I watched Field of Dreams last night for what has become an annual tradition for me as spring training begins for Major League Baseball. I wore out my original VHS copy of the movie and needed to upgrade to a more durable DVD as it is one of the few movies I own that I could watch over and over. Field of Dreams to me is a reaffirmation of what is special not only about movies and how once in awhile a film comes along that really can reach the heart and touch so many people, but it also is a glimpse into what makes baseball arguably the most loved of all American sports. In the days of players salaries getting way out of control and major league owners trading for players to expand their rosters such as the recent New York Yankees trade for Alex Rodriguez, Field of Dreams for two hours sets aside all the aspects of money and focuses on the heart of baseball, and more so, focuses on the love of the game and how it touches so many people in so many different ways. Unless you absolutely hate the game itself and there are those who do, Field of Dreams will have something for anyone who cherishes the spring, when boys and girls across the country lace up their cleats and oil their gloves for the new season. Past losses and mistakes are gone, memories of our own childhoods are rekindled. The smell of a freshly cut field, the sound of the crack of the bat. All these things are reminded to the viewer of a film that has been voted one of the ten best sports films of all time. Even though the actual sport is depicted for only a few brief moments in the film, this movie is a baseball film through and through. But it is more so a film for the baseball fan, for those of us who can list the names of the players in the lineups from days gone past. This film is an indication that we can correct our own mistakes in our own past and hopefully find redemption in our lives. Ray Liotta and James Earl Jones both give very heartfelt and poignant speeches in the film reminding us of what the game does for the fan and even players who receive enormous amounts of money to play a game that they would probably play for free were there not salaries involved. This film is uplifting and moving and it reminds us of where we as Americans came from and how so many things in America have changed, but the game of baseball for all the innovations such as polyester uniforms and nighttime lights, baseball has changed little throughout its over 100 year lifetime. Yes, baseball in today's world is big business, but baseball was big business at the beginning of the century too, but when our favorite players hit the field and take their positions, or step up to the plate and knock the dirt off their cleats and take a few practice swings, it is still a game which is what Field of Dreams does a remarkable job in portraying. The acting in this movie is superb and natural, the characters are convincing and even though I have seen this movie at least three dozen times, I still get chills and am moved to tears at several points in the film. If there is ever a film that is destined to be a classic for years to come, Field of Dreams would definitely be one of them.
I have been a huge fan of this film, probably more so than any other movie and each and every time I watch it I am drawn more and more into it. My family made a pilgrimage to the field last summer in Dyersville and if there are any persons out there who have never gone but are devotees like I am, it is absolutely necessary to make the journey. Field of Dreams is as enlightened of a screenplay as the original novel was by WP Kinsella. I only hope that there is the possibility of other great films to come where even 16 years after its release it still holds the same magic and can still cause me to get tears in my eyes as watch the last dramatic scene.
I have been a huge fan of this film, probably more so than any other movie and each and every time I watch it I am drawn more and more into it. My family made a pilgrimage to the field last summer in Dyersville and if there are any persons out there who have never gone but are devotees like I am, it is absolutely necessary to make the journey. Field of Dreams is as enlightened of a screenplay as the original novel was by WP Kinsella. I only hope that there is the possibility of other great films to come where even 16 years after its release it still holds the same magic and can still cause me to get tears in my eyes as watch the last dramatic scene.