Field of Dreams (1989)

An Iowa corn farmer, hearing voices, interprets them as a command to build a baseball diamond in his fields; he does, and the 1919 Chicago White Sox come.

Director:

Phil Alden Robinson

Writers:

W.P. Kinsella (book), Phil Alden Robinson (screenplay)

Stars:

Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Costner	...	Ray Kinsella
Amy Madigan	...	Annie Kinsella
Gaby Hoffmann	...	Karin Kinsella
Ray Liotta	...	Shoeless Joe Jackson
Timothy Busfield	...	Mark
James Earl Jones	...	Terence Mann
Burt Lancaster	...	Dr. Archibald 'Moonlight' Graham
Frank Whaley	...	Archie Graham
Dwier Brown	...	John Kinsella
James Andelin	...	Feed Store Farmer
Mary Anne Kean	...	Feed Store Lady
Fern Persons	...	Annie's Mother
Kelly Coffield Park	...	Dee, Mark's Wife (as Kelly Coffield)
Michael Milhoan	...	Buck Weaver - 3B
Steve Eastin	...	Eddie Cicotte - P

Storyline

Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella hears a voice in his corn field tell him, "If you build it, he will come." He interprets this message as an instruction to build a baseball field on his farm, upon which appear the ghosts of Shoeless Joe Jackson and the other seven Chicago White Sox players banned from the game for throwing the 1919 World Series. When the voices continue, Ray seeks out a reclusive author to help him understand the meaning of the messages and the purpose for his field.

---

Plot Keywords:

baseball | baseball field | farmer | hearing voices | ghost | 

---

Taglines:

If you believe the impossible, the incredible can come true.

---

Genres:

Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sport

---

Certificate:

6

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shots of the auditorium meeting at Western Dubuque were filmed during school hours. Within that time, students were getting noisy, causing multiple reshoots. Finally, after numerous takes, executives came in the classrooms and yelled to keep it down.

---

Goofs

At Fenway Park, when Oakland A's batter Jose Canseco is shown hitting a fly ball, the time on the scoreboard reads 8:41. A moment later, Ray looks up at the scoreboard to see the message about 'Moonlight' Graham and the time on the scoreboard reads 10:30.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Ray Kinsella: [voice over] My father's name was John Kinsella. It's an Irish name. He was born in North Dakota in 1896, and never saw a big city until he came back from France in 1918. He settled in Chicago, where he quickly learned to live and die with the White Sox. Died a little when they lost the 1919 World Series. Died a lot the following summer when eight members of the team were accused of throwing that series. He played in the minors for a year too, but nothing ever came of it. Moved to ...
[...]

---

Crazy Credits

The Voice ................ Himself

---

Connections

Referenced in Cougar Town: Cry to Me (2011)

---

Soundtracks

Field Of Dreams
(uncredited)
Composed and Conducted by James Horner

User Reviews

Sometimes, dreams do come true !

Very rarely, you see a film that means one thing when your father is alive, and another when he is dead. When I first saw this movie, my father was still alive, we had not spoken for 8 years, and I thought, cute, but it knows nothing about real life ! When I saw it again, he had been dead for over a year, and I cried like a baby.

I'm English, so for me the baseball element was lost, but what did hit home was the awareness that we are all flawed people, and the expectations we have for our parents, are way and beyond what we achieve ourselves as we grow older.

The film is not about baseball, it is about a second chance ! An opportunity to say hiya Dad, I was didn't know then, but I'm older now and understand more about the way the world works.

In terms of the film, Cosner has never had a better role, Lancaster as Doc Graham finally showed what a great actor he really was, and James Earl Jones was simply perfect.

In short a great film, James Horner's theme music is wonderful, the visuals are fantastic, the acting is as good as you could hope to see.

For most this is a feel good movie, for me this is a reminder that it is never too late to make amends, I just miss my Father

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1990 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

El campo de los sueños

Filming Locations:

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$531,346, 23 April 1989

Gross USA:

$64,431,625

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$84,431,625

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gordon Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1