Field of Dreams

In W. P. Kinsella’s novel Shoeless Joe the recluse Ray seeks out is J. D. Salinger under his own name; Phil Alden Robinson’s largest change in adapting it was to replace him with an invented writer, Terence Mann, written with James Earl Jones in mind. The crew planted the corn themselves, and when it came up short the interiors were shot first while the field was irrigated to bring it up to Kevin Costner’s height. The turf was laid by the team responsible for Dodger Stadium and the Rose Bowl, then painted green. For the line of cars at the close, a production assistant measured the road and worked out 1,500 vehicles were needed. Dyersville was blacked out, drivers were given instructions over local radio, and asked to switch between low and high beams so the queue would look as though it were moving. Three Academy Award nominations and no wins: Best Picture, Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium), and Music (Original Score), the last for James Horner. A good fit if you accept that the subject is not baseball but the account opened when Ray stopped playing catch with his father at 14. Not for anyone wanting those decisions justified while the family farm sits under a mortgage; the film keeps the risk in view.