Field of Dreams - wikipedia Field of Dreams For other uses, see Field of Dreams ( disambiguation ). Field of Dreams Promotional poster by Olga Kaljakin Directed by Phil Alden Robinson Produced by Lawrence Gordon Charles Gordon Screenplay by Phil Alden Robinson Based on Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella Starring Kevin Costner Amy Madigan James Earl Jones Ray Liotta Burt Lancaster Music by James Horner Cinematography John Lindley Edited by Ian Crafford Distributed by Universal Pictures ( USA ) TriStar Pictures / Carolco Pictures ( International ) Release date April 21, 1989 ( 1989 - 04 - 21 ) Running time 107 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $15 million Box office $84.4 million Field of Dreams is a 1989 American fantasy - drama sports film directed by Phil Alden Robinson, who also wrote the screenplay, adapting W.P. Kinsella 's novel Shoeless Joe. It stars Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta and Burt Lancaster in his final role. It was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture. In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being `` culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant ''. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Casting 3.2 Filming 3.3 Field 3.4 Music 4 Historical connections 5 Release and reception 6 Honors 7 See also 8 References 9 External links Plot Ray Kinsella is a novice Iowa farmer who lives with his wife, Annie, and daughter, Karin. In the opening narration, he explains how he had a troubled relationship with his father, John Kinsella, who had been a devoted baseball fan. While walking through his cornfield one evening, he hears a voice whispering, `` If you build it, he will come. '' He continues hearing this before finally seeing a vision of a baseball diamond in his field. Annie is skeptical, but she allows him to plow the corn under in order to build a baseball field. As he builds, he tells Karin the story of the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. Months pass and nothing happens ; his family faces financial ruin until, one night, Karin spots a uniformed man on the field. Ray recognizes him as Shoeless Joe Jackson, a deceased baseball player idolized by John. Thrilled to be able to play baseball again, he asks to bring others to the field to play. He later returns with the seven other players banned as a result of the 1919 scandal. Ray 's brother - in - law, Mark, ca n't see the players and warns him that he will go bankrupt unless he replants his corn. While in the field, Ray hears the voice again, this time urging him to `` ease his pain. '' Ray attends a PTA meeting at which the possible banning of books by radical author Terence Mann is discussed. He decides the voice was referring to Mann. He comes across a magazine interview dealing with Mann 's childhood dream of playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. After Ray and Annie both dream about him and Mann attending a baseball game together at Fenway Park, he convinces her that he should seek out Mann. He heads to Boston and persuades a reluctant, embittered Mann to attend a game with him at Fenway Park. While there, he hears the voice again, this time urging him to `` go the distance. '' At the same time, the scoreboard `` shows '' statistics for a player named Archibald `` Moonlight '' Graham, who played one game for the New York Giants in 1922, but never had a turn at bat. After the game, Mann eventually admits that he, too, saw it. Ray and Mann then travel to Chisholm, Minnesota where they learn that Graham had become a doctor and had died sixteen years earlier. During a late night walk, Ray finds himself back in 1972 and encounters the then - living Graham, who states that he had moved on from his baseball career. He also says that the greater disappointment would have been not having a medical career. He declines Ray 's invitation to fulfill his dream ; however, during the drive back home, Ray picks up a young hitchhiker who introduces himself as Archie Graham. While Archie sleeps, Ray reveals to Mann that John had wanted him to live out his dream of being a baseball star. He stopped playing catch with him after reading one of Mann 's books at 14. At 17, he had denounced Shoeless Joe as a criminal to John and that was the reason for the rift between them. Ray expresses regret that he did n't get a chance to make things right before John died. When they arrive back at Ray 's farm, they find that enough players have arrived to field two teams. A game is played and Archie finally gets his turn at bat. The