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Field of Dreams

 Field of Dreams
type
TVTItem
 Field of Dreams
label
Field of Dreams
 Field of Dreams
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FieldOfDreams
 Field of Dreams
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A 1989 fantasy film directed by Phil Alden Robinson, starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, and Burt Lancaster (in his last film).Adapted from the 1982 novel Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella, the film is built on a unique story idea about an Iowa farmer who feels compelled to build an expensive baseball field.Ray Kinsella (Costner) is an honest farmer with a nice family, but explains in the prologue that he and his father, who was a baseball fanatic, had a falling-out and were unable to reconcile before the latter's death. One night, Ray is out in his cornfield when he hears a disembodied voice whisper "If you build it, he will come." Surprised, he is later given a vision that what he is supposed to build is a baseball field, and that the famously disgraced (and long-deceased) Chicago White Sox player "Shoeless" Joe Jackson will return from the dead to play baseball there. For obvious reasons, Ray is left wondering how he could ever get such a bizarre idea. But after a long talk with his wife Annie (Madigan), Ray decides that he wants to do something outrageous because it feels right and not be afraid of what others might think.With the farm barely making a profit to begin with, the cost of building the baseball field and the loss of the farmland it occupies puts the Kinsellas in financial trouble. But after a few months, Shoeless Joe (Liotta) does appear, bewildered himself but with an honest desire to play some baseball. Eventually more dead baseball players from Jackson's era return to play. Unfortunately, Ray and his family are the only ones who see the players and the bank is looking down on them.Eventually Ray receives another insight ("Ease his pain") and comes to believe that this means he has to track down aging author Terence Mann (Jones) and take him to a baseball game. Even he doesn't have a clue why, but decides to continue acting on these strange impressions.Field of Dreams has a very strange concept, but what it carries is an underlying metaphor of faith and redemption. It is one of Costner's most well-known films and also one of James Earl Jones' most famous roles outside of voicing Darth Vader and Mufasa.It was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
 Field of Dreams
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2024-01-19T02:46:35Z
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2024-01-19T02:46:35Z
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DBTropes
 Field of Dreams / int_1282bf4f
type
No Celebrities Were Harmed
 Field of Dreams / int_1282bf4f
comment
No Celebrities Were Harmed: The famously reclusive author Terence Mann was the famously reclusive author J. D. Salinger in the original book, but Salinger threatened to sue if he was featured in any adaptation of the novel. Also counts as a Race Lift. Mann is also partly based on James Baldwin, a black novelist and critic strongly associated with 1960s radical politics. Somewhat ironically, given the reason for the name change, there is a fairly well-known American stage performer named Terrence Mann in real life! Averted in the case of Moonlight Graham, who really did exist.
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 Field of Dreams / int_143939c1
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Trailers Always Spoil
 Field of Dreams / int_143939c1
comment
Trailers Always Spoil: The Japanese poster described the film as a man who is on a quest to meet with the ghost of his baseball playing father. It was sort of a cultural shift in focus, since the Japanese always emphasized ancestry.
 Field of Dreams / int_143939c1
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 Field of Dreams / int_15214aec
type
Playing Catch with the Old Man
 Field of Dreams / int_15214aec
comment
Playing Catch with the Old Man: After building the titular field, Ray and his father John's ghost talk about heaven then play catch as most of the audience starts crying Manly Tears.
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 Field of Dreams / int_17501df2
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Cool Old Guy
 Field of Dreams / int_17501df2
comment
Cool Old Guy: Doc Graham. He was known in his town as a kind, caring man who always looked after his patients even when they couldn't pay and is fondly remembered by those who knew him nearly two decades after his passing. When he meets Ray, he shows himself as a sharp, humble and witty man who isn't at all resentful about missing out on playing more baseball, happy to have worked as a doctor. When he steps out from the field to save Karen, he even assures Ray that everything is fine and he was happy to get to play with legends even if it was just for one game before leaving, all the other players shaking his hand and showing him respect. He was also played by Burt Lancaster in his final role, making him cool automatically and showing that he'd lost none of the wit or charisma that defined his career.
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"Well Done, Son" Guy
 Field of Dreams / int_1779f10e
comment
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Ray is seeking the approval of his father, and the reverse is also true. The phrase "Ease his Pain" refers to John Kinsella's ghost being a "Well Done, Dad!" Guy and needing his son's forgiveness.
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 Field of Dreams / int_1dfd19f9
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Papa Wolf
 Field of Dreams / int_1dfd19f9
comment
Papa Wolf: Ray's a pretty laid-back guy, but when Mark grabs at Karin towards the end of the film, he immediately loses his cool and tells him to "get his damn hands off her".
