August Wilson on Screen

Throughout his career, August Wilson questioned how his instantly legendary plays would translate to the screen, and whether the material would end up in the right hands. In the last decade, though, three of Wilson’s best-known works—Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and now The Piano Lesson—have taken shape as nuanced, compelling films by highly accomplished teams. This session will unpack the different stylistic emphases of each movie, as well as an earlier made-for-TV Piano Lesson, showcasing their disparate methods for evoking Wilson’s singular but elastic voice.

Suggested viewings: Fences (widely available), Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix), and/or The Piano Lesson (Netflix, debuting Nov 22)

Please note: The discussion does not include screenings of these films.