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The farmer is standing in the middle of a cornfield when he hears the voice for the first time: “If you build it, he will come.” He looks around and doesn’t see anybody. The voice speaks again, soft and confidential: “If you build it, he will come.” Sometimes you can get too much sun, out there in a hot Iowa cornfield in the middle of the season. But this isn’t a case of sunstroke.

Up until the farmer starts hearing voices, “Field of Dreams” is a completely sensible film about a young couple who want to run a family farm in Iowa. Ray and Annie Kinsella ( Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan ) have tested the fast track and had enough of it, and they enjoy sitting on the porch and listening to the grass grow. When the voice speaks for the first time, the farmer is baffled, and so was I: Could this be one of those religious pictures where a voice tells the humble farmer where to build the cathedral?

It’s a religious picture, all right, but the religion is baseball. And when he doesn’t understand the spoken message, Ray is granted a vision of a baseball diamond, right there in his cornfield.

If he builds it, the voice seems to promise, Joe Jackson will come and play on it - Shoeless Joe, who was a member of the infamous 1919 Black Sox team but protested until the day he died that he played the best he could.

As “Field of Dreams” developed this fantasy, I found myself being willingly drawn into it. Movies are often so timid these days, so afraid to take flights of the imagination, that there is something grand and brave about a movie where a voice tells a farmer to build a baseball diamond so that Shoeless Joe Jackson can materialize out of the cornfield and hit a few fly balls. This is the kind of movie Frank Capra might have directed, and James Stewart might have starred in -- a movie about dreams.

It is important not to tell too much about the plot. (I’m grateful I knew nothing about the movie when I went to see it, but the ads give away the Shoeless Joe angle.) Let it be said that Annie supports her husband’s vision, and that he finds it necessary to travel east to Boston so that he can enlist the support of a famous writer ( James Earl Jones ) who has disappeared from sight, and north to Minnesota to talk to what remains of a doctor ( Burt Lancaster ) who never got the chance to play with the pros.

The movie sensibly never tries to make the slightest explanation for the strange events that happen after the diamond is constructed.

There is, of course, the usual business about how the bank thinks the farmer has gone haywire and wants to foreclose on his mortgage (the Capra and Stewart movies always had evil bankers in them). But there is not a corny, stupid payoff at the end. Instead, the movie depends on a poetic vision to make its point.

The director, Phil Alden Robinson , and the writer, W. P. Kinsella, are dealing with stuff that’s close to the heart (it can’t be a coincidence that the author and the hero have the same last name).

They love baseball, and they think it stands for an earlier, simpler time when professional sports were still games and not industries.

There is a speech in this movie about baseball that is so simple and true that it is heartbreaking. And the whole attitude toward the players reflects that attitude. Why do they come back from the great beyond and play in this cornfield? Not to make any kind of vast, earthshattering statement, but simply to hit a few and field a few, and remind us of a good and innocent time.

It is very tricky to act in a movie like this; there is always the danger of seeming ridiculous. Costner and Madigan create such a grounded, believable married couple that one of the themes of the movie is the way love means sharing your loved one’s dreams. Jones and Lancaster create small, sharp character portraits - two older men who have taken the paths life offered them, but never forgotten what baseball represented to them in their youth.

“Field of Dreams” will not appeal to grinches and grouches and realists. It is a delicate movie, a fragile construction of one goofy fantasy after another. But it has the courage to be about exactly what it promises. “If you build it, he will come.” And he does. In a baseball movie named “ The Natural ,” the hero seemed almost messianic.

“Field of Dreams” has a more modest aim. The ghost of Shoeless Joe does not come back to save the world. He simply wants to answer that wounded cry that has become a baseball legend: “Say it ain’t so, Joe!” And the answer is, it ain’t.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Field of Dreams (1989)

107 minutes

Burt Lancaster as Dr. Graham

Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella

Gaby Hoffman as Karin Kinsella

Timothy Busfield as Mark

Amy Madigan as Annie Kinsella

Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson

James Earl Jones as Terence Mann

Photographed by

  • John Lindley

Written and Directed by

  • Phil Alden Robinson

Produced by

  • Charles Gordon
  • Lawrence Gordon
  • James Horner
  • Ian Crafford

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field of dreams essay

Field of Dreams

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Field of Dreams Phil Alden Robinson, Director & Screenwriter. Adapted from W.P. Kinsella's Shoeless Joe . Universal, 1989.

If You Build It...

By Donald Williams, Jungian Analyst (Boulder, Colorado) Originally published by The Freelance Screenwriter's FORUM

There are two main currents in psychoanalysis, two psychological practices to treat suffering. These two practices are remembering and imagining . Freud realized that people suffer from painful or frightening memories that they repress. Roughly speaking, Freudian psychoanalysis is an art of remembering . Most "therapy films" emphasize remembering: Hitchcock's classic film, SPELLBOUND, hinges on Gregory Peck's repressed memory of his brother's accidental death just as Robert Redford's ORDINARY PEOPLE reveals the hidden connection between a young man's suicidal depression and his brother's drowning in a boating accident. There are less sophisticated popular films about psychological remembering like PRINCE OF TIDES where a wrecked man and his suicidal sister only recover when they remember their father's violence, their mother's cold narcissistic exploitation, and finally the trauma of rape and murder.

Carl Jung found that psychoanalytic remembering and understanding were not enough. He discovered that the imagination can heal psychological wounds through active creative work, symbols, dreams, and sometimes visions. FIELD OF DREAMS, an astute psychological drama that never mentions psychoanalysis, is one of the few psychological films to work its magic with imagination more than memory.

Phil Alden Robinson's film explores the psychological burden of unlived dreams and the conflicts of fathers and sons. Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) thinks of the dreams he may be sacrificing as a hard-working, bill-paying husband and father. He says about his father: "He must have had dreams but he never did anything about them.... The man never did one spontaneous thing in all the years I knew him. ...I'm afraid of that happening to me." At this point, Ray is remembering. Like Ray Kinsella, most creative individuals have had a parent with failed creative ambitions or ambitions they failed to embrace. Ray remembers his past and then begins to let his imagination live. He hears a voice when he's alone in the cornfield, a deep voice saying only "If you build it, he will come." When Ray is finally certain that he understands the voice, he acts. He plows under a corner of his cornfield and creates a baseball field. The baseball field becomes the container for his psychological imagination and for the men who symbolize his conflicts and dreams.

There are four psychological images in FIELD OF DREAMS that pull together Ray's psychological wounds, memories, and the work of the imagination. First there is the Voice; second, the Playing Field; third, the Child, and fourth, the Sacrifice.

The film opens with Ray Kinsella's monologue, his remembering, and with a quick psychological history. Ray's mother died when he was three. His father raised him alone, and as Ray tells us: "Instead of Mother Goose, I was put to bed with stories of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and the great Shoeless Jackson." Baseball was his father's finest dream. His dream failed him when his ideal, Shoeless Joe Jackson, was accused along with eight others of throwing the 1919 World Series. The scandal captured and marked a poignant sense of lost hope and wounded self-esteem that contaminated the stories Ray heard from his father. Ray's father passed on his ideals and his depression.

