Fences

A film that’s long been on my list of potential Oscar nominees for 2017, Denzel Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s “Fences,” is, as expected, getting an awards-season release date, as Paramount, the studio behind the picture, has set an initial limited theatrical opening in New York and Los Angeles on December 16, followed by a nationwide roll-out on December 25, Christmas Day.

Keep in mind that this film adaptation of “Fences” isn’t part of the deal that Washington has with HBO, which will see him bring to the small screen, Wilson’s American Century Cycle series (minus “Fences”), which consists of 10 plays portraying the 20th century African American experience, from the early 1900s, just after slavery and the Civil War, to the 1990s.




Washington and Davis are reprising the roles they played in the Broadway revival of “Fences” that was directed by Kenny Leon, both giving strong performances that would earn them the highest honor in the theatre world, the Tony Award for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Play. Could they be in contention for similar honors (Best Actor and Best Actress Academy Awards) in 2017?

For Washington, yes; but for Davis, as Sergio previously reported on this blog, she’ll instead be among the Best Supporting Actress nominees, not Best Actress. Although, still, for both actors, in their respective categories, they have now become the frontrunners not just to be nominated, but to win outright!

The film screened on Saturday night in Los Angeles before an audience of roughly 1,400 academy and guild members and select critics – including members of the Screen Actors Guild Awards’ nominating committee, AMPAS voters, and awards bloggers. And the response to it was firmly rapturous. Per several reports and tweets that followed, the attending audience repeatedly roared and cheered during the movie, and after it ended, standing and applauding while the closing credits rolled, before the cast even arrived on stage.

The screening for industry figures was followed by a Q&A featuring Washington along with fellow cast members Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, and Saniyya Sidney.

Full reviews for the film are currently under embargo, though early social media reactions indicate Davis and Washington have officially vaulted themselves to the top of the contenders in their respective Oscar categories.

Here’s a sample:

— From Variety’s “In Contention” section: “… It’s fair to at least note that both Washington and Davis have now charged ahead in their respective Oscar races… Washington’s performance, to start, is infused with the same bravado and energy that brought him a Tony six years ago. It’s incredibly layered, maybe even career-best work. He feels like the odds-on frontrunner in the lead actor category; As for Davis, the Academy can probably go ahead and engrave the statue. Due respect and appreciation to Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris, Nicole Kidman and the rest of this year’s supporting actress contenders, who give exceptional performances and will rightly be in the thick of the conversation — but this race just ended.”

— “The First Fences Screening Earns Standing Ovation; Denzel Washington and Viola Davis Will be Tough to Beat,” says Awards Daily.

— “Fences, full of titanic performances and well-measured support, will be a major awards contender. Viola Davis is unbeatable. Sorry, ladies,” New York Magazine’s Kyle Buchanan tweeted shortly after the screening. “Denzel Washington will be hard to surpass in Best Actor. As garrulous, domineering Troy Maxson, he’s likely to earn his third Oscar.”

— From the Los Angeles Times on Washington: “Playing ‘Fences” world-class storyteller, Washington may have more lines of dialogue in the movie’s first five minutes than Affleck and Edgerton possess in their entire films. It’s a towering turn that reveals every facet of this emotionally ruined man. You can make a strong case that Affleck has the more challenging assignment in “Manchester,” portraying a character utterly consumed by grief, unable and unwilling to move forward. But Oscar history tells us the kind of performance voters reward. And it’s rarely the inward turn.

— Also from the Los Angeles Times on Davis: “People like Denzel Washington. Quite a bit. But their respect for him falls short of the adoration accorded Davis, who time and time again, earned thunderous applause at the Westwood ‘Fences’ screening. Initially her character, Rose, the wife of Washington’s Troy Maxon, is reticent and tender, existing on the edges of her husband’s myth making. That changes after Troy delivers a devastating blow in the film’s second half. From that point, the movie belongs equally to Davis, her desperation and determination a marvel to witness.

— In the Best Supporting Actor category, Stephen McKinley Henderson got much attention for his performance: “‘Fences'” features three strong supporting actor turns, and it’ll be interesting to see which, if any (or all?), voters latch onto. Broadway (and August Wilson) veteran Henderson plays Troy’s long-suffering best friend, and the evolution of their relationship is heart-breaking, if inevitable. [Jovan] Adepo plays the teenage son, though the film’s Oedipal conflict may be its least interesting element. And Mykelti Williamson owns many beautiful moments as Troy’s brother, who, after a head injury suffered during the war, believes he is the archangel Gabriel. I’d lean toward Henderson. Any time he was on screen, he made the movie better.”

You’ll find a few more reactions from Twitter below; but this is just a small sample to give you an idea of what general sentiment it.

I should note that the film is also very likely to be nominated for Best Picture, and Best Director (Washington), according to an aggregate of Oscar analysts, thus far.

Having seen the play on Broadway with Washington and Davis starring in their Tony Award winning performances, I’m most certainly looking forward to the film.

Joining Washington and Viola Davis (as Troy and Rose Maxson) in front of the camera are: Mykelti Williamson, Russell Hornsby, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo and Saniyya Sidne.

MACRO, Bron Studios and Scott Rudin Productions are producers of “Fences,” which Paramount is distributing.

Check out the film’s first poster and first trailer below:




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