Director Spotlight: DENZEL WASHINGTON

Had already seen: none
Watched for this: Fences (2016), The Great Debaters (2007), and Antwone Fisher (2002) 
Have not seen: an episode of Grey's Anatomy

Initially I wanted to watch Fences because I very much want to watch (or at least read, but watching would be better) August Wilson's entire Century Cycle. My originally deciding to watch Fences was not for the focus on Black directors, and I thought of Denzel Washington as an actor, not a director. I really liked the other two, but they hadn't been in the original plan.

I'm so glad I went back and watched the other two, though, because I did like them so much.

Because of the route I followed, I can't really speak to the place of Fences in the Century Cycle or compared to other works by August Wilson. I am also not sure I can say a lot about Washington as a director. He does all right. 

That sounds like faint praise, but it means a lot to not have anything grating, like an uneven performance or weird jumps. He was telling straightforward, human stories, too, where a lot of flashy transitions or camera tricks would have not seemed right. What he did was enough.

That is probably especially important for Fences. Sometimes plays adapted to screen can either do too much to break out of the restrictions of the stage, thus losing the focus of the play, or they do too little and feel kind of static. This was well-balanced.

I want to spend more time on Fences today, with more on Washington tomorrow.

There are some long monologues where you remember that this was for the stage; that is a theater thing. Sometimes you can cut a lot of text, like Kenneth Branagh did with Much Ado About Nothing, but I think that makes more sense with a comedy (especially a Shakespearean one) than a drama. Troy's tendency to tell long stories is integral to his character.

There is a part where Troy's wife Rose is talking to their son Cory, who is understandably frustrated with his father. Among other things, she says about meeting Troy," I thought 'Here is a man I can lay down with and make a baby.'" The play was written in 1983, before Denzel Washington was well-known, and I don't know if August Wilson had anyone specific in mind, but that made me laugh and seemed like perfect casting.

Otherwise, most of the humor came from Troy's stories, and you can't necessarily believe them, but you can believe that some of that long-winded talking is a way to avoid saying something real.

Troy Maxson is a frustrating character. His stories can be fun, and grandiose, and he is a very capable man. Being a man, though - with his version of masculinity and what that requires - takes a terrible toll on him and on the people he loves most.

At least, you assume he loves them, though he doesn't go so soft as to admit it. He spends a long time telling his younger son that he doesn't have to like him, indicating that the care he gives his son is just a matter of duty. Without specifying any negative feelings, it's still pretty efficient at killing warmth.

It is also pretty clear that Troy is a better father than his own father was, and that's something. There are times when he demonstrates care, especially for his brother Gabriel. But why does he have to be so hard so much of the time? If he knows how it feels to have a talent and miss his chance with it, why can't he go hear Lyons play? Why can't he give a little so that Cory can play football? Why does he have to carry on with another woman instead of being open with his wife? (Because, seriously, his reasons for fooling around are stupidly male.)

I suppose there are some feelings about my own father that get tied up with it, though it might resonate more with sons of controlling, emotionally withholding fathers. It would take so little to give.

He hurts all of them, but he hurts himself too. He successfully gets a promotion that isolates him, and not being able to read or admit it leads to a betrayal of his brother. It hurts, all through the movie.

But then, perhaps the most important part of the movie is the ending. It's not tacked on, because Gabriel has been foretelling it the entire time and we just didn't understand. After two failed attempts, Gabriel is able to blow a clear note on his horn to signal the gates of Heaven opening for Troy's admittance. The clouds part, and a beautiful shaft of light shines down. And then you know there is the possibility of grace, even for a hard man like Troy.

As much as we have been frustrated with him, we have cared for him too. Somehow we can believe it will all work out.

I spent some time trying to figure out how Washington chooses which projects to direct, and I could never find anything on that. I did find that he had gotten the offer to direct Fences earlier, but he put it on hold until he was emotionally ready. That shows a conscientious choice, and I think one that paid off.