Now cut to Ray Kinsella standing in his cornfield at dusk. The sky is a "robin's egg blue," and there's a wind moving through the corn. It's dinner time. Annie sits on the front porch with their daughter, Karin. The cornfield, a generous earth, the farmhouse, the end of a full day, dinner time, Annie and Karin--these images work together as a metaphor for a good, easily loving mother, perhaps for the mother Ray lost when he was three. Ray seems to have everything but he's depressed. Ray looks up from the cornfield when he hears, THE VOICE: If you build it, he will come.

He calls out, "Hey, Annie, Annie, what was that?" Annie, of course, hasn't heard the Voice, and she answers, "What was what?" A moment later she says, "Hey, come on in for dinner." Ray experiences a calling and no one notices, or if they do notice, it doesn't make sense to them. As with Ray, the experience of a calling--whether a passion, a wound, or a creative vision--will mean far more to us than to anyone else. The Voice is private...and suspicious. We distrust the imagination and our own Voice. Phil Robinson raises suspicions in the background--Karin watches HARVEY on TV, a film about an invisible six foot rabbit. From the radio we hear a song from the sixties: "...or you'll be daydreaming for a thousand years." All experiences of the imagination bear this risk--daydreaming, delusional thinking, failure.

Ray takes the risk. He plows under his corn and builds the Playing Field, a place where Shoeless Joe Jackson can come back and play baseball again. The Field is a metaphor for the protected space where the imagination can come to life, where the imagination is as real as everyday life. The Field is the painter's canvas, the writer's computer screen, the blank paper, the isolated cabin, and the "fifty minute hour."

Creativity is integral to good psychotherapy and to our attempts to heal old wounds. We cannot be creative, however, without feeling safe. The therapeutic relationship, like the Playing Field, safeguards definite boundaries within which we are free to remember, imagine, feel, and think absolutely anything. These boundaries are essential.

There's a moment when Shoeless Joe comes to meet Annie and Karin. Annie asks him, "Would you like to come inside?" Shoeless Joe says, "Uh, thanks, I don't think I can," and he looks down at the white baseline marking the Playing Field. Without explanation we know that he can't cross the line, nor can anyone but Ray enter the Field. A necessary boundary focuses our creative attention and protects both the imagination and everyday life from harmful incursions. Everything occurring within the Field deserves our respect. Without this respect, the imagination is not safe; with it, the imagination comes forward. The appearance of Shoeless Joe is only the beginning of the creative, psychological journey. Shoeless Joe says, "There are others you know. There were eight of us. It would really mean a lot to them." Ray says, as he must: "They're all welcome here." Ray's respect is unconditional.

Psychotherapy aims for those moments of focused high tension that stimulate creativity and insight. If we are fortunate, the moment of greatest tension will produce something new, an inspired idea, a sudden intuition, a dream, or a spontaneous impulse that changes everything. The inspired idea often appears with the voice of a child. C.G. Jung called this phenomenon the archetype of the Divine Child. Children are curious, always learning, and unlike adults, children will imagine and say anything--including the saving thought that's just outside our adult routines. This new idea can be extraordinarily powerful--hence "Divine."

Ray is torn between financial responsibilities and his vision--the farm or the baseball field. As the tension mounts, he struggles with Annie: "So, what are you saying? We can't keep the field?" And the child, Karin, calls quietly, "Daddy." Annie answers Ray: "It makes it real hard to keep the farm." Again, "Daddy." And Ray snaps, "In a minute Karin." Finally, Karin says, "There's a man out there on the lawn." Of course, it's Shoeless Joe. The child sees the unexpected figure who resolves for now the impossible conflict. Later Karin helps Ray make the same impossible choice again when she is the one to say, "People will come..."

In the final act the bank wants to foreclose on the farm. Annie's brother, Mark, wants to buy the land. The day has come--Ray is going to lose the farm. Mark shouts, "Ray you have no money! ...You will lose everything! You will be evicted." Then there's Ray's decision: "I'm not signing." This is the Sacrifice--Ray will lose everything, the Field and the farm, but he won't abandon his dream. He sacrifices the farm and his family's security. This is the first Sacrifice.

Then , simultaneously, comes the second and opposite Sacrifice. In the struggle between Mark and Ray, Karin falls from the makeshift bleachers. She stops breathing, and no one knows what to do. A young player--Moonlight Graham--runs up, stops at the white baseline, then crosses over. As he crosses the line, he turns from a young man full of dreams into old Doc Graham, the man who "came this close to his dreams" and gave them up to become a doctor. Moonlight Graham sacrifices his dream and becomes Doc Graham. He raises Karin up, slaps her on the back as he says, "This child's choking to death. Hot dog..., stuck in her throat. She'll be turning hand springs before you know it." Ray realizes Doc Graham's sacrifice: "Oh my God, you can't go back." Doc Graham's sacrifice is as real as Ray's.

There are two simultaneous sacrifices: Ray sacrifices security and Moonlight Graham sacrifices the dream. One sacrifice without the other would not make sense. Dreams and everyday life belong together, connected but not confused. Our ethical ideals, creative visions, and artistic dreams belong with our intimate partners, children, friends, and our everyday responsibilities. The film's vision holds the two sacrifices together. Ray sacrifices the farm for his dream, and Moonlight Graham sacrifices his dream for Karin. Their sacrifices affirm the sanctity of everyday life and dreams, of intimate bonds and private visions.

Ray's dream originally threatened his family and their security. In the final moments of the film, however, the dream redeems Ray's father, Ray's past, and the man and father Ray has become. On the Playing Field Ray faces his father as a young man. Before talking with father, he pauses to look back to Annie and Karin on the porch swing--just where we saw them when the film opened and Ray first heard the Voice. Ray realizes that this is "where dreams come true," with the people he loves who love him.

Lest there be any doubts about this being a psychological film about parents and children, notice the very last words on the screen after the credits: "...For Our Parents."

© 1995 Donald Williams. All rights reserved.

field of dreams essay

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“Field of Dreams”: Baseball, the Prodigal, & Paradise

The film “Field of Dreams” beautifully portrays in a contemporary idiom the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but even more so, the grand cosmic drama to which that Parable points: that of Paradise lost and Paradise regained.

field of dreams essay

The film is about a man named Ray Kinsella, played by Kevin Costner. He lives with his wife, Annie, and a young daughter on a farm in rural Iowa. Ray is in effect a washed up hippie; having inhaled deeply the radical idealism of the 1960s, he has only recently and quite reluctantly become a farmer.

One night, as he’s working in his cornfield, he suddenly hears the whispering of a mysterious voice: “If you build it, he will come.” This voice turns into a premonition of sorts: Ray sees a vision where his cornfield turns into a baseball field complete with floodlights and bleaches, and that his father’s hero, the early twentieth-century White Sox outfielder, “Shoeless Joe” Jackson, will somehow return from the grave to play once again.

Obviously he discounts the reality of this vision. But the voice keeps haunting him, and eventually Ray becomes convinced that this is something he has been ordained to do. Convincing his wife, Annie, of course is another matter. Nevertheless, with Annie’s perplexed blessing, Ray begins plowing under the crops, often with his daughter sitting on his lap on the tractor, which provides the occasion for Ray to tell her the stories his father used to tell him, stories of Shoeless Joe Jackson and his alleged association with the so-called “Black Sox Scandal,” in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. While his role was later disputed, Shoeless Joe was permanently banned from the game.

