Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams
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Field of Dreams
Promotional poster by Olga Kaljakin
Directed by
Phil Alden Robinson
Produced by
Lawrence Gordon andCharles Gordon
Written by
W.P. Kinsella (novel Shoeless Joe)Phil Alden Robinson (screenplay)
Starring
Kevin CostnerAmy MadiganJames Earl JonesTimothy BusfieldFrank WhaleyGaby Hoffmannwith Ray Liottaas 'Shoeless Joe'and Burt Lancasteras 'Doc Graham'
Music by
James Horner
Cinematography
John Lindley
Editing by
Ian Crafford
Distributed by
Universal Studios
Release date(s)
April 21, 1989 (1989-04-21) (USA)
Running time
107 min.
Country
United States
Language
English
Gross revenue
$84,431,625
Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy/drama film, directed and adapted by Phil Alden Robinson from the novel Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella. The movie stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Gaby Hoffmann, Ray Liotta, Timothy Busfield, James Earl Jones, Frank Whaley, and Burt Lancaster in his last film appearance.
Field of Dreams was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Music, Original Score, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
Contents[hide]
1 Taglines
2 Plot
3 Historical connections
4 Honors
5 Locations
6 Music
7 In pop culture
7.1 "If you build it..."
8 References
9 External links
//

[edit] Taglines
All his life, Ray Kinsella was searching for his dreams. Then, one day, his dreams came looking for him.
If you believe the impossible, the incredible can come true.

[edit] Plot
Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is a novice farmer who lives in rural Iowa with his wife, Annie (Amy Madigan), and their young daughter Karin (Gaby Hoffmann).
While walking through his cornfield, Ray hears a voice whisper, "If you build it, he will come", and sees a vision of a baseball field. Believing he is somehow being asked to build it, and fearing he is in danger of "turning into" his father—whom he resented for his lack of spontaneity—Ray strongly wishes to do so. Although skeptical, Annie is supportive. Watched by incredulous neighbours, Ray plows under his corn and builds the field. A year passes without incident.
Ray and Annie are eventually forced to consider replacing the field with corn to stay financially solvent. At this point Karin spots a man on the ballfield, who Ray discovers is Shoeless Joe Jackson, a baseball player idolized by his father. Joe is thrilled to be able to play baseball again, and asks to bring others with him to the field. He later returns with the seven other players banned in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, emerging from the corn by the outfield.
Soon after, Ray is told by his brother-in-law Mark (Timothy Busfield)—who cannot see the players—that he will go bankrupt unless he replants the crop. Ray later hears the voice say "ease his pain." After attending a PTA Meeting which involves a heated discussion over the books of 1960s author and activist Terence Mann (James Earl Jones), Ray decides the voice is referring to Mann who has since become a recluse. Mann wrote that as a child he dreamed of seeing the Dodgers play on Ebbets Field, but was never able to. Although reluctant for another expensive flight of fancy, Annie agrees for Ray to find the author in Boston, after they share a dream of the two men watching a baseball game together.
Although Mann rebuffs Ray's initial approaches, Ray eventually persuades him to attend a baseball game at Fenway Park. Ray hears the voice again, which urges him to "go the distance," and sees a statistic for a 1920s ballplayer named Archibald "Moonlight" Graham (Burt Lancaster), who played one major league game but never batted. Terence initially claims ignorance, but admits sharing the experience when Ray is about to leave. The two then travel to Minnesota to find Graham.
Arriving at Chisholm, the pair discover that Graham died 16 years ago and return, confused, to their motel. That night, while out walking, Ray is somehow transported to 1972, the year of Graham's death. Ray quickly finds him, and the two talk about Graham's quitting baseball. Although he stands by his decision, Graham says he still dreams of playing baseball. Ray offers to fulfil his dream, but Graham declines and Ray returns to the present.