Field of Dreams, Dyersville, Iowa -- May 2006 The next morning, Mark returns and demands that Ray sell the farm. Karin says that they will not need to because people will pay to watch the ballgames. Mann agrees, saying that `` people will come '' in order to relive their childhood innocence. Ray, after much thought, refuses and a frustrated Mark scuffles with him, during which Karin is accidentally knocked off the bleachers. The young Graham runs from the field to help, becoming old Graham, complete with Gladstone bag, the instant he steps off of it, and saves Karin from choking ( she had been eating a hot dog when she fell ). Ray realizes that Graham sacrificed his young self in order to save her. After reassuring Ray that his true calling was medicine and being commended by the other players, Graham leaves, disappearing into the corn. Suddenly, Mark is able to see the players and urges Ray not to sell the farm. After the game, Shoeless Joe invites Mann to enter the corn ; he accepts and disappears into it. Ray is angry at not being invited, but Shoeless Joe rebukes him : if he really wants a reward for having sacrificed so much, then he had better stay on the field. Shoeless Joe then glances towards a player at home plate, saying `` If you build it, he will come. '' The player then removes his mask, and Ray recognizes him to be John as a young man. Shocked, Ray realizes that `` ease his pain '' referred to John, and believes that Shoeless Joe was the voice all along ; however, Joe implies that the voice was Ray himself. Joe then disappears into the corn. Ray introduces John to Annie and Karin. As he heads towards the corn, Ray asks him if he wants to play a game of catch. They begin to play and Annie happily watches. Meanwhile, hundreds of cars can be seen approaching the baseball field, fulfilling Karin and Mann 's prophecy that people will come to watch baseball. Cast Kevin Costner as Ray Kinsella Amy Madigan as Annie Kinsella James Earl Jones as Terence Mann Timothy Busfield as Mark Kelly Coffield Park as Dee Frank Whaley as Archie Graham Gaby Hoffmann as Karin Kinsella Dwier Brown as John Kinsella Fern Persons as Annie 's mother Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson Burt Lancaster as Archibald `` Moonlight '' Graham Art LaFleur as Chick Gandil Michael Milhoan as Buck Weaver Steve Eastin as Eddie Cicotte Charles Hoyes as Swede Risberg Ben Affleck as Baseball Fan At Fenway Park Matt Damon as Baseball Fan At Fenway Park Production Phil Alden Robinson read Shoeless Joe in 1981 and liked it so much that he brought it to producers Lawrence Gordon and Charles Gordon. Lawrence Gordon worked for 20th Century Fox, part of the time as its president, and repeatedly mentioned that the book should be adapted into a film. The studio, however, always turned down the suggestion because they felt the project was too esoteric and noncommercial. Meanwhile, Robinson went ahead with his script, frequently consulting W.P. Kinsella, the book 's author, for advice on the adaptation. Lawrence Gordon left Fox in 1986 and started pitching the adaptation to other studios. Universal Studios accepted the project in 1987 and hired USC coach Rod Dedeaux as baseball advisor. Dedeaux brought along World Series champion and USC alumnus Don Buford to coach the actors. The film was shot using the novel 's title ; eventually, an executive decision was made to rename it Field of Dreams. Robinson did not like the idea saying he loved Shoeless Joe, and that the new title was better suited for one about dreams deferred. Later, Kinsella told Robinson that his originally chosen title for the book had been The Dream Field and that the title Shoeless Joe had been imposed by the publisher. Casting Robinson and the producers did not originally consider Kevin Costner for the part of Ray because they did not think that he would want to follow Bull Durham with another baseball film. He, however, did end up reading the script and became interested in the project, stating that he felt it would be `` this generation 's It 's a Wonderful Life ''. Since Robinson 's directing debut In the Mood had been a commercial failure, Costner also said that he would help him with the production. Amy Madigan, a fan of the book, joined the cast as Ray 's wife, Annie. In the book, the writer Ray seeks out is real - life author J.D. Salinger. When Salinger threatened the production with a lawsuit if his name was used, Robinson decided to rewrite the character as reclusive Terence Mann. He wrote with James Earl Jones in mind because he thought it would be fun to see Ray trying