To Ray’s surprise, after having built the baseball field, nothing happened. Time passed, winter came and went, and still, nothing. In fact, the baseball field so harmed their crop production that Ray’s brother-in-law, a banker, tries to convince him to file for bankruptcy or lose the farm. Then, one evening, when Ray and his wife were arguing over their finances, they heard their little daughter say, “Daddy, there’s a man out there on your lawn.” Ray discovers that it is indeed Shoeless Joe Jackson, in full White Sox uniform. Shoeless Joe asks Ray if he could bring others from the disgraced team to play. “Oh man, anytime. They’re all welcome here; I built this for you,” Ray replies, just before Shoeless Joe disappears into the cornfields.

The next day, however, Ray again hears the mysterious voice, this time calling on him to “ease his pain,” and again a vision follows: Ray is convinced that he must travel to Boston and, for reasons he knows not, take the controversial 1960s author Terence Mann to Fenway Park. Ray had learned that Terence’s childhood dream was to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the team’s move to Los Angeles was one of the most heartbreaking moments of his life. Ray travels to Boston and finds Terence Mann (played by James Earl Jones), but he is no longer the idealistic radical of the 1960s; Terence has since become a misanthropic recluse who no longer writes, and who threatens to beat Ray with a crow bar when he comes to his door. After reminding Terence that he’s a pacifist, Ray is able to convince him to attend a baseball game at Fenway Park, where they both shared a common vision to travel to Minnesota and bring back a young baseball player by the name of Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, who played one game with the New York Giants in 1922 but never had a turn at bat.

After they arrive in the small town of Chisholm, Minnesota, they learn that “Moonlight” Graham became a family doctor and died nearly twenty years earlier at a ripe, old age. Again, mysteriously, as Ray was walking the streets at night, he found that he was back in time, 1972 to be exact, the year of Dr. Graham’s death, and there he meets up with the good doctor, who confesses to Ray that while he regrets he never got to bat, he would have regretted it even more if he had never been a doctor. And so he declines Ray’s invitation to fulfill his dream. But, as it turns out, the mysterious forces in play would not be denied, for while driving back to Iowa, Ray and Terence pick up a young hitchhiker who introduces himself as Archie Graham, who’s looking to play some ball. He heard that there are some towns in the Midwest that will find players a job so they can play ball nights and weekends.

While Archie sleeps, Ray reveals to Terence that that’s what his father did for a while, working odd jobs just so he could play baseball. “What happened to your father?” Terence asks. “He never made it as a ball player,” Ray said, “so he tried to get his son to make it for him. By the time I was ten, playing baseball got to be like eating vegetables or taking out the garbage, so when I was fourteen, I started to refuse. Can you believe that? An American boy refusing to have a catch with his father… Anyway, when I was seventeen, we had a big fight, I packed my things, said something awful, and left. After a while I wanted to come home, but I didn’t know how. I made it back for the funeral. He died before I could even introduce him to Annie.” “What was the awful thing you said?” Terence asks. “I said I could never respect a man whose hero was a criminal.” “Who was his hero?” “Shoeless Joe Jackson.” Terence looks puzzled: “You knew he wasn’t a criminal…. So why’d you say it?” Ray couldn’t hide his remorse: “I was seventeen.”

When they arrive back at the field in Iowa, there are now enough baseball players that have mysteriously appeared from the cornfields to form two teams, and Archie gets his dream, he gets a turn at bat. As the players finish out the game, they invite Terence Mann to see what goes beyond the cornfields, and perhaps that will inspire him to write again. Terence eagerly accepts the invitation. Ray wants to come, too. “You can’t Ray,” Shoeless Joe says, “You weren’t invited.” Ray doesn’t understand; why is it that all around him dreams are coming true, except for the one who built the field? Shoeless Joe looks at him with a big smile, and points his finger over to home plate, and says to Ray, “If you build it, he will come.” Ray looks and sees a catcher removing his mask, and realizes that he is gazing into the face of his father. Shocked, Ray remembers the second voice: “Ease his pain,” and turns to Shoeless Joe, and says, “I thought it was you.” “No Ray,” he said, “it was you.”

Ray looks across the field at his father and marvels. “I’d only seen him years later when he was worn down by life. Look at him. He’s got his whole life in front of him and I’m not even a glint in his eye. What do I say to him?” After introducing him to his wife and grand-daughter, Ray and his father have a long overdue talk. “Is there a heaven?” Ray asks. “Oh yeah,” his father replies. “It’s where dreams come true.” “Then,” Ray responds, “this must be heaven.”

And as his father turns to disappear into the cornfields, Ray calls out: “Hey, Dad,” his father turns; “you wanna have a catch?” A smile beams across his father’s face. “I’d like that.” And so, on this baseball field, Ray’s dream came true; he found his way home.

As I reflect on this film, I am struck by how beautifully it portrays in a contemporary idiom the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but even more so, the grand cosmic drama to which that Parable points: that of Paradise lost and Paradise regained. The baseball park is a paragon of geometrical perfection, carpeted with grass glowing as parrot green, cool as mint, soft as a cashmere blanket, framed by the breezy movement of cornstalks, backgrounded by the eternity of the stretched-out canopy of a fathomless blue sky; a garden of aesthetic delights that awaken the senses and cultivate the imagination. Shoeless Joe in fact says as much; he tells Ray when they first meet that after he was banned from baseball, he would wake up at night with the smell of the ballpark in his nose and the cool of the grass on his feet. “Oh man, I did love this game,” he says longingly; “the game, the sounds, the smells.”

But for Ray and Shoeless Joe, the baseball field involved an additional dimension: it was a place where they both knew life before innocence was lost. For Ray in particular, the baseball field was a place where he could commune with his father, who appeared larger than life through childlike eyes, but whose stature faded as those eyes began to change. The baseball field was perceived progressively as a prison, and freedom was found away from home.

And yet, while Ray may have fallen away from his childhood paradise, the ballpark never seems to leave him. Indeed, we see this ‘hound of heaven’ motif with all the characters throughout the film, uniting them in a symphony of redemption that is able to transcend time. One commentator writes: “Baseball is rhythm without time, the lack of clock rendering the events immortal instead of static. There’s no running out the clock… A baseball game lasts exactly as long as it needs to, like a life time…. Baseball is the way our hearts wish time worked.”

Terence Mann draws from this “time outside of time” when he informs Ray that he will not have to sell his farm or the baseball field that he built, because it will be a field of dreams for more people than he could ever imagine. In an eloquent soliloquy, Terence proclaims:

People will come, Ray…. And they’ll walk off to the bleachers and sit in their short sleeves on a perfect afternoon. And find they have reserved seats somewhere along the baselines where they sat when they were children… And they’ll watch the game, and it’ll be as they’d dipped themselves in magic waters. The memories will be so thick, they’ll have to brush them away from their faces… This field, this game… reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.

In the Christian tradition, Paradise is not a mere sentiment or therapeutic fable; rather, Paradise is intrinsic to our humanity. As our first habitation, the essence of what it means to be human is inseparable from an environment wherein every square inch constitutes love incarnate. It is in the primeval Garden that Adam was created to grow, to blossom, together with the flowers and the trees, to cultivate and to be cultivated in an everlasting communion with God. The twelfth-century mystic Hildegaard was moved to say: “God created humankind so that humankind might cultivate the earthly and thereby create the heavenly.” Centered on the mystical Tree of Life, Paradise is that place wherein we are most fully human.

