Field of Dreams

About Field of Dreams

The plot of Field of Dreams may not inspire too many non-baseball fans to take much thought of it at first. But after watching and looking beyond the sports theme of a film in which, a son misses his estranged father, it is clear to see Field of Dreams is more than just your average baseball flick. Costner plays Ray Kinsella a husband and father of one who moved from Berkley, California to Iowa to live and run his own farm. Kinsella is haunted by his past and the strained relationship he once had with his now-deceased father. Ray never reconciled his relationship with his father John Kinsella, leaving him with a void. While working in his cornfield, Kinsella begins to hear an eerie voice tell him, “If you build it, he will come.” Kinsella dreams of a baseball field sitting in the same place where his cornfield is and soon, he plows under the crops to build a small baseball diamond. The move causes local townspeople to consider Kinsella crazy.

Soon, Kinsella and his family begin seeing men, ex-baseball players including Shoeless Joe Jackson and others appear on the diamond. The men materialize out of the cornfield, come to play baseball, but mustn’t leave the safety of the diamond.

The film is based on W.P. Kinsella’s novel Shoeless Joe, a 1982 book that is described as a “magic realist” novel. A baseball fan, Kinsella wrote the book while visiting Iowa and created the story by intertwining it with real-life events. The book, like the film, isn’t so much about baseball as it is about finding one’s self. It is about living life and having a second chance.

Field of Dreams's Relation To Sport Business

Field of Dreams belongs on The Shelf thanks to it being one of the most beloved baseball movies of all-time. Using baseball as a vehicle, it delves into the relationships that people have and how they live life. Throughout the film, Kinsella regrets the way his relationship with his father ended and the events in Field of Dreams unfold telling the story of his remorse. In the end, Kinsella has one last chance with his father. As the voice stated, “he will come” and it is at the end of the film that Kinsella comes face to face with his father. A former aspiring baseball player, John and Ray play catch and come to terms with the relationship that was lost during the latter’s teenage years.

Field of Dreams, both the novel and film, intertwin history and real people into a film in which healthy doses of fantasy are served up. Characters such as Shoeless Joe Jackson and Moonlight Graham were all real baseball players, and the addition of these individuals gives the film credibility. Had Kinsella used made-up baseball players that never truly existed, it is hard to believe the film would have made the impact it has over the past three decades-plus.

Why watch Field of Dreams?

The film not only received incredible praise in 1989, but it has stood the test of time over the last 30 years continually making new fans. In 2017, Field of Dreams was chosen for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its "culturally, historically, or aesthetically" significance. For a film to achieve that recognition, it means it is truly a major part of American culture.

The film is often cited as a powerful story for individuals with their own strained relationships with family members. It is one of the reasons so many people enjoy the film. Although it may have lost some of its power for younger generations over the past three decades-plus, Field of Dreams has remained a classic piece of cinema for millions of people.

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