Field of Dreams (1989)

Director:

Phil Alden Robinson

Writers (WGA):

W.P. Kinsella (book)
Phil Alden Robinson (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 April 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sport

Tagline:

All his life, Ray Kinsella was searching for his dreams. Then one day, his dreams came looking for him.

Plot:

An Iowa corn farmer, hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields; he does, and the Chicago Black Sox come.

Plot Keywords:

Iowa | Farmer | Baseball | Author | Ghost

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Kevin Costner	...	Ray Kinsella
Amy Madigan	...	Annie Kinsella
Gaby Hoffmann	...	Karin Kinsella
Ray Liotta	...	Shoeless Joe Jackson
Timothy Busfield	...	Mark
James Earl Jones	...	Terence 'Terry' Mann
Burt Lancaster	...	Dr. Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham
Frank Whaley	...	Archie Graham
Dwier Brown	...	John Kinsella
James Andelin	...	Feed Store Farmer
Mary Anne Kean	...	Feed Store Lady
Fern Persons	...	Annie's Mother
Kelly Coffield Park	...	Dee, Mark's Wife (as Kelly Coffield)
Michael Milhoan	...	Buck Weaver - 3B
Steve Eastin	...	Eddie Cicotte - P

Also Known As:

Shoeless Joe (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Spain:T | Iceland:L | West Germany:6 (f) | South Korea:12 (DVD rating) | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 | Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Gordon Company

Trivia:

During the "search for Terry" scene, Ray can be seen driving up Huntington Avenue in Boston, and in fact at one point, he's just a matter of a few blocks from the very site where the very first World Series was played between the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates in 1903, which were played on what they at that time referred to as the "Huntington Avenue Grounds."

Goofs:

Plot holes: The gas station attendant in Boston tells Ray that Terence Mann lives "two blocks down, right hand side, the first door that don't have a chicken in the window is his." When Ray walks down the street, he goes into the first chicken-less door on the left hand side.

Quotes:

The Voice: If you build it, he will come.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Field of Wet Dreams (1992) (V)

Soundtrack:

Lotus Blossom

Touches you in all the right places

Films don't get better than field of Dreams. When you got back to the late eighties and early nineties you will find that Kevin Costner was the biggest actor to employ at that time as he starred in lots of major films like Dances with wolves which of course he directed, Robin Hood Prince of Thieves, A Perfect World, JFK and Field of Dremas which I think delivers his best performance of all those films.

Costner is Ray who one day takes a walk into his corn field only to hear a voice saying 'If you build it, he will come'. This sends him crazy as it's all he can hear. He thinks on to what the voice maybe wants him to do and let's his feeling be known to his family and the only idea he can come up with is that he should build a baseball pitch in the middle of his field. He does with the backing of his family and nothing comes of it till one night somebody in a 1920's baseball kit turns up on his field out of the blue ready to play Baseball. This happens to be the great Shoeless Joe Jackson who is now dead but has come back to play the game he was once banned from playing. The story unfolds to more odd goings on and sends Ray onto a journey of self discovery with some beautiful moments ahead. Field of dreams is not a film that gets mentioned when it comes to Costner's career but I think it holds his best and most touching performance. Anybody who likes a feel good film like It's a Wonderful Life will ultimately fall in love with this film by the end as the more it goes on the more you find out why Ray was guided to build the pitch and follow the voice which he throughout the film makes no sense of what it he is looking for.

It touches you in all the places and just makes you feel good about yourself and sends an important message out about spending as much time your family as much as you possibly can til it's to late.

Trust me, you cannot go wrong with this film.