When Adam is expelled from the Garden, having rejected his Father, an indispensable part of our humanity was lost. The Tree of Life was replaced with thorns and thistles, indicating a cosmos characterized by death and decay. Our senses in turn fell, rendered dissonant, discordant, and our imaginations shriveled up into a parody of our true selves, characterized by an infatuated love of the self. And all of our broken relationships are but echoes of our original estrangement from the source of eternal life.

And yet, while we have fallen from Paradise, the Garden in a very real sense has never left us. The created order that was to serve as the habitat that shaped and sanctified the human person has now been restored in the Incarnation of the Logos, the second person of the Trinity. Just as God formed Adam from the earth, so now the eternal Son of God, in the words of the Gospel of John, “became flesh and dwelt among us,” a New Adam, the unblemished embodiment of Paradise restored. Indeed, this is the classical significance of the Eucharistic meal, where the grain and fruit of the third day of creation are transformed into the bread and wine identified with the body and blood of Christ, such that creation and Incarnation come together to restore our communion with God and one another.

Therefore, just as our humanity cannot be understood apart from Paradise, so our true humanity is comparably incomprehensible apart from the cross, for the Tree of Life is restored to precisely in and through the cross. The cross is where God and humanity confront each other in the deepest and starkest of terms. It is on the cross that humanity is revealed for what we have become: when truth appears in a world marked by self-centered dissolution and estrangement, it can only appear as crucified. And in that crucified figure, we see the very heart of God revealed, we see a love that knows no bounds, no depths too low; we see a love that reaches out with nail marked hands to welcome us back into his infinite embrace. And it is this love, unconquerable and inextinguishable, that bursts forth from the tomb the Eternal Spring of resurrection glory, infinite in its abundance and eternal in its life; which in turn awakens a comparable love within us, reorienting our senses and restoring us back to Paradise, our true and everlasting home.

It’s the beginning of springtime as I write; that time of year my two young boys take to the diamond-shaped field of the Little League gateway into the dawn of summer. I often sit on decaying wooden slabs across rickety stands, watching these once toddlers turn into young men. Sitting there, gazing over that field illuminated by the late afternoon sun, my boys are transfigured into what, in many respects, we were always meant to be: delighted dwellers in a timeless garden, that place where our humanity flourishes. And it is there, when my sons look for and catch my fatherly eye surveying their immersion in this field of dreams, that I am truly reminded of all that once was good, and that could be again.

We smile at one another. Paradise regained.

This essay first appeared here in April 2017.

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About the author: stephen turley.

field of dreams essay

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Well written!

I wonder if POPE FRANCIS has seen “Field of Dreams”?

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I am neither overly demonstrative nor particularly sentimental, but I bawled like a baby when I first saw “Field of Dreams”. My father was old and worn down by life by the time I was born, so I never had the chance to play catch with him. The film touched my very core. Thank you for reminding me of that feeling and the reasons behind it, and thank you for so cleverly linking it to the Scriptures.

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This is beautiful:

“And it is this love, unconquerable and inextinguishable, that bursts forth from the tomb – the Eternal Spring of resurrection glory, infinite in its abundance and eternal in its life;”

Thank you for your essay on this film and your wonderful insight on its larger themes.

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Oh wow. That was beautiful.

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Bravo Dr. Turley. I had forgotten about this essay, and how it can make an old Papaw tear up remembering not only his legion of joys on the diamond as a boy with his own father. But also, even more so, how the movie pulls so many of the permanent things together for us to enjoy and once again marvel at the wonder of it all. Thanks be to God…Lord have mercy.

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What a wonderful essay. i missed it the first time around, but am delighted to see it now. The movie itself struck deep chords with me years ago, and the author’s explication here, and in particular the linkage to the Parable of the Prodigal Son, brings it all home.

Baseball, which I played as a boy, has always been my favorite sport and the NT parable named here the favorite of them all as well. “”This field, this game,” in Terence Mann’s words, reminds us in the language of fictive narrative, that while paradise is indeed lost to us here and now, with hope, faith, and love, it will be restored to us through the agency of God’s sacrifice. The dream is a dream, but it bespeaks a reality beyond “this field.”

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This is beautifully written

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Luck would have it, I read Milton and Dante in college, so paradise is both lost and found.

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field of dreams essay

The Life and Times of Ben Weinberg

Entrepreneur, ESL Teacher, Traveler, and Writer

The Life and Times of Ben Weinberg

‘Field of Dreams’ – Film Review and Analysis

field of dreams essay

Field of Dreams is a quintessential classic American film and a movie that gets better with repeated viewings. Field of Dreams is almost thirty years old but has aged like a fine wine since it was released in 1989. This film is a unique mixture of the fantasy, sports, and drama genres and shows how crucial the game of baseball is to American culture. While some people who watch Field of Dreams think that this film is an original story, it is actually based off a novel by W.P. Kinsella titled, ‘Shoeless Joe’, which was critically acclaimed as well.

Part of the reason why Field of Dreams was so successful is because of the great cast of actors and actresses that helped make the film so popular. This was one of Kevin Costner’s most famous roles and also stars Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, and the late and legendary Burt Lancaster who starred in his final role in this movie. Another fact that most fans of this film wouldn’t know about is that Field of Dreams was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.

Of all the places in the world to hear a voice whisper the phrase, “If you build it, he will come…” a large cornfield in the middle of Iowa wouldn’t be your first guess most likely. However, that is exactly the premise behind Field of Dreams. A local farmer, Ray Kinsella, who has a troubled relationship with his father, John Kinsella, a former baseball player who wanted his son to follow in his footsteps feels guilt at what a strained relationship he had with his father before he passed away.

Ray then sees a vision of his cornfield being turned into a baseball field and decides to go along with this vision by turning his farm into a real baseball field. Ray is an adamant defender of ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson who believes he was actually innocent and didn’t do anything wrong despite the fact that he was banned from baseball due to the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Ray’s father, John, was also a big defender of ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson and that’s the one major thing that Ray and his father could agree upon. His daughter, Karin, and his wife, Annie, are skeptical of Ray’s plan to build a baseball field at first but end up trusting his judgment after some convincing.

After Ray completes the building of his baseball field in Iowa, many months go by and the bills for maintaining the field start to pile up causing Ray and his family to feel some serious financial stress. When all hope seems to be lost regarding his vision, Karin spots a baseball player moving through the baseball field one night and Ray recognizes the player as being no one other than ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson (played brilliantly by Ray Liotta). John, Ray’s father was a big fan of ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson and would be thrilled to know that Ray’s vision came true and Mr. Jackson was here out on his farm in Iowa absolutely thrilled to being playing baseball again. Shoeless Joe ends up bringing some of his teammates from the Black Sox who were also banned from baseball due to the 1919 scandal and they start practicing together on Ray’s field.

