August Wilson's Fences

rugcat · Dec 29, 2016

Not sure where to put this, but I guess here is good as anywhere.

There is a lot of attention on this play now that Denzel Washington has brought it to the big screen.

But someone on Facebook posted this, and I found it totally fascinating. First off is a scene from the 1987 version with James Earl Jones as the lead.

Contrast it with Denzel Washington as the main character in a 2000 Broadway revival.

The exact same scene, the exact same words, but oh so different.

Now, we're all aware that the director and interpretation of the words of a play are important. But I think we do tend to forget just how crucial they can be, and how the entire tone and even meaning of a scene can be totally different, depending on how the actors deliver their lines.

As for me, I think Denzel Washington is a very fine actor indeed. But James Earl Jones is such a presence that you can't take your eyes off him – he scared the bejesus out of me. Definitely very different takes on the material.

James Earl Jones

Denzell Washington

Maze Runner · Dec 30, 2016

Also telling is how differently the crowd reacts to the same words--all the laughs Denzell got. I wonder how much of that had to do with the crowd's familiarity with the play thirteen years later. At one point, Denzell looks a little awkward that he has to step over the laughs. I'm not anything close to an actor, but I noticed how Jones punctuated every line; his scene runs forty some seconds longer. Just Jones' persona too, and that voice! that adds some kind of weight or gravity to anything he says. I'll never forget him in The Great White Hope as Jack Johnson.

I was going to say that Denzell, his likability, lightens up his darkest roles. American Gangster came to mind. But then I remembered him in Training Day. That was a pretty irredeemable character, played so believably.

August Wilson, The Hill District's greatest playwright.

August Wilson's Fences

rugcat

Lost in the Fog

Maze Runner