As such, I was rather relieved when I found the movie was released in '89 placing it well withing the range of my childhood (I was ten). Sports were never very important to me, and while my dad loved baseball and was a gymnast in high school, it was never really a big deal in our house ever. Sure, me and Dad went through the obligatory father/son baseball motifs: playing catch in the yard, going to a Dodger's game, and playing tee-ball at age six.
But, being that the Star Trek and Star Wars themes were commonly heard in my home growing up, it should have been expected that none of us would ever be great athletes. A consequence of that was that I was never really a fan of sports films either.
But this one, somehow, was different. We watched it soon after it first hit video and quickly fell in love with it. As a kid, I think I loved the simple magic used in the film. It was so subtle, that it could almost be missed if one weren't paying attention. But I really loved it.
Watching it now, it's still one of my favorite films of all time, and surprisingly, for the same reasons. The things I pick up on now that I'm older are just a bonus. My favorite films have always been the ones with a small bit of magic weaved into life. The Green Mile, Field of Dreams, Stranger than Fiction, and The Prestige are all films that I love that have a small touch of magic to an otherwise normal drama.
The writing, casting, and direction of the movie are all stellar. The score is especially charming. The movie could have easily become goofy or corny, but these moments are effortlessly avoided by the simple rules of the world the story takes place in. By keeping the players on the field, there exists a boundary between reality and fantasy. It keeps the story where it belongs, instead of getting lost on tangents and set-ups for crotch jokes.
The final theme of the film has always been something that I understood, but my understanding has deepened with age. While I certainly didn't always understand or agree with the father I grew up with, I feel that we had enough in common that we did have a great bond that still exists. A few years ago I met my biological father, which was a interesting experience to say the least. His being a sports fan has been a bit of an obstacle. But finding common ground is really what the film is about and that has been the key to forging a relationship.
I'm amazed at how this film doesn't seem to age for me. The look and feel of the film are truly timeless, and the story is such that the message doesn't get old. With so many remakes these days, I truly hope that this one never gets remade. Because, to put it simply, it doesn't need to be. It's perfect as it is.
Kate says this is a wonderful movie! It is inexpressibly touching. It is also the perfect show-case for Kevin Costner's talent. Robin Hood--eh, not so much. Ray in Field of Dreams--perfection.
What makes the movie really work is how normal and everyday workable the family is, right from the beginning. This is definitely a story touched by magic rather than a story about magic. The rules of the field are lightly impressed on the viewer. But overall, all the "magic" is so ordinary, so much a part of everyday life, you never notice that you have made that leap of faith. Of course Shoeless Joe shows up. Of course Terence Mann heard the message too. Of course Ray can meet Doc Graham who has died. Of course.
Speaking of Terence Mann, the supporting roles in this movie are lovingly done from the magnificent James Earl Jones to the break-your-heart Burt Lancaster to the supremely perfect Ray Liotta. Could any one else play Shoeless Joe? With that mixture of childlike enjoyment and wise insight? I can't imagine.
I was impressed that the movie aged with me--I mean that in a good way (about both of us, I guess). When I was younger, I understood the theme of Ray and his father, but I saw the movie much the way Terence describes it: "penance." Ray meeting his father was a pay-off for all that came before.
But now I see the entire movie as an effort by Ray to get to know his father. During the entire movie, he is exploring his father's world, his father's age group, his father's dreams. I comprehend, as I didn't when younger, that urge to come to terms with one's past as well as one's current circumstances. That desire is as much a dream--sometimes wholly fulfilled, sometimes partially fulfilled--as the dream of baseball,
In many ways Field of Dreams is Sandlot for adults. Sandlot captures the dream and nostalgia of one's childhood. Field of Dreams captures the effort to recapture that dream or at least to understand it in the context of grown-up responsibilities. Which makes me realize that it is the perfect movie to end our list of "Movies We Grew Up With"! (Well, from my point of view.)
HAPPY HOLIDAYS! MERRY CHRISTMAS!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
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