Unfortunately, not everyone in Ray’s family can see the baseball players on the field. Ray’s brother-in-law, Mark, warns Ray about how much of a financial drain the baseball field is on his farm and Ray may have to foreclose on the property unless he is able to generate some money from it. Mark thinks Ray has gone crazy because he keeps referencing the baseball players on the field who Mark is unable to see. Luckily, Ray’s wife, Annie, and Ray’s daughter Karin can see the baseball players and believe Ray to be doing the right thing leaving Mark quite flustered and angry.

Ray ends up hearing another voice whisper through the field telling Ray to ‘ease his pain.’ After seeing how the local town wants to ban the books of one of his favorite authors from the 1960’s, Terence Mann, Ray ends up doing some more research about his favorite author and discovers that one of Mann’s dreams was to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers professionally. One of the reasons why Ray ended up quitting baseball even though his father wanted him to play professionally was because he read one of Terence Mann’s books when he was a teenager and never played catch with his father, John, again.

Ray and Annie both have a dream about Mr. Mann one night in which Ray is attending a baseball game at Fenway Park together with Terence. With Annie’s support, Ray goes all of the way to Boston to seek out Mr. Mann even though he has become a curmudgeon recluse over the past few decades and mainly keeps to himself. With a lot of convincing, Ray takes Terence to a baseball game at Fenway where they both end up hearing another voice telling the two of them to ‘go the distance.’ They also see the statistics of a baseball played of Archibald ‘Moonlight’ Graham who starred in only one game for the New York Giants but never had an actual at-bat. Ray and Mr. Mann do more research about Graham and end up driving together on their way to Minnesota to go see him.

When Ray and Mr. Mann travel all the way to Minnesota, they realize that Moonlight Graham became a doctor and had passed away over fifteen years ago in 1972. When Ray goes for a walk one evening, he realizes that he has transported himself to that time before Moonlight ‘Archie’ Graham had died and encounters him on the street where they have a conversation about his short-lived baseball career. The older Moonlight Graham is content to be a doctor but wishes for that one chance to face a major league pitcher.

After Ray and Terence leave Minnesota, they encounter a young hitchhiker on the road who introduces himself as Archie Graham. The two of them are amused by this crazy coincidence and take him with them to Iowa. During the ride, Ray confides in Terence Mann that his father was disappointed in Ray for throwing away his baseball career and for denouncing his father’s hero, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson as a criminal. One of Mr. Mann’s books led to Ray putting down the baseball bat as well. Ray really wishes to make up with his father and make things right again if he had a dream to spare.

The amazing thing is that this young Archie Graham character gets to play on Ray’s baseball field in Iowa. In this only “major league” play, he is able to hit the ball into the outfield and get a sacrifice fly run in for his team miraculously after winking at the opposing pitcher as he always wanted to do even as an old man. Facing financial pressure from Mark and his associates, Ray thinks about selling the field to save his farm but Terence Mann encourages Ray to re-consider.

Considered to be one of the greatest monologues in modern film, James Earl Jones gives an amazing speech regarding the central role that baseball has played as America’s pastime and how it has formed our culture, and made the nation stronger during times of peril and tragedy. “People will come, Ray, people will most definitely come…” Terence Mann’s beautiful speech to Ray convinces him to keep the baseball field and not sell it off because he knows that baseball fans will come to Iowa to see their childhood heroes play America’s beloved game.

Mark, acting increasingly incensed, causes Ray’s daughter, Karin to fall from the bleaches, but Archie Graham who has a sense of both his past and future to come, steps off this magic baseball field to save Karin from choking. Mark then becomes a believer and sees all of these historical baseball players and encourages Ray not to sell the baseball field. He most likely believes that the field could be a major cash crop within itself and that people will most definitely come to see it. The older Moonlight Graham thanks Ray for the chance to make his dream to come true and that he doesn’t regret how he became a doctor too.

Terence is invited to leave with the baseball players one day to go through the cornfields to a destination that is unknown. Ray is going to miss Terence but trusts his judgment that it could ‘make one hell of a story one day’ about ‘Shoeless Joe Jackson coming to Iowa.’ Ray has his own family and can’t go with Terence who may be entering a realm or destination beyond our comprehension as the audience. Still though, he’s confident about his next destination and isn’t worried about not coming back.

One day, A younger version of Ray’s father shows up on the baseball field and Shoeless Joe Jackson references that the voice in Ray’s head was not Joe’s but rather Ray himself wanting to have a better relationship with his father and to ‘ease his pain.’ In the climatic scenes that can make even the most stone-hearted person cry, John is reunited with his son, Ray, on the baseball field, and he even gets introduced to Ray’s wife and his granddaughter, Karin, who he never knew in life.

John Kinsella remarks to Ray how “it’s so beautiful here, it’s like a dream come true.” The young John, asks Ray if this is heaven. Ray replies simply that, “It’s Iowa.” Even though John believes it still could be heaven, Ray asks if there is a heaven having never experienced it. John replies, “Oh yeah…it’s the place where dreams come true.” An uplifting emotional moment takes place in this scene as Ray Kinsella looks around at his beautiful farm, his wife and daughter happy and smiling, and to be reunited with his estranged father again as being a sign that maybe they, in fact, are all in heaven together.

Ray is so overcome with emotions at being with John again that before John leaves to go through the cornfields as the sun sets, he strikes up the courage to ask his dad to have a catch with him as they did in the old days. They start to throw to each other and Ray is struggling to believe that this is actually happening until John throws him the baseball, which Ray catches in his glove, and he can actually feel the soft baseball in his mitt knowing that his dream finally came true.

This last scene of ‘Field of Dreams’ is an iconic one and shows the power and love of the relationship of a father and son. Despite their differences, they still want to share the tradition of having a catch together after all of those years had passed between them. As the final scene fades out, you can see thousands of red lights emanating from the cars who are lining up to visit the ‘Field of Dreams’ and see their old childhood heroes play the game of baseball. People most definitely will come if you build it.

A truly remarkable film, ‘Field of Dreams’ is hard to get through without tearing up and having some tissues near you. More so than just Ray and John’s relationship, many characters have their dreams realized because of this baseball field. Archie ‘Moonlight’ Graham gets to swing the bat for the first time, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson gets to play baseball again as apart of his shamed Black Sox team, and Terence Mann gets to see what’s on the other side of those Iowa cornfields. The powerful musical score by the dearly departed James Horner stirs your emotions with every scene, and you can feel the weight of Ray and John’s relationship with each sound of the orchestra. James Earl Jones steals the show by giving one of the best monologues about baseball and its’ importance within the history of America.

If you love the game of baseball and you enjoy a story about achieving your dreams when they seem out of reach, then you should watch ‘Field of Dreams.’ They really don’t make too many Hollywood films like Field of Dreams anymore and even though it was released in 1989, it’s still an American classic, which has stood the test of time. If you ever go to Iowa, that special baseball field is still there to visit. If you’re a father or a son, you’ll also really connect with this film and it will touch you in your heart and in your soul.

