Field of Dreams

_**Entertaining enough, but hampered by its fanciful premise**_ A family moves to an Iowa farm where the husband (Kevin Costner) hears a voice instructing him to guild a baseball diamond in the cornfield, promising “he” will come. Incredibly, “Shoeless” Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) shows up, along with seven other members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox who were banned from the game for throwing the World Series. Ray then pursues a reclusive author (James Earl Jones) to assist him with his fantastical situation. I know respectable people who cite “Field of Dreams” (1989) as their favorite movie and it does have some magic, along with some welcome humor and a fun road movie section, but it’s burdened by the thoroughly unreal set-up, which likely would appeal to hardcore baseball fans. Still, I appreciate the message on spiritual guidance, dreams and the insouciant diligence to act on them. The film runs 1 hour, 46 minutes, and was shot in Iowa (Dyersville, Farley & Dubuque), Illinois (Galena), and Boston, Massachusetts. GRADE: B-/C+

Field of Dreams is yet another movie that I originally watched a hundred years ago and recently had the chance to watch again. In my mind it was a fairly realistic story tinged with the large fantasy built into the plot involving what happens at the ball field. But that recollection was faulty; this movie is pure fantasy. That is not a criticism; I was just surprised I remembered it wrong that way. It is an entertaining movie that effectively plays upon the heartstrings. Not just with the plot involving Kinsella’s father and their fractured relationship; and with Shoeless Joe Jackson, who is perceived as a victim for accepting money for the plot that caused the Black Sox scandal and got him banished from the game, even though he didn’t follow through by purposely playing poorly. What he should have done was try to talk his teammates out of it. And in a way, the presentation of pro baseball itself is a bit of a fantasy. It was obviously less mercenary a sport than it is today, but owners ruled with an iron fist, paid the players as little as possible, and traded them to other teams at will. All we see in this film is a magical fairlyland where man/children fulfill their dreams on the ball fields. I had a little trouble suspending my disbelief at the outset. Not sure why his wife after a bit of teasing swallowed his story so easily. Her support was critical, obviously, for him to continue his plan to plow his cornfield under and build a ball park. Once we accept that unlikely support, however, the rest of the fantasy elements fall into place nicely. But it is entertaining, as I said above, and harmless fun. I am glad I watched it again, though it won’t make any list of favorite movies for me.

**A good movie to watch with the family.** In this film, a man who has just moved to a small country house, in order to have a quieter life, begins to be disturbed by a mysterious voice that invites him to build a baseball field on a large part of his land. cultivation. That's a bad idea, because he depends on the sale of production to pay off a bank loan taken out to buy the house. However, he decides to believe his instinct. Immediately, he begins to receive visits from former players who are now dead and who, while still alive, had been removed from the competition following harsh accusations of sporting misconduct. No, the film is not a horror film and, although the souls of the other world are very present, it is one of those delicious films to watch with the family. Here, the spiritual entities are, in fact, the nicest and kindest there can be. The script is quite good and hides a very pertinent message about the importance of family, following dreams and maintaining a good relationship with our family members. Kevin Costner plays a sympathetic role that easily captivates our affection, acting very lightly in one of the most interesting cinematographic works of his life as an actor (up to the present moment). He acts with a small group of good actors, all of them committed and leaving a very positive note: Ray Liotta deserves a special mention for the way he resurrected the now dead “Shoeless Joe Jackson”, but I also really liked James Earl Jones, in a more grumpy character. Amy Madigan does what she can, but her character is downright sidelined, while Burt Lancaster makes an honorable but brief appearance. The film has excellent cinematography, is very colorful, is very well shot and is very light, with touches of nostalgic ambience throughout. The pace is even, and the scenes are very well inserted, so the film does not waste unnecessary time and is effective in presenting its story. The soundtrack helps a lot to build the whole atmosphere and, overall, it's another one of those discreet, quality films that is worth resurrecting for the present day.

"Field of Dreams" is a determined effort to encourage us all to dream of the past and to rediscover, relive and cherish the special memories from our childhood once more when the world still held a wealth of mysterious wonder and fascination for the inquisitive mind before the innocence of that time was slowly replaced by the unwelcome responsibilities of adulthood - and in some more unfortunate cases this was also accompanied by a jaded and cynical disillusionment which is hardly surprising. After all, the entire world is inundated by youthful dreams and aspirations many of which are destined to remain unfulfilled due to circumstances beyond anyone's control and this film understands that painful reality and therein lies its magical power. The theme of baseball is also well used to illustrate the ultimate intentions of this film and even though the importance of that beloved sport in the majority of American lives is largely wasted on people living in the rest of the world the universal sentiment it represents is gloriously easy to grasp.