Yes, I am talking about Field of Dreams.
Quite an old film as it was released in 1989 and yes I am old enough to have seen it at the cinema. Certainly an all time favourite of mine.As it is nearly forty years old now, I am guessing some people may not have heard of it.
So this is not only a film about baseball, but also a film with Kevin Costner. Now it has to be said that not many people like Kevin Costner, but for me back in the late 1980s and early 1990s there were two films that I really enjoyed, one was Dances with Wolves the other was Field of Dreams.
Field of Dreams did not get a big release in the UK as it was about baseball and though popular in the US, probably wasn’t that popular in the UK. When it came out I was at University (in York) and one of the people in our shared house was an American, Jason. Now he was passionate about baseball and a fair few other things too. I have to thank him for not only introducing my to baseball, not as a sport, but as a catalyst for literature and cinema. He was also responsible for introducing me to Harry Chapin, but that’s another story.
I am pretty sure that I went to see Field of Dreams before reading W P Kinsella’s Shoeless Joe on which the film is based. The film, despite having ghosts and fantastical elements, isn’t your typical ghost story, it certainly couldn’t be described as scary. This is an emotional moving film, about family and the fulfilment of dreams.
Watching it again last night, I realised how much I love this movie, but also that I can quote much of the film as well. I do think Kevin Coster gives a good performance, but is ably supported by great performances from Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster. This was Burt Lancaster’s last film. Ray Liotta (who you probably know from Goodfellas) is amazing and gives a performance that is just on the right side of unnerving.
Even if you don’t know anything about baseball, the history of baseball, or even if you know you don’t like baseball, this film is still a lovely story and an enjoyable experience.