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2 thoughts on “‘Field of Dreams’ – Film Review and Analysis”

  • Pingback: 8 Of The Best Quotes From Field Of Dreams

Nice blog thaanks for posting

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My Field of Dreams, Essay Example

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While I felt that the topic presented in “My Field of Dreams” was effective, I think that the way that the topic was presented was ineffective. The essay was difficult to read because a lot of ideas were broken up into small sentences and the author used very basic vocabulary. On the other hand, I do think that the author did a good job in ensuring that enough detail was provided about her experience at the baseball game with her dad. Although it wasn’t written well, it did present the reader with a large quantity of information so that they were able to picture her description, as if they were at the stadium with her. I think the last sentence relates to the points the author makes in the rest of the essay because it shows that while she loved baseball, she realized that she would be discouraged from playing professionally because of her gender. Since her memories of baseball were so positive, it makes her equally sad that she would not be accepted socially as a baseball player.

I believe that Kristy Bredin’s internship application is somewhat effective. She provides excellent examples to demonstrate why she should be granted the position at Rolling Stone, although I don’t believe that her points are well supported. I agree that both her education and experience would make her a good fit for this position. However, she fails to explain why she would be a better candidate than other recent college graduates. Furthermore, it appears that her skill level is extremely basic. It may have been advantageous for her to describe her relevant experiences more thoroughly and concisely to ensure that she would be considered for this job or internship.

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Example Of Field Of Dreams: Why Ray Had To Build The Field Essay

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Ray , Field , Family , Parents , Father , Relationships , Sports , Baseball

Published: 03/30/2023

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In Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella’s venture to construct the baseball diamond over his cornfield is arguably a means of resolving his troubled relationship with his father. Ray’s father sadly died before he could ever take back any of the harmful and damaging statements he had made about baseball. These statements would cause the eventual deterioration of their relationship, leaving Ray in a condition of listlessness, emptiness, and disillusionment due to a lack of closure. Ray had to build the field in order to resurrect his father’s spirit, in a sense, and create a venue in which the two could rekindle their relationship, mend their bond, and restore peace to both their souls. By aligning his consciousness with the energies of compassion, forgiveness, and understanding, every element and event in nature that needed to transpire in order for the baseball diamond to be a success manifested accordingly and just in time. As such, not only did Ray build the field to heal his relationship with his father, but to restore his faith in something miraculous, something otherworldly, and something beyond the constructs of his mind or imagination. The field then becomes Ray’s gift to others who seek the same resolution and the same restoration to wonderment and belief in the impossible. If Ray had not built the field, he would have carried on harnessing stored pain on account of having never atoned for breaking his father’s heart. That pain would have stagnated his soul’s growth and eliminated the opportunities that ended up coming to him on account of his faith, tenacity, and persistence. If the field had never been built, Ray would have never met Terrance Man or pieced together the wild synchronicities that made them cross paths with each other. Terrance would not have been restored to his own peace and set on his new evolutionary path as he was at the end of the film. Archie “Moonlight Graham” would never have had the chance to live out his one wish. The miracle of the dimensional crossover that Ray and his family bore witness to would never have taken place or woken them up to the possibility that heaven or an afterlife exists. When Ray built the baseball field, he opened doorways to infinite possibilities and healed more than just himself. Had he not found the courage to follow his vision or listen to the guidance that came, the world in which he lived would have suffered greatly.

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Field of dreams.

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                                       Was Ray Kinsella a successful hero, who dared to live his dreams, or merely an insane person who blindly followed voices that could only be heard within the confines of his mind? Either of these theories could be argued successfully. He builds a baseball field for Shoeless Joe Jackson. Between the movie and the book there are many events that take place that are different. The movie goes into more about a journey that Ray takes to learn more about his father. He was given the strange ability to meet a number of celebrities from both the world of baseball and literature who had been dead for many years.              In both the movie and the book, "Field of Dreams" and "Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa" Ray Kinsella was introduced to the viewers and readers as an ordinary man, living an ordinary life, in an ordinary town. After hearing the voice say, "If you build it, he will come," Ray risked the economic and emotional stability of the family he loved dearly to build a baseball field. At first, Ray Kinsella was highly confused, but eventually he realized the significance of his calling. Upon the completion of the baseball field, "Shoeless Joe Jackson", the baseball player who had been his father's hero before he passed away, suddenly appeared in the field to talk with Ray and to play baseball. He got to watch Shoeless Joe Jackson play graceful baseball in the field that he built.              The book is different from the movie in many ways. In the book the field is not one hundred percent completed as in the movie, it looks beautiful. The only thing that is great about the baseball field is left field. That is where Shoeless Joe Jackson plays his position. "The pitcher's mound rocked like a cradle." "The bases were stray blocks of wood, unanchored." "There was no backstop or grandstand, only one shaky bleacher beyond the left field wall." In the movie the bleacher was on the first base line and there was no outfield wall.

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Dreams In The Film Field Of Dreams

"Field of Dreams," directed by Phil Alden Robinson, is a captivating film that delves into the power of dreams and their ability to transcend reality. Set against the backdrop of an Iowa cornfield, the movie follows the journey of Ray Kinsella, a farmer who hears a mysterious voice whispering the words, "If you build it, he will come." This enigmatic message sparks a profound journey of self-discovery, belief, and the pursuit of dreams.

One of the central themes explored in "Field of Dreams" is the idea of chasing one's dreams against all odds. Ray Kinsella, portrayed by Kevin Costner, embarks on a seemingly irrational quest to plow under his cornfield and build a baseball diamond, all guided by his unwavering belief in the mysterious voice he hears. Despite facing skepticism from his family and community, Ray remains steadfast in his conviction, driven by an inner faith that transcends logic. His journey serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of following one's dreams, even when others may doubt or criticize.

Moreover, "Field of Dreams" emphasizes the transformative power of dreams to heal past wounds and reconcile relationships. Throughout the film, Ray grapples with unresolved issues stemming from his strained relationship with his late father, John Kinsella. Building the baseball diamond becomes a symbolic act of reconciliation and redemption, as Ray seeks to reconnect with his father's memory and find closure. The film beautifully captures the emotional catharsis that comes from pursuing one's dreams, allowing for healing and forgiveness to take place.

In addition to personal growth, "Field of Dreams" explores the interconnectedness of dreams and the human experience. As Ray's baseball diamond attracts legendary players from the past, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, the film illustrates how dreams have the power to unite people across time and space. Through the shared love of baseball, characters from different eras find common ground and form bonds that transcend the physical realm. This portrayal underscores the universal nature of dreams and their ability to foster connection and community.

In conclusion, "Field of Dreams" is a timeless masterpiece that celebrates the enduring power of dreams to inspire, heal, and unite. Through the journey of Ray Kinsella and his unwavering belief in the impossible, the film reminds us that dreams are not merely figments of imagination but powerful forces that shape our lives and relationships. As we watch Ray's cornfield transform into a field of dreams, we are reminded of the infinite possibilities that exist when we dare to dream and believe in the extraordinary.

