1989’s Field Of Dreams might just be Kevin Costner’s finest hour.
So why does the film still manage to hit so hard?
We just dont recognise lifes most significant moments while theyre happening.
Back then I thought, well therell be other days.
I didnt realise that that was the only day.
That you gotta put some, and ideally a lot, of yourself into it.
Brace yourselves, Im afraid.
I make no promises that the quality of what youre about to read is much cop.
And so thats what Im going to talk about.
I struggled to do so then, hence me coming back around for another go.
For it is my favourite Kevin Costner film.
And its one of my favourite films full stop.
So Im going to try and explain why.
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Spoilers lie ahead.
I dont think its, er, on my HD DVD copy).
Still, its interesting to note that Robinson didnt have a happy time on the movie.
Hes stepped behind the camera so few times, and I wonder if thats a reason.
Its a real pity either way, as hes an unfussy director, and a very natural storyteller.
The first is one of the key ones.
Costners Ray Kinsella, in his field, hearing the voice for the first time.
Its simple, hugely effective, and works.
Its a simple pull up of the camera, before slowly moving to a wider shot.
But Ive no urge to dig deeper and destroy the films magic).
Not that I can usually see that bit.
The tears have been filling my eyes for a good five minutes by that point, if not more.
Which is where I come in.
Is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?
I was 15 when I first sawField Of Dreams.
Nothing more fancy than that.
I pickedField Of Dreams, for reasons I cant really recall.
That, or we didnt look old enough forRoboCop.
And I sat through it for 100-odd minutes, genially enjoying the film.
Then the ending happened.
I never saw it coming.
And ultimately, its one simple line thats the killer.
You want to have a catch?
Ill come back to that point later, though.
I wasnt getting on with my dad when I was 15.
Nor him with me.
And this went on for many years longer than it should of.
To be clear, there were a few moments in the midst of those years where wedidget on.
Theres something in that, I think.
Nor was I trying too hard to find out.
Could you believe that?
An American boy refusing to play catch with his father?
That sumsField Of Dreamsup for me, really.
As it turns out, quite the contrary.
I start welling up earlier, because now, I know its coming.
In many ways, that makes it even worse for me.
If my children are in the room when that scene comes on, I have to hold them tight.
The films lost not one iota of its grip on me after all these years.
Look at the opening 20-25 minutes or so ofBack To The Future.
There, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale get across a lot of information, often quite densely.
Field Of Dreams, for my money, is just as good an example.
Robinson sprinkles scepticism but not cynicism therefore throughout his characters, and each deals with it in different ways.
Ray, clearly, wants to believe.
He wants to follow this.
Thus, Ray builds his field because hewantsto believe.
His dad didnt follow his dreams, although we know that thats because he brought up his son alone.
For Ray, if he doesnt build the field, hes his father.
What if the voice calls while youre gone?Take a message.
Movies have a horrible habit of doing that.
And shes a crucial character.
Id have hated to have written that scene.
Robinson, though, makes it seem effortless, courtesy of human beings talking about what matters to them.
Ray, chatting quietly about his father.
Something tells me this may be my last chance to do something about it.
We thus get a couple, clearly in love, following a dream that makes no sense.
As I said earlier, theres no cynicism here.
The closest we get is Annies brother, Mark, played by Timothy Busfield.
Hes the one trying to save the farm for Annie and Ray, when the financial pressures build up.
Hes holding off his partners who want to foreclose.
But his actions are utterly understandable: he thinks his sister has made a very bad, intangible decision.
Hes torn between wanting to buy the land, and wanting to protect his family.
Salinger threatened legal action against the movie if they used his name, hence the change.
It worked out very well.
And yet it all joins up.
This is my most special place in all the world, Ray.
Once a place touches you like this, the wind nevers blows so cold again.
How easy would it have been for the film to put just one angle on what a dream is?
The loss would be if Graham had gone on to be a baseball star.
That he would never have been a doctor, and touched so many lives.
And then slowly walks away to see his beloved Alicia again, with the bare minimum of fuss.
Then theres Shoeless Joe Jackson himself, Mr Ray Liotta.
The first meeting between Kinsella and Jackson is mainly non-verbal, further evidence of Robinsons unfussy style.
Liotta pitches (ROFL etc) his performance pretty much perfectly.
What do you think?
When she says he looks real, its a simple well then I guess Im real.
No more questions needed.
It trusts its audience to fill in the blanks.
Cross the line on the field to the farm, and its over.
AsGroundhog Daywould further prove, not everything in the moviesneedsa Powerpoint presentation to explain it.
A man just wanted the chance to put things right with his father.
And it matters more than an number of characters battling to save the planet.
Lets take them in turn.
His core score forField Of Dreamsis one of my very favourites.
The penultimate track on the CD (which I had to import.
Rest in peace, Mr Horner.
Regular readers of this site may well have suffered my Kevin Costner articles before.
Theyre getting longer than his films these days.
Furthermore: who else at the heart of the film could really make it work?
Its not overly sentimental.
Its as pretentious as Im making this sound human.
I like to think that way ofField Of Dreams.
It makes sense that it all comes from Ray.
Going back to Costner, then, maybe this is heaven, he shrugs.
And then the killer moment.
Other actors would perhaps play it as their Oscar clip.
Costner plays it as the quiet realisation of the story, whilst Horners outstanding score swirls.
Then Robinson pulls back his camera, and then we see the queue of traffic.
Oh god, Im going to cry again.
The years afterField Of Dreams release saw its reputation quickly grow.
It remains a popular tourist attraction too, attracting thousands of visitors a year.
But the movie knew that.
People will come, Ray, goes the quote.
Id jump on a plane tomorrow.
Id pass over my money without evening thinking about it, to find the peace I sometimes lack.
To try and remind myself of all that once was good and it could be again.
And you know what?
Id take my dad.
