Jusqu'au bout du rêve

Even a baseball buff like myself realises this is not a baseball movie. And you don't have to be to appreciate it. Not one of my favourite films but one that touched me for a long time afterwards. I didn't know what to expect at the start but as the story took these unexpected twists and turns the more engrossed I got caught up in it. Ray's confrontation with Terence Mann, Ani Kinsella's spontaneous outburst at the PTA meeting, giving Archie Graham a lift to the game. It was all a mystery till right to the end.

The most heart rending moment I guess was at the end. Not a dry eye in the house. Enough said. Without giving the story away I can only add a wistful hope, if only everyone had a second chance at saying what we really feel to our loved ones...before its too late.

Let's talk about endings here for a moment (don't worry there's no spoilers here) - every minute of a film is building toward an ending, but so often films mess up all the great story they've built up in the last few minutes.

That's why I want to draw your attention to 'Field of Dreams'. I'm sure by now we're all familiar with the premise - an Iowa farmer hears a disembodied voice that says, "If you build it he will come", which in turn leads him to plow under his cornfield to build a full baseball diamond.

Many people have talked about the themes explored by this movie (and there are many - family, redemption, pursuit of dreams, etc.), or the very believable characters. All of that is great.

But what I especially appreciated about this film was the ending. Everything builds up to it, and like so many things in the film, it ends on a perfect, serene note. It would have been so easy to tack on an extra scene or two; so tempting to tie everything up with a nice bow; belabor the point; but one single shot sums everything up and fades to credits.

A crash lesson in endings done right.

I truly believe that every once in a blue moon, a film can contain a sense of wonder, magic, and the power of dreams. The title says it all. "Field of Dreams" is destined to become (if it hasn't already) an American classic, and easily one of the most engrossing films of the eighties. Throughout the decade, we have seen a crock of films that capitalized on getting as much of anything the characters could grasp (hence the "me decade"). This film, made in 1989, reaffirmed what we learned from Hollywood in the forties, that dreams can come true and people can be saved by what they choose to believe in. And to top it all off, baseball is its subject. The great American pastime takes on a mystical quality that is nothing but immortal.

Kevin Costner plays Ray Kinsella, a corn farmer that seems to be stranded in his life, only choosing his profession because it allowed him to get away from the idealized dreams of his father that never became reality. One day, while roaming aimlessly through his cornfield, he hears a unknown voice speak to him, saying the words that have become synonomous with the film itself, "If you build it, he will come." He is compelled by the strange message, and even convinces his wife what he heard was real and definite. He believes that the simple words mean he is to build a baseball diamond in his field, and he sets out to do just that, and he indeed does one heck of a job. After at least half a year passes, following endless strains on their patience, who should show up in the field but Shoeless Joe Jackson, the famous alleged criminal from the 1919 Black Sox Scandal who was dismissed from the game of baseball forever, until now...

After all that is said and done, the film takes a back road and curves it into this storyline brilliantly. Ray receives a second message which he deciphers as getting a famous civil rights writer, Terence Mann (played wonderfully by James Earl Jones), to come visit his new ballfield. Of course it is to be expected that Mann begrudgingly resists Ray to join him, but he too becomes propelled by the power of the field's magic, and his life (like Ray's) is changed forever. Even Burt Lancaster shows up out of thin air (literally), but that's a different part of the plot altogether that I wouldn't dare reveal in fear someone reading this review has incompetently not seen this picture.

"Field of Dreams" is one of the strangest films I've seen, and possibly one of the best. When it throws its subject matter at you, you wonder how a story so preposterous can ever work. But somehow, I was deeply moved like Costner and Jones were by the miraculous incidents put in front of me. This film is not like any fantasy film I've seen, but in a way, it is like many that I've encountered. Some of my favorite movies elicited such an amazing feeling of warmth and grace in me that I was afraid to analyse it for fear that it would ruin the awesome impact I received. "Field of Dreams" is exactly like that, an odd piece of moviemaking that overwhelms you with its wonder and positive qualities that in turn leaves no doubt it is a classic, just from the way it moves you while watching it. Therefore, I'm not going to try to pick it apart and attempt to show the world my "field" of brilliance. All I will say is this is the kind of movie Hollywood should be reeling out more often, a tiny masterpiece that lets others be refreshed in their faith and believe in their crazy little fantasies. Ray Kinsella did, and now, so do I. Rating: Four stars.

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a major league ballplayer. I guess that's a lot of children's dreams. But I knew at about age 12 I would never be good enough for that. Eventually I became a journalist, not an award-winning journalist like Terrence Mann, but one who enjoyed documenting people's triumphs and tragedies. That's basically what "Field of Dreams" is all about for me. It features the ups and downs of life, and how we handle the good and the bad through life's journey. This is one of those movies that brings out many kinds of emotional responses as you watch it. I especially love the scene when James Earl Jones delivers his message about baseball and how it has marked the time in America. He has the perfect voice for reflecting on how baseball represents the innocence in us. I became a huge baseball fan when it was instilled in me as a 5-year-old child. And my love for this game has never wavered despite all the ugliness in today's professional game that exposes it mostly as a multi-billion dollar business where team loyalty is disregarded. When I attend a ballgame (pre Covid-19), all that ugliness is temporarily forgotten about as I "walk out to the bleachers, sit in shirtsleeves on a perfect afternoon". Many times I try to make a point of watching this movie just prior to the MLB season's opening day. I remind myself this game can represent the good in humanity despite the greediness it shows among those who run it.

I have now seen this film around 12 times in two months and i can safely say this is one of my all time favourite pictures!It has everything1 excellent acting from Costner,Earl Jones and the great late Burt Lancaster in one of his last film roles which is definably one of his finest.Ray Liotta also was amazing for one of his first roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson which i felt could not of gone to anyone else but Liotta.The storyline is dazzling as well as the acting and the dialogue.This movie is an incredible and a times comical experience.Every actor in this film should feel more than proud they were in this amazing feel good movie which has never deserved a bad review. This for me is definitely a 10 out of 10 picture which i might watch again tonight actually even though i only saw it yesterday.