Field of Dreams

Field of Dreams was 1989's most unlikely blockbuster. Writer/director Phil Alden Robinson's film was considered too much of a thinking person's fantasy to attract a wide audience. Speculators were failing to take into consideration the star power of Kevin Costner and the success of Bull Durham. Costner and baseball were already firmly linked and loved in the public's mind. Otherwise, one of the year's greatest cinematic triumphs might have gone by unnoticed. Based on Ray Kinsella's acclaimed novel Shoeless Joe, the film stars Costner as Kinsella, an Iowa farmer who's having trouble making ends meet, but who is visited by a "voice" in the cornfields, which delivers a strange message: "if you build a field, he will come." Initially, this does not go down well with Kinsella's worried wife (Amy Madigan). But eventually, Kinsella does build a baseball field and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, banned from the game after the "Black Sox" scandal of 1919 shows up to play ball. Soon the field is populated with the ghosts of other ball players, and Kinsella receives more enigmatic messages which lead him to a disillusioned 60s activist (played with great comic gusto by James Earl Jones) and a mild-mannered doctor (Burt Lancaster). Finally, Kinsella comes full circle and meets his father. Field of Dreams is a haunting film about lost opportunities, and second chances. Another go-around is the stuff of fantasy; it is what made It's a Wonderful Life so great, and it works here too. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (R. Pitman) [DVD Review--June 1, 2004--Universal, 2 discs, 106 min., PG, $26.98--Now in its second iteration on DVD, Phil Alden Robinson's 1989 Field of Dreams: Anniversary Edition features a handsome, newly remastered, widescreen transfer with a robust array of sound options---DTS, Dolby Digital 5.1 and surround--and a winning set of extras. In addition to a fine commentary track by Robinson and director of photography John Lindley, disc one of this double-disc set also includes a dozen-plus deleted scenes (with optional intros by the director), and the charming 39-minute documentary 'From Father to Son: Passing Along the Pastime,' featuring cast, crew, and major league ballplayers reflecting on the film's power and impact. Disc two includes an interesting 'Field of Dreams Roundtable,' in which Kevin Costner invites former star players Johnny Bench, Bret Saberhagen, and George Brett to a private screening and discussion at Chez Costner; the 18-minute featurette 'Diamond in the Husks,' which visits the real 'field of dreams'; the six-minute featurette 'Galena, Illinois Pinch Hits for Chisholm, Minnesota,' on the location for the film; the excellent 48-minute Bravo-aired special 'From Page to Screen: Field of Dreams,' tracing the journey of W.P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe to the big screen; and two text trivia features on baseball in general and each of the major league stadiums. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for a beloved film.] [Blu-ray Review—May 26, 2009—Universal, 106 min., PG, $29.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1989's Field of Dreams sports a good transfer and includes DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound. Blu-ray extras are nearly identical to the standard DVD release, including a fine commentary track by director Phil Alden Robinson and cinematographer John Lindley, a dozen-plus deleted scenes (with optional intros by the director), the 100-minute 'A Scrapbook' making-of documentary, the charming 39-minute documentary 'From Father to Son: Passing Along the Pastime' (featuring cast, crew, and major league ballplayers reflecting on the film's power and impact), a half-hour 'Roundtable' discussion segment (in which star Kevin Costner invites former star players Johnny Bench, Bret Saberhagen, and George Brett to a private screening), the 18-minute featurette 'Diamond in the Husks' (which visits the real 'field of dreams'), the six-minute featurette 'Galena, Illinois Pinch Hits for Chisholm, Minnesota,' on the location, and the excellent 48-minute Bravo-aired special 'From Page to Screen,' tracing the journey of W.P. Kinsella's novel Shoeless Joe to the big screen. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for a contemporary classic.]