If you write it, they will read

May 16, 2014

The excellent Joe Posnanski writes about Field of Dreams, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. As such, the 1989 film, which was nominated for three Oscars and won several “best foreign language film” from international organizations, will no doubt he the subject of similar pieces, some which will heap praise, others derision. The next Bookshelf Conversation features Dwier Brown, the actor who portrayed John Kinsella and wrote about his experiences.

https://i1.wp.com/www.teachwithmovies.org/guides/field-of-dreams-files/screen.jpg?resize=312%2C234Posnanski writes that time has not been good to FOD, which, in a way, is ironic, since the movie is at least in part about bending time. It has dropped off many baseball movie top-10 lists, replaced by newcomers such as Moneyball and 42, which, as Posnanski observes, are included in part because they’re more recent.

He uses the word “mawkish” a couple of times in describing the script and performances. I don’t know if I would use that word, but I agree there are problems; regular people just don’t talk like that, as when Ray (Kevin Costner) says upon recognizing the younger version of his dad in the closing scenes,“It’s my father…My God! I’d only seen him years later when he was worn down by life.” Lines from Terrance Mann (James Earl Jones) and the elder Doc Graham (Burt Lancaster), similarly come off as hard on the ears for some.

Yet for all its flaws (Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson, with no southern accent and a righthander? Come on. Amy Madigan. The PTA scene? Please.), Field of Dreams is certainly on my top-10 list.

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