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Field of Dreams / int_1dfd19f9
 Field of Dreams / int_23473ae7
type
Adaptation Expansion
 Field of Dreams / int_23473ae7
comment
Adaptation Expansion: There was no book banning scene in the book. The entire scene was created to give Amy Madigan's character something to do, as well as give an early indication of Mann's character.
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Field of Dreams / int_23473ae7
 Field of Dreams / int_26b5058e
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Lame Rhyme Dodge
 Field of Dreams / int_26b5058e
comment
Lame Rhyme Dodge: At the store, a group of customers overhear a farmer talking about Ray hearing voices. Ray unconvincingly tells them that he heard noises.
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Field of Dreams / int_26b5058e
 Field of Dreams / int_29789c8e
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StageDad
 Field of Dreams / int_29789c8e
comment
Stage Dad: Ray feels like his dad was one.
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 Field of Dreams / int_30e6200f
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Missing Steps Plan
 Field of Dreams / int_30e6200f
comment
Missing Steps Plan: Played for Laughs with the case of Terence Mann; after Ray "kidnaps" him, the author's father makes repeated calls to his Boston residence and, when he doesn't answer, reports him as missing, which makes the national papers. Mann decides to contact him...then wonders aloud, "What do I tell him?"
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 Field of Dreams / int_366f3185
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Book Burning
 Field of Dreams / int_366f3185
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Book Burning
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 Field of Dreams / int_393da8a1
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Secret Message Wink
 Field of Dreams / int_393da8a1
comment
Secret Message Wink: Moonlight Graham tells Ray his one wish: if he ever got to bat in the major leagues, to stare down the pitcher and wink, "making him think you know something he doesn't." When Archie finally gets his turn at bat, he gives a wink to the pitcher—who, not understanding the gesture's intentions, throws a high and tight that nearly knocks Archie out.
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 Field of Dreams / int_3e8d9cd3
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Historical Hero Upgrade
 Field of Dreams / int_3e8d9cd3
comment
Historical Hero Upgrade: Along with the film Eight Men Out, this film and the book that inspired it have been instrumental in sparking attempts to rehabilitate the reputation of Shoeless Joe Jackson. The film presents Jackson as a misunderstood and tortured soul with regard to the 1919 Black Sox scandal. This whitewashing ignores several facts, which get conveniently ignored. First, Jackson admitted via grand jury testimony (dated September 29, 1920) under oath that he accepted money to throw the Series, something court transcripts delineate plainly; he also changed his story regarding level of involvement with some frequency. Some observers point to Jackson's glowingly good stats in that World Series as proof that he wasn't actually participating in throwing games — but this ignores that he only played well in games that were "on the level" (not every game in the 1919 Series was fixed) or in fixed games after a loss was assured. Inning-by-inning analysis of thrown games and perusal of "clean" games shows this clearly. See this link for details.
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 Field of Dreams / int_40f3b23a
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FilmOfTheBook
 Field of Dreams / int_40f3b23a
comment
Film of the Book: Based on the novel Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella.
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 Field of Dreams / int_43a1d1c5
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I Coulda Been a Contender!
 Field of Dreams / int_43a1d1c5
comment
I Could A Been A Contender: Averted. While Doc Graham says he would've loved to play a big league game just once and was delighted at finally getting the chance with Ray, he has no regrets at all about abandoning baseball to pursue medicine.
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 Field of Dreams / int_49d59be9
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Scenery Porn
 Field of Dreams / int_49d59be9
comment
Scenery Porn: The field itself was built on two separate properties to allow for uninhibited sunset shots, several scenes set during "Magic Hour" (very late twilight) were actually shot over the course of several days to preserve the lighting. Also makes effective use of the Driftless Area to represent the Eastern U.S.
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 Field of Dreams / int_557a31ce
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Actual Pacifist
 Field of Dreams / int_557a31ce
comment
Actual Pacifist: Terence, which is how Ray is able to call Terence's bluff when he attacks him.
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 Field of Dreams / int_591d8e01
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Hippie Van
 Field of Dreams / int_591d8e01
comment
Hippie Van: The Kinsellas are shown to have been very liberal hippie-types in their youth (both went to Berkeley, both were fans of a radical author named Terence Mann, Ray jokes that his major was "the 60's"). True to their roots, Ray drives a VW bus.
