Fences Blu-ray Review

The Blu-ray video presentation of "Fences" is impressive, capitalizing on its 1080p high-definition transfer shot on 35mm film. Paramount's presentation richly conveys the film’s visual aesthetic, utilizing a reserved chromatic palette dominated by sepia tones and muted primary colors. The natural lighting in day scenes provides significant depth and resolute definition, making wide-angle shots particularly engaging. Close-ups are exceptionally detailed, capturing fine elements like pores, wrinkles, and makeup, thus enhancing the intimate portrayal of characters. The encoding is handled meticulously in MPEG-4 AVC, ensuring no observable compression or video-related artifacts.

Furthermore, the video quality boasts well-balanced contrast and brightness, resulting in distortion-free image quality. The black levels are notably deep and well-rendered, with an inky appearance during both indoor and important night scenes. The flesh tones are natural, avoiding the lifeless appearance often seen in lesser presentations. While the overall color palette stays neutral with earth tones such as browns and greens, the colors are vividly reproduced where necessary without being overly punchy or dull. This subtlety enhances the atmospheric feel of the film, particularly in scenes pivotal to Troy Maxson's life.

Additionally, the Blu-ray transfer smartly uses the confined setting of the Maxson household to its advantage, repeatedly drawing the viewer into the narrative with its lush textures and organic, lived-in details. The film’s aspect ratio of 2.39:1 effectively captures every nuance, from the home's red bricks to the well-worn furniture and foliage in the backyard. Noise levels remain low, with no evident issues like aliasing or banding. Overall, this presentation approaches reference quality and should satisfy even the most discerning viewers.

The DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track for "Fences" presents a well-rounded audio experience, catering to the film's dialogue-centric nature. Dialogues are delivered with impressive clarity and full-bodied tonal characteristics, ensuring that the vocal elements, which dominate the soundtrack due to the film's stage roots, are prominent and articulate. This lossless track provides excellent soundstage positioning and high-level detail, capturing the subtle intricacies of sound effects and background murmurs with precision. Although the track doesn’t demand extensive dynamics or active surround activity, it smartly utilizes atmospheric sounds of both exterior and interior environments to create a supportive auditory backdrop.

The film's modest sonic requirements are met adeptly by the DTS-HD 7.1 mix. The sporadic use of music finds an airy spread across the stage, delivering lifelike and clear notes when necessary. Ambient neighborhood sounds help in setting the film’s time and place, enhancing the atmospheric realism of the scenes with subtle effects like chirping birds or distant voices. The LFE channel remains mostly dormant, activating only for occasional crashes or minor hits, reflecting the film's reserved sonic profile. Importantly, there's a careful balance between dialogue prioritization and ambient sounds, ensuring that dialogue reproduction remains flawless, with voices rendered without any evident glitches.

Fences also includes an English Audio Description Service and offers subtitles in English, English SDH, French, and Spanish, making the auditory experience accessible to a broad audience. While the 7.1 format might seem excessive for a film with streamlined audio elements, it nevertheless delivers an engaging and immersive sound experience appropriate for the film's thematic and narrative demands.

The Blu-ray release of "Fences" includes a concise selection of featurettes that delve into various aspects of the film’s production. These extras provide insightful behind-the-scenes content, though some viewers might find them somewhat brief. Key highlights include a detailed look at the film's adaptation from the stage play and interviews with the principal cast and director, Denzel Washington. These segments explore the nuances brought to the screen by reuniting the stage cast, as well as the significant role played by the Pittsburgh location. Despite their limited depth, the extras offer valuable perspectives on the artistic and technical processes involved in the film's creation.

Extras included in this disc:

• Expanding the Audience: From Stage to Screen: Explores the transition from play to film.
• The Company of Fences: Focuses on reuniting the stage cast for the film.
• Building Fences: Denzel Washington: Highlights Washington's directorial approach.
• Playing the Part: Rose Maxson: Covers Viola Davis' acclaimed performance.
• August Wilson’s Hill District: Discusses the significance of the Pittsburgh location.

"Fences," a film adaptation of August Wilson's celebrated play, benefits immensely from the intimate familiarity among its cast, which was retained from the 2010 Broadway revival. Directed by and starring Denzel Washington, alongside Viola Davis, the film plunges into the life of Troy Maxson, a garbage man in 1950s Pittsburgh. These performances anchor the film with an authenticity that brings the characters' nuanced struggles to life. Washington, as Troy, a man embittered by past failures and racial injustices, delivers a complex portrayal of a charismatic yet flawed patriarch. Davis, playing his wife Rose, offers a masterclass in embodying a character whose strength and vulnerability form the emotional cornerstone of the story. The performances from the supporting cast, including Stephen Henderson and Jovan Adepo, further enrich this tale of relational intricacies and personal downfalls.

Thematically, "Fences" revolves around both literal and metaphorical barriers. The physical construction of a fence in the Maxson backyard serves as a potent symbol for the emotional boundaries and personal defenses erected by Troy against life's disappointments. These barriers reflect a broader commentary on racial and socio-economic issues, resonating through Troy's interactions with his family and friends. The film delves deep into Troy’s psyche, exposing his fears, regrets, and a sense of disillusionment with missed opportunities in baseball due to racial prejudice. The film's leisurely pacing and confined setting—a nod to its stage origins—enhance its raw, conversational drama. These elements work synergistically, ensuring that each line of dialogue breathes with intention and significance.

Visually, the film retains a stage-like intimacy while employing cinematic techniques to enhance narrative depth. Washington's direction allows the film to oscillate between moments of warmth and escalating tension naturally. By keeping much of the action within the Maxson home and its yard, "Fences" mimics the concentrated space where memory and reflection reside, thus offering viewers a profound look into Troy's world—a world where love, laughter, despair, and resilience collide continuously. This faithfulness to its theatrical roots does not curtail the film’s potency; rather, it affirms the timeless brilliance of Wilson's writing while ensuring its themes resonate profoundly with contemporary audiences.

Review: Fences (Blu-ray)

"Fences" is one of 2016’s most emotionally resonant films, standing out for its deep character exploration and captivating performances. Denzel Washington and Viola Davis deliver stunningly effective portrayals that drive this adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway play into the cinematic realm. The film does not shy away from its stage production roots, but this origin serves to enhance rather than detract, providing a focused examination of character and human flaws. The Blu-ray release of "Fences" excels in both video and audio quality, supporting the story’s emotional heft with technical precision and immersive fidelity.

The narrative, rich in allegories and character depth, superbly captures the essence of family dynamics and personal struggles. Washington’s directorial prowess is evident as he navigates the delicate balance between stage and screen storytelling in his third directorial outing. This film is densely packed with insightful commentary on the African American experience, making it one of his most assured and affecting works to date. It stands alongside his previous directorial efforts like "Antwone Fisher" and "The Great Debaters," but benefits from a steadier hand and more profound emotional resonance.

The Blu-ray presentation further elevates this already stellar film through high-end video and audio enhancements, allowing viewers to fully appreciate the intricate performances and nuanced direction in a home setting. Paramount’s inclusion of several featurettes, albeit moderately insightful, serve to enrich the viewer's understanding of the production process. While "Fences" may be dialogue-heavy and lengthy, these aspects contribute to its powerful storytelling and do not detract from the overall impact. This release is highly recommended for those seeking a film with substantive emotional depth and outstanding performances, making it a must-have addition to any collection.