to kidnap such a big man. Robinson had originally envisioned Shoeless Joe Jackson as being played by an actor in his 40s, someone who would be older than Costner and who could thereby act as a father surrogate. Ray Liotta did not fit that criterion, but Robinson thought he would be a better fit for the part because he had the `` sense of danger '' and ambiguity which Robinson wanted in the character. Burt Lancaster had originally turned down the part of Moonlight Graham, but changed his mind after a friend, who was also a baseball fan, told him that he had to work on the film. Filming Filming began on May 25, 1988. The shooting schedule was built around Costner 's availability because he would be leaving in August to film Revenge. Except for some weather delays and other time constraints, production rolled six days a week. The interior scenes were the first ones shot because the cornfield planted by the filmmakers was taking too long to grow. Irrigation had to be used to quickly grow the corn to Costner 's height. Primary shot locations were in Dubuque County, Iowa ; a farm near Dyersville was used for the Kinsella home ; an empty warehouse in Dubuque was used to build various interior sets. Galena, Illinois served as Moonlight Graham 's Chisholm, Minnesota. One week was spent on location shots in Boston, most notably Fenway Park. Robinson, despite having a sufficient budget as well as the cast and crew he wanted, constantly felt tense and depressed during filming. He felt that he was under too much pressure to create an outstanding film, and that he was not doing justice to the original novel. Lawrence Gordon convinced him that the end product would be effective. During a lunch with the Iowa Chamber of Commerce, Robinson broached his idea of a final scene in which headlights could be seen for miles along the horizon. The Chamber folks replied that it could be done and the shooting of the final scene became a community event. The film crew was hidden on the farm to make sure the aerial shots did not reveal them. Dyersville was then blacked out and local extras drove their vehicles to the field. In order to give the illusion of movement, the drivers were instructed to continuously switch between their low and high beams. Field The baseball field from the film Scenes of the Kinsella farm were taken on the property of Don Lansing ; some of the baseball field scenes were shot on the neighboring farm of Al Ameskamp. Because the shooting schedule was too short for grass to naturally grow, the experts on sod laying responsible for Dodger Stadium and the Rose Bowl were hired to create the baseball field. Part of the process involved painting the turf green. After shooting, Ameskamp again grew corn on his property ; Lansing maintained his as a tourist destination. He did not charge for admission or parking, deriving revenue solely from the souvenir shop. By the film 's twentieth anniversary, approximately 65,000 people visited annually. In July, 2010, the farm containing the `` Field '' was listed as for sale. It was sold on October 31, 2011, to Go The Distance Baseball, LLC, for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around $5.4 million. Music At first, James Horner was unsure if he could work on the film due to scheduling restrictions. Then he watched a rough cut and was so moved that he accepted the job of scoring it. Robinson had created a temp track which was disliked by Universal executives. When the announcement of Horner as composer was made, they felt more positive because they expected a big orchestral score, similar to Horner 's work for An American Tail. Horner, in contrast, liked the temporary score, finding it `` quiet and kind of ghostly. '' He decided to follow the idea of the temp track, creating an atmospheric soundtrack which would `` focus on the emotions ''. In addition to Horner 's score, portions of several pop songs are heard during the film. They are listed in the following order in the closing credits : `` Crazy '', written by Willie Nelson and performed by Beverly D'Angelo `` Daydream '', written by John Sebastian and performed by The Lovin ' Spoonful `` Jessica '', written by Dickey Betts and performed by The Allman Brothers Band `` China Grove '', written by Tom Johnston and performed by The Doobie Brothers `` Lotus Blossom '', written by Billy Strayhorn and performed by Duke Ellington Historical connections The character played by Burt Lancaster and Frank Whaley, Archibald `` Moonlight '' Graham, is based on an actual baseball player with the same name. His character is largely true to life