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 Field of Dreams / int_5a40d6a
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Adaptation Distillation
 Field of Dreams / int_5a40d6a
comment
Adaptation Distillation: In the book, Ray meets his father in the last third of story, rather than at the climax. Terence Mann in the film is a Lawyer-Friendly Cameo of J. D. Salinger in the book. The book also contained subplots about Ray's identical twin brother Richard and an aging ex-ballplayer named Eddie Scissons.
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Meaningful Background Event
 Field of Dreams / int_5b565147
comment
Meaningful Background Event: When Ray goes out for a walk in Chisholm after learning that Moonlight Graham died in 1972, Graham walks right past him in the background before Ray realizes that he's stepped back in time.
 Field of Dreams / int_5b565147
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Field of Dreams / int_5b565147
 Field of Dreams / int_603f1a80
type
Pragmatic Adaptation
 Field of Dreams / int_603f1a80
comment
Pragmatic Adaptation: In the novel, Ray builds the field bit by bit (starting with the left field); in the movie, Ray builds the entire field all in one go. Plus, the movie focuses more on the magic of the field, the romanticism of baseball, and Ray's relationship with his father. It gets rid of confusing plot elements from the book such as Ray's identical twin brother Richard, and a depressing storyline with an old former ballplayer named Eddie Scissons. They also changed J.D. Salinger to Terrence Mann when it became apparent that Salinger would sue, making the adaptation both financially and legally pragmatic. The entire PTA book banning scene was invented for the film to give Annie some characterization, and also to establish Terrance Mann as a radical author from the 1960's whose work was offensive to some (which would not have been necessary if it were Salinger.)
 Field of Dreams / int_603f1a80
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 Field of Dreams / int_62b65869
type
And I'm the Queen of Sheba
 Field of Dreams / int_62b65869
comment
And I'm the Queen of Sheba: When introduced to Terence Mann, Mark calls himself "the Easter Bunny".
 Field of Dreams / int_62b65869
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Field of Dreams / int_62b65869
 Field of Dreams / int_6439de78
type
Heroic Sacrifice
 Field of Dreams / int_6439de78
comment
Heroic Sacrifice: Graham steps off the field to save Karin's life, at the cost of never being able to play on the field again.
 Field of Dreams / int_6439de78
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Field of Dreams / int_6439de78
 Field of Dreams / int_64e975cf
type
Manly Tears
 Field of Dreams / int_64e975cf
comment
Manly Tears: Ray has to fight back some tears when he asks his father's ghost for some time to play catch. In a meta sense, this movie is infamous among sports fans for making guys tear up watching the finale.
 Field of Dreams / int_64e975cf
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 Field of Dreams / int_663b22d9
type
Dying as Yourself
 Field of Dreams / int_663b22d9
comment
Dying as Yourself: A variant as Doc Graham has already been dead for years but he walks off the field as his older self and is referred to by his team mates as "Doc", showing that was his true self all along.
 Field of Dreams / int_663b22d9
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Field of Dreams / int_663b22d9
 Field of Dreams / int_66479d0
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Our Ghosts Are Different
 Field of Dreams / int_66479d0
comment
Our Ghosts Are Different: Only believers can see them. There's also the whole question of the ghosts' age. They appear as they did in their playing days, but seem perfectly aware that they're dead and even talk about how long it's been since they last played, frequently cracking jokes about it. They also apparently have their entire life's worth of experience within them, as evidenced by Moonlight Graham knowing that he can save Karin despite not studying medicine yet, and Ray's father recognizing his son despite being younger than Ray himself when they meet.
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Field of Dreams / int_66479d0
 Field of Dreams / int_66eb63b1
type
Brandishment Bluff
 Field of Dreams / int_66eb63b1
comment
Brandishment Bluff: Ray, out of desperation, tries to kidnap Terence with a finger in his jacket. Terence isn't fooled for a second.
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Field of Dreams / int_66eb63b1
 Field of Dreams / int_69fb91e8
type
Chewing the Scenery
 Field of Dreams / int_69fb91e8
comment
Chewing the Scenery: James Earl Jones' "they will come" speech was initially played normally, but was told to ham it up as the reading seemed too antiseptic. The next take was the last.
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 Field of Dreams / int_6bd689ca
type
Meaningful Echo
 Field of Dreams / int_6bd689ca
comment
Meaningful Echo: Combined with a Meaningful Name. When Ray hears "If you build it, he will come", Ray assumes that "he" is Shoeless Joe Jackson. He also assumes that "Ease his pain" refers to Terrance Mann and "Go the distance" refers to Moonlight. When those Arc Words are said near the end of the movie, the "he" being referred to is revealed to be someone else entirely. After the last time it's said, the "he" is revealed to be Ray's father.
