Field of Dreams Information

Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy-drama film directed by Phil Alden Robinson, who also wrote the screenplay, adapting W. P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe. The film stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, and Burt Lancaster in his final motion picture.

Field of Dreams was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.

Plot

While walking in his cornfield, novice farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice that whispers, "If you build it, he will come", and sees a baseball diamond. His wife, Annie, is skeptical, but she allows him to plow under his corn to build the field.

Nothing happens, and Ray soon faces financial ruin. Ray and Annie discuss replanting the corn, but their daughter, Karin, sees a man on the ballfield. Ray discovers that he is Shoeless Joe Jackson, a dead baseball player idolized by Ray's father. Thrilled to be able to play baseball again, Joe asks to bring others to play on the field. He later returns from the cornfield with the seven other players banned in the 1919 Black Sox scandal.

Ray's brother-in-law, Mark, cannot see the baseball players, and warns Ray that he will go bankrupt unless he replants his crops. While in the field, Ray hears the voice again, this time urging him to "ease his pain." After attending a PTA meeting involving a resolution to ban books by author and activist-turned recluse Terrence Mann, Ray decides the voice is referring to Mann. Ray finds a magazine interview about Mann's childhood dream of playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers and his heartbreak when the team moved to Los Angeles, and convinces Annie that he should seek out the author after they both dream about Ray and Terrence attending a baseball game.

Mann denies making the statement in the magazine, but Ray persuades him to attend a baseball game at Fenway Park. Ray hears the voice again, which urges him to "go the distance." The scoreboard shows statistics for a player named Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, who played one game for the New York Giants in 1922, but never had a turn at bat. Mann eventually admits to sharing the vision, and they travel to Chisholm, Minnesota where they learn that Graham became a doctor, but died 16 years earlier.

During a late night walk, Ray realizes that he is in 1972, the year of Graham's death; he finds Graham who confesses to him that although he regrets never getting to bat, he would have regretted not being a doctor even more. He declines Ray's invitation to fulfill his dream.

While driving back to Iowa, Ray picks up a young hitchhiker who introduces himself as Archie Graham. While Archie sleeps, Ray reveals that at age 14 he refused to play catch with his father after reading one of Terrence's books. He also says that at age 17, after an argument with his father about the criminality of the elder's hero "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Ray left home and never saw his father again. At the farm, enough players have arrived to field two teams, and Archie finally gets to bat.

The next morning Mark implores Ray to sell the farm. Karin says that they won't need to because people will pay to watch the ball games. Terrence agrees that "people will come" to relive their childhood innocence, and Ray refuses to sell. Frustrated, Mark scuffles with Ray, accidentally knocking Karin off the top of the bleachers. Archie runs to help and, stepping off the field, becomes the old "Doc" Graham. After he saves Karin from choking, Ray realizes that Graham cannot return to the field as a young man. After reassuring Ray that his true calling was medicine, the players shake his hand and he leaves. Suddenly able to see the players, Mark urges Ray not to sell the farm.

After the game, Joe invites Terrence to enter the cornfield. Terrence accepts the offer and disappears into the cornfield, but Ray is angry at not being invited. Shoeless Joe rebukes his desire for a reward, then reminds him why he sacrificed so much, saying "If you build it, he will come", and glances toward home plate. The catcher removes his mask and Ray recognizes his father as a young man.

Ray introduces his father to Annie and Karin. As his father heads toward the cornfield, Ray asks his "Dad" to play catch. As they begin to play, hundreds of cars can be seen approaching the field, fulfilling Karin and Terrence's prophecy that people will come to watch baseball.

Cast

Main

• Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella
• Amy Madigan as Annie Kinsella
• James Earl Jones as Terrence Mann
• Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson
• Burt Lancaster as Dr. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham
• Timothy Busfield as Mark
• Frank Whaley as Archie Graham
• Gaby Hoffmann as Karin Kinsella
• Dwier Brown as John Kinsella
• Fern Persons as Annie's Mother

Players

• Art LaFleur as Chick Gandil
• Michael Milhoan as Buck Weaver
• Steve Eastin as Eddie Cicotte
• Charles Hoyes as Swede Risberg

Others

• Kelly Coffield Park as Mark's wife, Dee
• Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, spectators at the Red Sox game

Locations

Except for a few location shots in Boston, notably Fenway Park, much of the film was shot in Dubuque County, Iowa, and Jo Daviess County, Illinois. The home (at the time a private residence) and field were on adjoining farms near Dyersville, Iowa. For the final scene, Dyersville was blacked out as part of a community event that also involved commuters driving to the field. The drivers in the final shot were instructed to switch between their high beams and low beams to allow for the illusion of movement.

The "Field" was maintained by the land's original owner, Don Lansing, as a tourist destination. He did not charge for admission or parking, and derived revenue solely from the souvenir shop. Approximately 65,000 people visited annually. In July 2010, the farm containing the "Field" was listed as for sale.

On October 31, 2011, the site was sold to a company called Go The Distance Baseball for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of $5.4m.

Historical connections

The character played by Burt Lancaster and Frank Whaley, Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, is based on the baseball player of the same name. The character is largely true to life, excepting a few factual liberties taken for artistic reasons. The real Graham's lone major league game occurred in June 1905, rather than the final day of the 1922 season. The DVD special points out that the facts about Doc Graham, mentioned by various citizens interviewed by the Terrence Mann character, were taken from articles written about the real man.

Reception

The film was received positively by critics. Rotten Tomatoes rated the movie at 88% "certified fresh". Roger Ebert gave the film 4 stars out of 4.

Honors

In June 2008, AFI revealed its "Ten top Ten""?the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres"?after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Field of Dreams was acknowledged as the sixth best film in the fantasy genre.

American Film Institute Lists

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • "If you build it, he will come." - #39
• AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores - Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers - #28
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) - Nominated
• AFI's 10 Top 10 - #6 Fantasy Film

Music

In addition to James Horner's atmospheric score, portions of several pop songs are heard in the film's music track. They are listed in the following order in the closing credits:

• "Crazy" - Written by Willie Nelson - Performed by Beverly D'Angelo
• "Daydream" - Written by John Sebastian - Performed by the Lovin' Spoonful
• "Jessica" - Written by Dickie [sic] Betts - Performed by the Allman Brothers Band
• "China Grove" - Written by Tom Johnston - Performed by the Doobie Brothers
• "Lotus Blossom" - Written by Billy Strayhorn - Performed by Duke Ellington