except for a few factual liberties taken for artistic reasons. For instance, the real Graham 's lone major league game occurred in June 1905, rather than on the final day of the 1922 season. The real Graham also died in 1965, as opposed to 1972 as the film depicts. In the film, Terence Mann interviews a number of people about Graham. The DVD special points out that the facts they gave him were taken from articles written about the real one. Release and reception This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. ( July 2017 ) Universal scheduled the film to open in the U.S. on April 21, 1989.It debuted in just a few theaters and was gradually released to more screens so that it would have a spot among the summer blockbusters. It ended up playing until December. As of June 2017, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes rates the film 86 %, based on 57 reviews with an average score of 7.9 out of 10. The consensus states : `` Field of Dreams is sentimental, but in the best way ; it 's a mix of fairy tale, baseball, and family togetherness. '' Honors In June 2008, after having polled over 1,500 people in the creative community, AFI revealed its `` Ten Top Ten '' -- the best ten films in ten `` classic '' American film genres. The film was acknowledged as the sixth best one in the fantasy genre. American Film Institute Lists AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movies -- nominated AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes : `` If you build it, he will come. '' -- # 39 AFI 's 100 Years of Film Scores -- nominated AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Cheers -- # 28 AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movies ( 10th Anniversary Edition ) -- nominated AFI 's 10 Top 10 -- # 6 Fantasy Film See also Baseball portal Film in the United States portal List of ghost films References Jump up ^ `` Field of Dreams ( 1989 ) ''. IMDb. Retrieved March 19, 2015. Jump up ^ Laff at the Movies ( April 20, 2012 ). `` Review : `` Touchback '' Is an Inspiring Drama that Will Make You Smile ``. Grand Rapids, MI : WOOD - TV. Retrieved August 26, 2013. Jump up ^ `` ' Field of Dreams ' ''. JeffCarneyFilms.com. Retrieved August 26, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Box Office Information for ' Field of Dreams ' ''. Box Office Mojo. August 26, 2013. Jump up ^ `` 2017 National Film Registry Is More Than a ' Field of Dreams ' ''. Retrieved December 13, 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` The ' Field of Dreams ' Scrapbook ''. Field of Dreams ( DVD ). Jump up ^ Easton, Nina J. ( April 21, 1989 ). `` Diamonds Are Forever : Director Fields the Lost Hopes of Adolescence ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 19, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Production Notes ''. Field of Dreams ( DVD ). Jump up ^ King, Susan ( December 15, 2009 ). `` ' Field of Dreams ' Screens to Mark 20th Anniversary ''. Los Angeles Times. Jump up ^ Grossfeld, Stan ( July 20, 2010 ). `` Living in a Dream World ? ''. Boston Globe. Retrieved July 20, 2010. Jump up ^ Wilson, Greg ( October 31, 2011 ). `` ' Field of Dreams ' Iowa Farm Sold for Millions ''. Chicago : WMAQ - TV. Retrieved August 1, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Moonlight Graham ''. Retrosheet.org. Retrieved June 5, 2010. Jump up ^ `` ' Field of Dreams ' ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Jump up ^ `` AFI Crowns Top 10 Films in 10 Classic Genres '' ( Press release ). American Film Institute. June 17, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008 -- via ComingSoon.net. Jump up ^ `` Top 10 Fantasy ''. American Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movies Nominees '' ( PDF ). American Film Institute. Retrieved March 19, 2015. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years of Film Scores : Honoring America 's Greatest Film Music '' ( PDF ) ( Official ballot ). American Film Institute. Retrieved March 19, 2015. Jump up ^ `` AFI 's 100 Years... 