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 Field of Dreams / int_6bda9a30
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Meaningful Name
 Field of Dreams / int_6bda9a30
comment
Combined with a Meaningful Name.
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 Field of Dreams / int_71268450
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Adaptation Title Change
 Field of Dreams / int_71268450
comment
Adaptation Title Change: Field of Dreams is based on the novel Shoeless Joe.
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Field of Dreams / int_71268450
 Field of Dreams / int_7464705c
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Arc Words
 Field of Dreams / int_7464705c
comment
Arc Words: "If you build it, he will come." "Ease his pain" and "Go the distance" are secondary arc words, but just as important.
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 Field of Dreams / int_87b8f581
type
Refusal of the Call
 Field of Dreams / int_87b8f581
comment
Refusal of the Call: Subverted. Doc Graham gently turns down the chance to play on The Field, saying he'd rather be a doctor. The next morning, however, a teenage ballplayer named Archie is hitchhiking to go to minor league tryouts. Played straighter when Terrence Mann initially pretends that he didn't see anything at Fenway Park, leaving Ray to think the mission was all a fool's errand. As he prepares to drive away, though, Terrence jumps into the road and reveals the truth.
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 Field of Dreams / int_96e5792c
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Moral Guardians
 Field of Dreams / int_96e5792c
comment
Moral Guardians: The townspeople who wish to ban the work of Terence Mann.
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 Field of Dreams / int_9fb5d589
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Not Now, Kiddo
 Field of Dreams / int_9fb5d589
comment
Not Now, Kiddo: As Ray and Annie fret over the costs of building what looks like a pointless baseball field, Karin tries about three times to tell them that there's a man in the field.
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 Field of Dreams / int_acecb17d
type
Chekhov's Skill
 Field of Dreams / int_acecb17d
comment
Chekhov's Skill: While the ghosts appear in the prime of their baseball careers, they retain the memories and skills throughout their entire lives. Fortunately for Karin, Moonlight Graham spent the majority of his life as a doctor.
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 Field of Dreams / int_b739f0d2
type
Finger Gun
 Field of Dreams / int_b739f0d2
comment
Finger Gun: Ray tries this to get Terence Mann to come to Iowa. It doesn't work, but he's able to convince Terence, anyways. Later becomes a Once Done, Never Forgotten for Ray.
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 Field of Dreams / int_bc00493f
type
Precision F-Strike
 Field of Dreams / int_bc00493f
comment
Precision F-Strike: Mark (Timothy Busfield) clearly mouths "What the fuck?" when Moonlight (Burt Lancaster) crosses the gravel.
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 Field of Dreams / int_bd2812b5
type
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence
 Field of Dreams / int_bd2812b5
comment
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Terence Mann. Either that, or he got to see Ebbets Field again — though the film implies both are the same thing.
 Field of Dreams / int_bd2812b5
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 Field of Dreams / int_c042eee9
type
Invisible to Normals
 Field of Dreams / int_c042eee9
comment
Invisible to Normals: The ballplayers, apparently. It isn't until Moonlight transforms back into his old doctor form that Mark can see them.
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 Field of Dreams / int_c335b9ec
type
Irony
 Field of Dreams / int_c335b9ec
comment
Irony: Moonlight's sacrifice fly means he still hasn't gotten an official at bat against major leaguers, but hey, he got an RBI and a plate appearance. You could also read it as God doing a bit of psychotherapy to help Moonlight come to terms with his one major regret.
 Field of Dreams / int_c335b9ec
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 Field of Dreams / int_c5249b29
type
Nice Guy
 Field of Dreams / int_c5249b29
comment
Nice Guy: Doc Graham is described as such, both by his obituary and those who remember him as a kind man who was known for always helping others. When we finally meet him, he proves his reputation to be well-deserved and he is every bit as charming, humble and altruistic as he was described as being. He even gives up playing on the field to help Karin and sincerely assures an apologetic Ray that it's fine and he was just happy to get to play for as long as he did.
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 Field of Dreams / int_c70059b4
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Psychic Dreams for Everyone
 Field of Dreams / int_c70059b4
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Psychic Dreams for Everyone: Ray receives most of the visitations from the Voice, but Annie gets in on the act as well—when Ray has a dream about going to Fenway Park with Terence Mann and tells her about it, Annie remarks that she had the exact same dream and starts helping him pack. At the end of the film, it's little Karin who casually discusses how the baseball field will make the family money, and it's clear that she's getting this information from an external source.
