 and give a brief analysis of the multiple meanings of the fences to which the title refers. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing broken fences near you.
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