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Daisy's Rumors In The Great Gatsby

In F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, "The Great Gatsby," Daisy Buchanan emerges as a central figure surrounded by rumors and speculation that contribute to the novel's themes of illusion, perception, and social class. Throughout the narrative, Daisy's reputation and the rumors surrounding her character serve as a lens through which the reader explores the complexities of the Jazz Age society and the elusive nature of the American Dream. One of the most prominent rumors surrounding Daisy is her alleged affair with Jay Gatsby, the enigmatic millionaire who throws lavish parties in hopes of winning her back. Gatsby's obsession with Daisy and his relentless pursuit of her fuel speculation among the novel's characters and readers alike. The rumors surrounding Daisy's relationship with Gatsby underscore the theme of illusion versus reality, as Gatsby's idealized vision of Daisy clashes with the harsh realities of their past and present circumstances. Furthermore, Daisy's reputation as a socialite and a symbol of wealth and privilege invites gossip and scrutiny from the inhabitants of East and West Egg. Her marriage to Tom Buchanan, a wealthy and arrogant man with a history of infidelity, adds fuel to the rumors surrounding her character. The contrast between Daisy's outward appearance of happiness and the underlying tensions within her marriage fuels speculation about her true feelings and desires, highlighting the facade of social respectability that masks deeper insecurities and disillusionment. Moreover, Daisy's association with the tragic events surrounding Myrtle Wilson's death further fuels speculation and rumors about her character. Despite her culpability in the accident that claims Myrtle's life, Daisy remains aloof and detached, shielded by her wealth and social status from facing the consequences of her actions. The rumors surrounding Daisy's involvement in Myrtle's death expose the moral decay and corruption that lurk beneath the surface of the glamorous facade of the Jazz Age society. In conclusion, Daisy Buchanan's character in "The Great Gatsby" is shrouded in rumors and speculation that reflect the novel's themes of illusion, perception, and social class. From her rumored affair with Jay Gatsby to her association with tragic events, Daisy's reputation serves as a lens through which the reader explores the complexities of the Jazz Age society and the elusive nature of the American Dream. Through Daisy's character, F. Scott Fitzgerald invites readers to question the nature of truth, perception, and moral responsibility in a world where appearances often deceive and reality remains elusive....

A Visit Of Charity By Eudora Welty

In Eudora Welty's poignant short story "A Visit of Charity," the author delves into the complexities of human nature and compassion through the eyes of a young Girl Scout on a routine visit to a nursing home. Set against the backdrop of societal expectations and personal discomfort, Welty crafts a narrative that challenges readers to confront their own preconceptions about altruism and the human capacity for empathy. At the outset, Welty skillfully establishes the contrast between the sterile, institutional setting of the nursing home and the innocence of the Girl Scout, highlighting the stark divide between youth and old age, vitality and decay. Through vivid imagery and sensory details, she immerses the reader in the oppressive atmosphere of the facility, where the residents languish in neglect and isolation. Central to Welty's exploration of human nature is the character of Marian, a seemingly forgotten inhabitant of the nursing home who becomes the focus of the Girl Scout's visit. Through Marian's fragmented dialogue and erratic behavior, Welty portrays the vulnerability and desperation of the elderly, underscoring the transient nature of human connection and the inherent loneliness of old age. As the Girl Scout navigates the unfamiliar terrain of the nursing home, Welty skillfully navigates the nuances of compassion and obligation, probing the boundaries between genuine altruism and performative charity. Through the Girl Scout's internal monologue and observations, the reader is confronted with uncomfortable truths about the commodification of empathy and the superficiality of altruistic gestures. Moreover, Welty deftly explores the theme of societal expectations and peer pressure, as the Girl Scout grapples with conflicting desires to fulfill her duty and maintain her sense of self. Through subtle shifts in narrative perspective and tone, Welty underscores the internal conflict faced by individuals caught between societal norms and personal integrity. In conclusion, "A Visit of Charity" serves as a compelling meditation on the complexities of human nature and the elusive nature of compassion. Through its nuanced portrayal of character and setting, Welty invites readers to interrogate their own beliefs about altruism, empathy, and the inherent dignity of all individuals, regardless of age or circumstance. As we navigate the intricacies of human relationships and societal expectations, Welty reminds us of the transformative power of genuine connection and the enduring significance of acts of kindness, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant....

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The Role Of Dreams In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

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Field of Dreams

Essay by review   •  December 27, 2010  •  Essay  •  1,082 Words (5 Pages)  •  1,094 Views

Essay Preview: Field of Dreams

When I was younger I thought that I would enjoy Field of Dreams (Robinson, Kinsella, 1989) because it was a baseball movie. I remember watching it and not liking it because baseball was secondary to the actual plot. Since I was so young I never caught the actual meaning of the movie or what lesson it was trying to portray. This movie is about second chances, and having a dream that you feel is lost. It is also about having faith in your dreams even if they seem unreachable. The power of belief is what makes dreams come true. It doesn't matter how long it takes, "if you build it they will come."

Baseball is used as a metaphor in Field of Dreams (Robinson, Kinsella, 1989) to explain how the main character Ray Kinsella attempts to reclaim his innocence. The All American theme of playing catch with your dad is re-visited and it is the premise of the whole movie. The whole plot culminates at that one pastime that so many fathers and sons enjoyed. The viewer finds out that Ray, and his father have never had a good relationship when Ray refused to play catch with him one day. They never reconciled their differences and Ray's father dies. At this point in the movie, we can start to realize how important our relationships with our parents are. The expectations that we set for them as children are no where near what we achieve as we grow older. As a child though, we feel that our parents are invincible. We expect them to make everything work out the way we want it to. When they fail to do that we lose faith in them, and begin to push away from them not realizing that one day we will be in the same shoes. The saying "you'll understand when your older" is a perfect reminder of what we can expect when we become parents.

When Ray's father dies he hears a voice say "if you build it, he will come." It was a subliminal message but Ray had visions of a baseball field in his head as he heard the voice. At first he doesn't understand what it is all about, but he gives in to the voice and builds a field in his cornfield. Months go by and nothing happens, then one lonely summer night players from the 1919 Chicago White Sox come out of the cornfield and start playing ball. As mind boggling as it may seem, the voice comes back and repeats the same message as before. Ray can't figure out who "he" is though. Everyone in his town finds him to be nuts. He learns that he will soon go bankrupt, if he doesn't replace his cornfield. This is the point where Ray has the option to give up his dream. He doesn't even realize that his dream is unfolding before his eyes. Granted it is hard to believe when deceased baseball players are appearing out of thin air, but Ray has to believe that this is real, to see this ordeal all the way through. His sole motivation is to find out who "he" is.

The voice prompts Ray to find an old ballplayer named Archibald 'Moonlight" Graham, who had been dead since 1972. Ray sets out to find the author Terrance Mann, who writes about baseball players of the past. The trip takes him all the way to Boston. Hear he tells Mann of the rift between him and his father because he refused to play catch with him. At this point Ray is fully engulfed in finding out what he is supposed to accomplish. This is exactly what he needed to do though. By being fully immersed in figuring out this mystery, he has allowed his mind to believe what is happening, and if he rides it out he will find the truth. While Ray is in Boston, full fledged games are being played at his field back at home. This is another affirmation that his dream is falling into place; this point of the movie represents him getting closer and closer figuring out who "he" is.

Ray travels back to Iowa,

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COMMENTS

  1. Field of Dreams movie review & film summary (1989)

    In a baseball movie named "The Natural," the hero seemed almost messianic. "Field of Dreams" has a more modest aim. The ghost of Shoeless Joe does not come back to save the world. He simply wants to answer that wounded cry that has become a baseball legend: "Say it ain't so, Joe!". And the answer is, it ain't.

  2. Field of Dreams

    FIELD OF DREAMS, an astute psychological drama that never mentions psychoanalysis, is one of the few psychological films to work its magic with imagination more than memory. Phil Alden Robinson's film explores the psychological burden of unlived dreams and the conflicts of fathers and sons. Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) thinks of the dreams he ...

