A man hears voices in a cornfield: "If you build it, he will come."  While most people might question their sanity, Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) takes it to heart. He builds a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield.  He's condemned and ridiculed by friends and neighbors alike; only his fiercely loyal wife Anni (Amy Madigan) supports him in his vision

Soon enough, ghosts from baseball's past start emerging from the corn to play in Ray's field.  First, it's Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) and his Chicago White Sox teammates.  After throwing the 1919 World Series, they were banned from the game and this is their chance to play again, to redeem themselves from their disgrace.  They're later joined by more baseball greats: Smokin Joe Wood, Mel Ott and Gil Hodges. 

The voices continue: "Ease his pain... Go the distance."  In his quest to understand what it all means, Ray Kinsella sets off cross-country, enlisting reclusive author Terrence Mann (James Earl Jones) and Doc "Moonlight" Graham (Burt Lancaster), an unknown player who gave up his baseball dreams to become a small-town physician.  They arrive back in Iowa to find Ray's own deceased father, John Kinsella (Dwier Brown) playing in his field.  Estranged in life, father and son are reconciled over a simple game of catch and the purpose of Ray's field is revealed.

This fable of redemption and reconciliation resonated deeply with audiences when it was first released in 1989 and continues to have a strong following.  The baseball field created for the film's production was preserved and has become a major tourist attraction, drawing thousands of visitors every year.  More than just a sports movie, a magical realist fantasy or a family drama, "Field of Dreams" is a story of America, told through its national pastime. 

essay by Brian Oppenheimer
discussion follows screening: Brian Oppenheimer interviews Phil Alden Robinson