100 Movies '' ( PDF ) ( Official ballot ) ( 10th Anniversary ed. ). American Film Institute. Retrieved March 19, 2015. External links Wikiquote has quotations related to : Field of Dreams Wikimedia Commons has media related to Field of Dreams. Official website Field of Dreams on IMDb Field of Dreams at the TCM Movie Database Field of Dreams at AllMovie Field of Dreams at Rotten Tomatoes Field of Dreams at Box Office Mojo Films directed by Phil Alden Robinson In the Mood ( 1987 ) Field of Dreams ( 1989 ) Sneakers ( 1992 ) Freedom Song ( 2000 ) The Sum of All Fears ( 2002 ) The Angriest Man in Brooklyn ( 2014 ) Black Sox Scandal Banned players Eddie Cicotte Happy Felsch Chick Gandil Shoeless Joe Jackson Fred McMullin Swede Risberg Buck Weaver Lefty Williams Other figures Abe Attell Sleepy Bill Burns Charles Comiskey Judge Hugo Friend Hugh Fullerton Joe Gedeon Kid Gleason Ban Johnson Kenesaw Mountain Landis Billy Maharg Arnold Rothstein Sport Sullivan Films Eight Men Out Field of Dreams Miscellaneous 1919 Chicago White Sox season 1919 Cincinnati Reds season 1919 World Series Curse of the Black Sox Shoeless Joe ( novel ) Book : Black Sox Scandal Boston Red Sox Formerly the Boston Americans Based in Boston, Massachusetts Franchise History Seasons Records No - hitters Awards Players Owners and executives Managers Coaches Captains Broadcasters Opening Day starters First - round draft picks Logos and uniforms Hall of Fame Ballparks Huntington Avenue Grounds Braves Field Fenway Park Spring training Venues Majestic Park Plant Field Whittington Park Riverside Park Ninth Street Park Payne Park Bader Field Scottsdale Stadium Chain of Lakes Park City of Palms Park JetBlue Park at Fenway South Culture Red Sox Nation Royal Rooters `` Nuf Ced '' McGreevy Curse of the Bambino Green Monster Pesky 's Pole Wally the Green Monster Victoria Snelgrove `` Tessie '' `` Dirty Water '' `` Sweet Caroline '' `` Dream On '' `` I 'm Shipping Up to Boston '' `` Three Little Birds '' Field of Dreams Good Will Hunting Fever Pitch Moneyball Game 6 The Town The Jimmy Fund Yawkey Way Kenmore Square Citgo Sign Golden Outfield Carl Beane Sherm Feller Cheers Still, We Believe : The Boston Red Sox Movie Four Days in October Red Sox Rule Lore Cy Young 's perfect game Slaughter 's Mad Dash Babe Ruth 's 573 - foot home run into Alligator Farm 1948 AL tie - breaker game The Impossible Dream Carlton Fisk waves it fair 1978 AL East tie - breaker game Bill Buckner 's error Aaron Boone 's home run The bloody sock `` Idiots '' break the curse Boston Strong Rivalries New York Yankees Administration Owners : Fenway Sports Group John W. Henry Tom Werner President and CEO : Sam Kennedy President of Baseball Operations : Dave Dombrowski General Manager : Vacant Manager : Alex Cora World Series Championships ( 8 ) 1903 1912 1915 1916 1918 2007 2013 League Pennants ( 13 ) 1903 1904 1912 1915 1916 1918 1946 1967 1986 2007 2013 Division championships ( 9 ) 1986 1988 1990 1995 2007 2013 2016 2017 Wild card berths ( 7 ) 1998 1999 2003 2005 2008 2009 Minor league affiliates AAA Pawtucket Red Sox AA Portland Sea Dogs A Adv. Salem Red Sox Greenville Drive Short A Lowell Spinners Rookie GCL Red Sox DSL Red Sox Broadcasting Television New England Sports Network ( NESN ) Radio WEEI - FM Radio network affiliates Broadcasters Dave O'Brien Jerry Remy Joe Castiglione Tim Neverett Uri Berenguer Juan Oscar Baez Seasons ( 118 ) 1900s 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910s 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920s 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930s 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940s 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950s 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1988 1990s 1990 1991 1995 1998 1999 2000s 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Field_of_Dreams&oldid=815245234 '' Categories : 1989 films English - language films 1980s drama films 1980s fantasy films 1980s ghost films 1980s sports films American baseball films American drama films American fantasy films American films American ghost films Culture of Dubuque, Iowa Films scored by James Horner Films about families Films based on Canadian novels Films based on works by W.P. Kinsella Films directed by Phil Alden Robinson Films set in Boston Films set in Iowa Films set in Minnesota Films shot in Illinois Films shot in Iowa Films shot in Massachusetts Sports drama films Time travel films Universal Pictures films United States National Film Registry films Hidden categories : Articles needing more detailed references Use mdy dates from March 2015 Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Articles to be expanded from July 2017 All articles to be expanded Articles using small message boxes Talk Contents About Wikipedia Wikiquote Български Català Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Македонски Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Українська 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 13 December 2017, at 17 : 42. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: what did the voice say in field of dreams
Answer: "If you build it, he will come."