  3. The Expensive Nostalgia of 'Field of Dreams'

    Let Field of Dreams be just a movie again and not a blueprint for boomers to keep bamboozling us. When Mann tells Ray that people will indeed pay to come see a folly of a ballpark in the Iowa ...

  4. "Field of Dreams": Baseball, the Prodigal, & Paradise

    (essay by Stephen Turley) The film "Field of Dreams" beautifully portrays in a contemporary idiom the Parable of the Prodigal Son, but even more so, the grand cosmic drama to which that Parable points: that of Paradise lost and Paradise regained. In view of the beginning of.

  5. Field Of Dreams Thesis

    Field of Dreams (1989) directed by Phil Alden Robinson is a glaringly idyllic rendition of the arguably overtaxed idiom "follow your heart." While deeper themes such as faith, fate, and national mythology were overarching constants in the narrative, such concepts were easily overshadowed by the consistent attempt to appeal specifically to the film's rather narrow target audience.

  6. Field of Dreams

    Field of Dreams is a 1989 American sports fantasy drama film written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson, based on Canadian novelist W. P. Kinsella's 1982 novel Shoeless Joe.The film stars Kevin Costner as a farmer who builds a baseball field in his cornfield that attracts the ghosts of baseball legends, including Shoeless Joe Jackson and the Chicago Black Sox.

  7. Field Of Dreams Essay

    In "Field of Dreams" Ray Kinsella takes an enormous risk by building a baseball field when he hears a voice. In "The Thrill of the Grass" the narrator strongly dislikes the use of artificial turf so he sneaks into a stadium changing the field one square piece at a time. Both characters face tremendous chances, but with the people they ...

  8. Field of Dreams Essay Example For FREE

    Check out this FREE essay on Field of Dreams ️ and use it to write your own unique paper. New York Essays - database with more than 65.000 college essays for A+ grades

  9. Field Of Dreams By Karissa Melfi

    Field of Dreams Karissa Melfi William Paterson University Field of Dreams A series of thoughts, images, and sensations that occur during a person's mind during the time that they sleep is known as a dream. Dreams go way back until the beginning of mankind, even to the BC era during the time that Egyptians and Greeks were the leading force!

  10. Field of Dreams Essays

    Field Of Dreams, By Phil Alden Robinson. Field of Dreams is just that, a field that fulfills the dreams of the owner. Field of Dreams, directed by Phil Alden Robinson, is about a farmer from Iowa, Ray, who is out in his field of corn one night and hears a whispering voice call out to him. No one in his family is able to hear the voice, but him.

  11. 'Field of Dreams'

    People will most definitely come.". Field of Dreams is a quintessential classic American film and a movie that gets better with repeated viewings. Field of Dreams is almost thirty years old but has aged like a fine wine since it was released in 1989. This film is a unique mixture of the fantasy, sports, and drama genres and shows how crucial ...

  12. My Field of Dreams, Essay Example

    You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work. While I felt that the topic presented in "My Field of Dreams" was effective, I think that the way that the topic was presented was ineffective. The essay was difficult to read because a lot of ideas were broken up into small sentences and the author used very basic ...

  13. Field Of Dreams, By Phil Alden Robinson

    Field of Dreams did this by placing the same notes in the correct places to help with narration. The music is a messages sent from the director directly to the audience,(Dykhoff). The message that this film is sending is affirmation to the audience that Ray is not crazy and everything is being done for a reason.

  14. Film Notes -Field of Dreams

    Director Phil Alden Robinson struggled for five years to make " Field of Dreams." It was, as the saying goes in Hollywood, his "dream project." Then the dream turned into a nightmare, an experience so bad that Robinson is taking a leave of absence from the film business. "It was painful," Robinson recalled.

  15. Field Of Dreams Essays

    Field Of Dreams. Field of Dreams During the late 80's, Phil Alden Robinson developed a sensational story that revolved around a real life account of a sport tragedy. The viewers were immersed in a touching account of how sport, a social interest, can play a powerful role in human bonding; thus becoming a very spiritual component of life.

  16. Field Of Dreams Analysis

    To verify that "Field of dreams" is an idealistic film that treasures America's icons, Jimmy Stewart, a famous celebrity whose movie clip was shown in "Fields of Dreams", was mentioned in the article. ... Field Of Dreams Analysis Essay "If you build it, he will come", One of the most famous quotes from the 1989 movie Field of…

  17. Example Of Field Of Dreams: Why Ray Had To Build The Field Essay

    Check out this awesome Free Field Of Dreams: Why Ray Had To Build The Field Essays for writing techniques and actionable ideas. Regardless of the topic, subject or complexity, we can help you write any paper! Check out this awesome Free Field Of Dreams: Why Ray Had To Build The Field Essays for writing techniques and actionable ideas. ...

  18. Field Of Dreams Analysis Essay

    1. fRUNNING HEAD: ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION. 2. Field of Dreams. "If you build it, he will come", One of the most famous quotes from the 1989 movie Field of. Dreams, directed by Phil Alden Robinson. Starring Kevin Costner (Ray Kinsella), Amy Madigan (Annie. Kinsella), James Earl Jones (Terence Mann), Burt Lancaster ("Moonlight" Graham ...

  19. Field Of Dreams

    The Sandlot takes place in no spectacular Elysium, but in nothing else than a little town in Utah. In the middle of this typical town sits the Sandlot. The Sandlot creates the impression of an ancient tired field where the blue collar boys play baseball on. The field mean much more than a regular old field to the boys who play on it.

  20. FREE Field Of Dreams Essay

    In both the movie and the book, "Field of Dreams" and "Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa" Ray Kinsella was introduced to the viewers and readers as an ordinary man, living an ordinary life, in an ordinary town. After hearing the voice say, "If you build it, he will come," Ray risked the economic and emotional stability of the family he loved ...

  21. Dreams In The Film Field Of Dreams (427 words)

    Explore this Dreams In The Film Field Of Dreams essay example, marked by its high quality and comprehensive research. Take a close look at this expertly written essay for inspiration. ... Moreover, "Field of Dreams" emphasizes the transformative power of dreams to heal past wounds and reconcile relationships. Throughout the film, Ray grapples ...

  22. Field Of Dreams Film Analysis

    The movie Field of Dreams came out in 1989 and was directed by Phil Alden Robinson and story written by W.P. Kinsella. The movie is about a guy named Ray Kinsella, and he lives in Iowa with his wife Annie and daughter Karin, with their yard being a farm to produce crops to make money. One day when Ray was out on the farm, he heard a voice ...

  23. Field of Dreams

    Field of Dreams. When I was younger I thought that I would enjoy Field of Dreams (Robinson, Kinsella, 1989) because it was a baseball movie. ... Field of Dreams. Essay by review • December 27, 2010 • Essay • 1,082 Words (5 Pages) • 1,090 Views. Essay Preview: Field of Dreams. prev next. Report this essay.

  24. Will MLB hold a Field of Dreams game in 2024?

    DYERSVILLE, IOWA - AUGUST 11: Players take the field before the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at Field of Dreams on August 11, 2022 in Dyersville, Iowa.