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.

Taglines

• Ray Kinsella spent half his life searching for his dreams. Then, one day, his dreams came looking for him.
• If you believe the impossible, the incredible can happen.

Plot

Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is a novice farmer who becomes convinced by a mysterious voice that he is supposed to construct a baseball diamond in his corn field. The film's underlying themes are the fulfillment of dreams, and how people can overcome any regrets they may have about the life choices they make.

Kinsella lives in rural Iowa with his wife, Annie (Amy Madigan), and their young daughter Karin (Gaby Hoffmann). Ray's deceased father, John Kinsella (Dwier Brown) loved baseball, the Chicago White Sox, and Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta), who was banned from baseball for his part in throwing the 1919 World Series. His father, though, seemed "worn down" by life.

While walking through the cornfield, Ray hears a voice whisper, "If you build it, he will come." He imagines a baseball field in his cornfield. Annie is skeptical but she tells him to follow his vision. He works on the field for the next couple of days, hoping to find out what will happen. Neighbors stop along the road to watch and heckle as he plows under the corn. He waits all year to see whatever happens. Nothing happens, leaving a dejected Ray. One night the next summer, several deceased ballplayers from the 1919 team begin practicing and playing on the field. Soon after Ray is told by his brother-in-law that unless he gets rid of the baseball field and returns it to farmland, he will go bankrupt.

Ray hears the voice again, which prompts him to contact 1960s author Terence Mann (James Earl Jones), who had once written about the golden days of baseball. He wrote that as a child he dreamed of playing for the Dodgers on Ebbets Field. He goes to Boston to find Terence and bring him to a Red Sox game, which he envisioned in a dream one night. At the game, Ray sees a message on the scoreboard telling him to find a 1920s ballplayer named Archibald "Moonlight" Graham (Burt Lancaster).

Ray and Terence travel to Chisholm, Minnesota, Moonlight's hometown, to find him. The first place they check is the office of the local paper, but one of the researchers there tells them he's been dead since 1972. A confused Terence and Ray return to their motel room, wondering how to find Moonlight. Ray decides to go out for a walk. During the walk, he discovers that he has somehow been transported back in time to 1972. He quickly finds Moonlight, who has been working as a doctor since his brief time in the major leagues. When he asks why he left baseball for medicine, Graham answers that he'd rather save lives as a medical doctor than scrounge through the minor leagues again.

The Field of Dreams, Dyersville, IA - May 2006.

When Ray comes back to the real world, he and Terence return to Iowa. On their way, they pick up a young hitchhiker. After a brief discussion of how the man is trying to find a way to play professional baseball, the young man introduces himself as Archie Graham (Frank Whaley) - the young Moonlight. The three return to the farm, where Moonlight begins to play with the other ghosts. More baseball players have appeared in Ray's absence, and Moonlight is having a great time playing, while also being razzed by the veteran players about his youth and enthusiasm.

During an argument between Ray and his brother-in-law, who is forcing him to lease the property before it's too late, Karin falls off the bleachers. Karin appears to be not breathing. Moonlight quickly runs to help, but hesitates to leave the baseball field. He does step off the field, instantly becoming the old doctor Ray met in Chisholm. Graham recognizes that Karin is choking, and administers some quick CPR, holding her steady and pounding her on the upper back, causing her to cough up the piece of hot dog that had blocked her airway. Ray realizes that Graham's decision means he cannot return to the field as his younger self, and apologizes to the doctor. Moonlight assures Ray that it's alright, and thanks him for his chance. He walks out into the ballfield toward the cornfield, the players now addressing Graham with subdued, respectful voices. Terence and Karin persuade Ray's brother-in-law that tourists will pay admission to see the magic of this field to bring back memories of the game.

At the end of the day, the players head for the cornstalks in the outfield. Just before vanishing, Shoeless Joe asks Terence if he will come with them. An angry Ray demands to know why he can't go. Terence persuades him that he has to stay behind to take care of his family. After saying goodbye, Ray tells Terence that once he gets back he wants a full description, Terence smiles and walks into the cornstalks and disappears.

Shoeless Joe then tells 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, John, as a young man. At his wife's urging, Ray introduces John to his granddaughter, Karin, catching himself before telling Karin who he is, and simply introducing him as "John". As his father is heading toward the outfield, to leave with the rest of the players, Ray asks his father to play catch, finally calling him "Dad", as father and son choke back tears. As they play catch, a long line of cars begin approaching the baseball field - people coming to watch the game.

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 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.)

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]

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 and around Dubuque County, Iowa^[3]. 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.

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 about three miles south of Dubuque along US Highways 61/151. 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, 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. 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.
• 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.

Other

• 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 an episode of a Christian radio drama called Jungle Jam they use the Phrase "If you build it we will come" multiple times
• In an episode of the Fox Kids Tv show Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles called 'Meet Casey Jones' Mikey uses the phrase "if we build it we will ride" while talking about modifying an armored car.
• In Wayne's World 2, the phrase "If you book them, they will come" is frequently said to Wayne whilst he is planning "Waynestock"
• Ray Liotta hit right-handed in the film, although Shoeless Joe was a lefty.
• In an episode of Married... with Children, when Bud Bundy moves to the basement, he hears the voice and builds a wood structure waiting for them to come.
• In an episode of Family Guy, a voice tells Peter to build a bar downstairs.
• In an episode of Peep Show, Jeremy reveals to Mark that 'if you build it, they will come' is his market research for the pub he is running.
• In the film The Cable Guy Jim Carrey calls out "If you build it, they 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 the video game SimCity 3000, one of the headlines in the news ticker is "If you build it, he will come".
• In the TV programme Phoenix Nights, Brian Potter, Peter Kay uses the phrase "If you build it, they will come" to justify the building of his nightclub.
• The film's ending is at no 9 in Channel Four's list of Top 100 Tearjerkers^[4]
• In the movie, "PCU," one of the characters says, "Play Metallica, and they will come." right before being electrocuted.

References

External links

• ''Field of Dreams'' Movie Site
• ''Field of Dreams'' Ghost Players
• ''Field of Dreams'' at the Baseball Movie Guide

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