The Field of Dreams, Dyersville, IA—May 2006.
Ray then returns, with Terence, to Iowa. On their way they pick up a young hitchhiker, who introduces himself as Archie Graham (Frank Whaley)—the young "Moonlight" Graham. At the farm, enough players have now appeared to play regular games. Graham joins the other players, who tease him for his youth and enthusiasm. He finally gets a chance to bat, hitting a sacrifice fly.
Mark—still unable to see the baseball players—arrives at the farm to try to convince Ray to sell, as he and his partners have bought the mortgage. Karin says Ray doesn't have to sell the farm, saying "people will come" and pay to watch the ball games. Picking up the thread, Terence Mann says "people will come" to relive their childhood innocence, "for it's money they have, and peace they lack." After some hesitation, Ray refuses to sell.
A frustrated Mark scuffles with Ray, and they accidentally knock Karin off the bleachers. She lies on the ground, unconscious and not breathing. "Moonlight" Graham runs over and, after a moment's hesitation, crosses the field boundary, instantly becoming the old "Doc" Graham. He quickly recognizes that Karin is choking, and causes her to cough up the food blocking her throat. Ray realizes that Graham has sacrificed his youthful form and cannot return to the field as a player, and apologizes profusely. After reassuring Ray, Graham walks to the outfield, exchanging respectful words with the players before disappearing into the corn. The subdued Mark—finally able to see the players—urges Ray not to sell the farm.
As the players return to the cornfield, Joe invites Terence to join them. Ray is angry at not being invited, but Terence admits to giving the nostalgic interview about Ebbets Field (which he had previously denied), and realizes that this is how he can regain his youthful passion for writing, and convinces Ray to stay behind to take care of his family. He approaches the corn and chuckles as he walks into the stalks and disappears.
Shoeless Joe then says to Ray, "If you build it, HE will come", and glances toward a player near home plate in catcher's equipment. The player removes his mask, and Ray recognizes his father as a young man. Ray assumes the voice was Joe's, but Joe assures him, "No, Ray, it was you," before walking away into the corn.
Ray introduces his father to Karin, catching himself before telling Karin who he is, and introducing him simply as "John". After a brief exchange, his father heads toward the outfield to leave. Ray, finally and emotionally addressing him as "Dad", asks if he would like to have a catch. As they do, the view pulls back to reveal a trail of car headlights approaching the field, extending to the horizon.

[edit] Historical connections
The character played by Burt Lancaster and Frank Whaley, Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, is based on a real baseball player of the same name. The character is largely true to life, excepting a few factual liberties taken for artistic reasons. The DVD special points out that the facts, mentioned by various citizens interviewed by the Terence Mann character, were taken from articles written about the real Dr. Graham.
The author Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) is fictional but inspired by the life of reclusive author J.D. Salinger. Salinger is the author sought by the main character in the original novel. In 1947, Salinger wrote a story called "A Young Girl In 1941 With No Waist At All", featuring a character named Ray Kinsella. Later, Salinger's most famous work, The Catcher in the Rye, features a minor character named Richard Kinsella, a classmate of the protagonist, Holden Caulfield, who digresses a lot in an "Oral Composition" class. (Richard Kinsella is the name of Ray's twin brother in the original novel.)
The DVD special notes that in studying sites for filming, the producers ran across a monument in a Dubuque cemetery that listed the city's Civil War dead. One of the names was John Kinsella.

[edit] 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.[1][2]

[edit] Locations

The baseball field from the movie.
Except for a few location shots for Boston, notably Fenway Park, much of the film was shot in Dubuque County, Iowa[3], and Jo Daviess County, Illinois. The home (then and now a private residence) and field were on adjoining farms near Dyersville, Iowa. The baseball field built for the film has become an attraction with the same name. For the film's final scene, Dyersville was blacked out as part of a community event that also involved commuters to the field. the cars in the final shot were instructed to switch between their high-beams and low beams to allow for the illusion of movement.
Other places used in the film are:
Dubuque:
University of Dubuque- Kevin Costner's character Ray looks up information on Terence Mann in the school library. When Ray and Annie are walking to their truck Blades Hall and the Van Vliet main administration building are shown.
Hendricks Feed. The store where Ray purchases supplies is located on Central Avenue in downtown Dubuque.
Terence Mann's apartment and neighborhood was located near 17th Street and Central Avenue in Dubuque, although the scene is set in Boston.
Airline Inn. This roadside motel is near Elizabeth, Illinois along US Highways 20. This is the motel where Ray and Terence stayed while traveling to Minnesota.
Martin's gas station. The gas station where Ray gets directions to Terence Mann's place was located at the southeast corner of the intersection of W. 3rd and Locust Streets in Dubuque. The gas station has since been demolished.
Zehentner's Sports World. In one of the scenes cut from the final movie (outtakes available in the 15th Anniversary Commemorative DVD), Ray buys equipment at a local sporting goods store and discovers its employees are the first people who don't think he's crazy. Zehentner's was located near 9th and Main, and is now closed after 60 years in business at that location.
Farley, Iowa. The PTA meeting dealing with Terence Mann's books was at Western Dubuque Elementary/Jr. High School (now Drexler Elementary/Jr. high), in Farley.
Galena, Illinois - Galena was used to represent parts of Chisholm, Minnesota.
Local Dubuque attorneys Dan McClean and Bill Conzett were featured in the kitchen scene as Timothy Busfield's partners. The two lawyers, playing bankers, were the only two "bad guys" in the film.
The film used local roads quite extensively to represent the drive from Dyersville to Boston, Boston to Chisholm, and Chisholm to Dyersville, using the geographic features of the Driftless Area to represent the eastern United States. The following are some of the local roadways used:
U.S. Highway 20 - Part of the highway between the Illinois towns of East Dubuque and Galena was used to represent the drive from Boston to Chisholm. The Citgo station where Ray and Terence stopped was along the highway west of Dubuque. When Ray and Annie are driving home from town, parts of the highway west of Dubuque are shown. the scene where Ray and Terence pick up the young Archie Graham is near the Junction of U.S. 20 and Illinois 84 north of Galena.
U.S. Highway 52 - Parts of the highway north of Dubuque were used in the drive from Chisholm to Dyersville.
U.S. Highway 151 - A portion of this highway that is about six miles south of Dubuque is seen in the scene where Ray and Terence are in the van and talking about Ray's father.
Other Roads:
Interstate 90 near La Crosse, Wisconsin. Where the first scenes from Dyersville to Boston were shot.
Huntington Avenue in Boston, near the campuses of Northeastern University and Wentworth, and the street where the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the site of the first world series game can be found. As Ray drives along this heavily traveled road that leads into downtown Boston, he rehearses how he will greet Terence Mann.