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Shout-Out
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comment
Shout-Out: "As a small boy, he had a bat named Rosebud." "I'm melting! I'm melting!" followed by a mention of the novel a few minutes later. A shout out is given when Shoeless Joe Jackson mentions "the thrill of the grass," another book by Bill Kinsella.
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Monochrome Casting
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Monochrome Casting: One of the criticisms leveled at the film is that apparently baseball is just as segregated in the afterlife as it was in the real-life early 20th century.
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Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts
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Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts: Ray and Mann pick up the younger Moonlight Graham while driving through the Midwest and take him to the field so he finally gets a chance to play baseball.
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De-aged in Death
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comment
De-aged in Death: The White Sox players appear on the Field of Dreams at the age they would have been in 1919, when they were banned from baseball in the Black Sox Scandal, while many of the players died decades later (i.e. the real Shoeless Joe Jackson died at age 64, while his ghost was played by 35-year-old Ray Liotta). Other Field of Dreams players appear as they did at the height of their careers. Zigzagged with Dr. Archie "Moonlight" Graham, who died an old man, but appears as a ghost as both a young man (when his baseball career almost took off, getting the chance at bat he never had in life) and an old man (when he gives up being a ballplayer and becomes a doctor again to save Karin from choking). Discussed when the Field of Dreams catcher is revealed to be Ray's father John as a young man. Ray, shocked at his appearance, mentions how, "I only saw him later, when he was worn down by life."
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Red Herring
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Red Herring: The voice. Ray thinks that "If you build it, he will come" refers to Shoeless Joe, "Ease his pain" refers to Terence, and "Go the distance" refers to Moonlight. The voice meant Ray's father in all three instances. Moonlight doesn't hit a triple like he fantasizes about during his speech.
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The Scapegoat
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The Scapegoat: Played for Laughs when Ray reveals that he stopped having games of catch with his dad because he read Terrence Mann's The Boat Rocker. Mann complains that he has a history of his books being blamed for people's problems: "That's the sort of crap people are always trying to lay on me. It's not my fault you wouldn't play catch with your father!"
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Dead Person Conversation
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Dead Person Conversation: Being the only ones who can see them, Ray and his family (plus Terry) spend most of the movie talking with the ghost ballplayers whenever they show up to play baseball.
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StrawmanPolitical
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Strawman Political: The Moral Guardians are depicted as racist and authoritarian as well as prudish. (One of the books? The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.)
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Very Loosely Based on a True Story
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Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Moonlight Graham was in fact a ballplayer who appeared in only one Major League Baseball game, before becoming a doctor in Chisholm, Minnesota. The film takes some liberties with his story: Graham died in 1965, but producer Francis Ford Coppola wanted to see The Godfather on a marquee, so Ray goes back to 1972 to find him. His single game was also played in 1905, not 1922. Ray Liotta hits right-handed. Apparently, TPTB felt Liotta looked too awkward hitting lefty like Shoeless Joe Jackson did. Liotta was apparently not happy with the decision. The degree of Shoeless Joe Jackson's culpability in the Black Sox Scandal is in fact clear. He testified under oath to a grand jury that he was paid money to help throw games in the 1919 World Series and kept the money. Also, a detailed look at box scores shows that Jackson only played well in games that were "on the level" (not every game in the series was crooked) and in fixed games after a loss was assured. Any idea that Jackson was innocent in the matter has to ignore some extremely damning evidence to the contrary. Also, unlike what both this movie and the previous year's Eight Men Out claim, after he was expelled, he never played under "a made up name in some 12th rate league". The reason for that last mix-up is probably the result of a story told well after his playing days. Jackson was the proprietor of a liquor store, and one day Ty Cobb (the Hall of Fame player) and Grantland Rice (legendary sportswriter) walked in to make a purchase. Joe never made any sign that he recognized them, even though they had crossed paths before during their playing days. Finally, Cobb had to ask:
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Comically Missing the Point
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Comically Missing the Point: Terrence Mann does this at Fenway Park.
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Beware the Nice Ones
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Beware the Nice Ones: Annie is very nice and supportive of Ray, despite nearly bankrupting his farm to make a baseball field. Yet when a Moral Guardian accuses her husband of being un-American for supporting Terence Mann, she's willing to kick her ass.
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You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious
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comment
You Called Me "X"; It Must Be Serious: Sort of. Doc Graham knows something is up with Ray, when he asks him if he's "Moonlight" Graham.
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Field of Dreams

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