[edit] Music
In addition to Horner's atmospheric score, portions of several pop songs are heard in the film's music track, including "Jessica" by The Allman Brothers Band, and "China Grove" by The Doobie Brothers.

[edit] In pop culture
The film's ending is at number 9 in Channel Four's list of Top 100 Tearjerkers[4]


The Iowa tourism board issued a bumper sticker referencing the film. It included an outline of Iowa along with the line, used twice in the film, "Is this Heaven?"
In the television series How I Met Your Mother, the movie is referenced frequently as one of main character Ted's favorite movies. In the episode "Ted Mosby: Architect", Robin and Ted fight over the movie, and in the episode "No Tomorrow" when Barney claims the universe is speaking to him, Ted replies "We don't have to build a baseball field do we?"
The Lake County Fielders baseball team of the Northern League, which is co-owned by Costner and has a ballplayer standing amid a cornfield for its logo.
It is Ian Kinsler's favorite baseball movie.[1]

[edit] "If you build it..."
In the episode "Dukerella" of the television show The Critic they use the phrase "If you build it, they will come" for the fictional film Field of Dreams 2.
In an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures, titled "Fields of Honey," Babs Bunny wishes to find an animated female mentor out of the glut of male mentors at Acme Looniversity. In the school's film vaults, a mysterious voice whispers, "If you watch them, you will find her." The voice recurs throughout the episode, and one point Babs jokes to the audience, "I'm no Kevin Costner."
In Wayne's World 2, the phrase "If you book them, they will come" is frequently said to Wayne whilst he is planning "Waynestock".
In an episode of Married... with Children, when Bud Bundy moves to the basement, he hears the voice and builds a wooden gateway, prompting a manifestation of his "cool" self to appear before him. Throughout the course of the episode, Al is struggling with an automated phone service but never gets anywhere. At the end of the episode, he goes down to the basement and hears a voice say "If you build it, he will come. If you want him to build it for you, press 1."
In the film The Cable Guy Jim Carrey calls out "If you build it, he will come!" when chasing Matthew Broderick in a parking lot.
In the film The Benchwarmers Mel Carmichael uses the phrase "If you built it, nerds will come" during the overnight production of the baseball park.
In 1999, Billy Crystal performed a comedy concert in his ancestral home country, Russia. In the beginning of the video recording of the concert, he is shown in a cornfield, and hears a voice whispering to him, "If you go there, take a jacket." The cornfield itself is revealed as a small garden plot next to the swimming pool at his urban home. The voice inspires him to do the concert.[5]

[edit] References
^ American Film Institute (2008-06-17). "AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres". ComingSoon.net. http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=46072. Retrieved on 2008-06-18.
^ "Top 10 Fantasy". American Film Institute. http://www.afi.com/10top10/fantasy.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-18.
^ "Filming locations for Field of Dreams (1989)". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097351/locations. Retrieved on 2007-08-29.
^ "Top 100 Tearjerkers". Channel Four. http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/T/tearjerkers/results/10-1.html. Retrieved on 2008-06-24.
^ "Midnight Train to Moscow". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Midnight-Train-Moscow-Billy-Crystal/dp/6301930029.

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams at the Internet Movie Database
Field of Dreams at Allmovie
Field of Dreams at Rotten Tomatoes
Field of Dreams at Box Office Mojo
Field of Dreams Movie Site
Field of Dreams Ghost Players
Field of Dreams at the Baseball Movie Guide