We’ve turned the calendar to August, and before we start back to school or attend the Whiteside County Fair, we are deep into the Major League Baseball season. Each of us roots for a specific team, either loudly or very quietly. Odell Public Library’s August movie is “Field of Dreams,” starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, James Earl Jones, and the States of Illinois and Iowa.
This is a grand movie about summer, baseball, and simpler times. “Field of Dreams” will be shown Tuesday, August 13, 2019, beginning at 2:00 p.m., complete with popcorn and a drink.
A farmer is standing in the middle of a cornfield when he hears the voice say, “If you build it, he will come.” Looking around, he sees no one. Again the voice says even more softly, “If you build it, he will come.” Up until this point, this is a sensible movie about a young couple that wants to run a family farm in Iowa.
Ray and Annie Kinsella (Kevin Costner and Amy Madigan) have tried the fast track life and have had enough! They are enjoying sitting on the porch and listening to the corn grow. Ray is startled and baffled when he hears the voice. Is this religious?
Yes, but the religion is Baseball. When he doesn’t understand the voice, he is granted a vision of a baseball diamond right there in his cornfield. The voice seems to promise that Joe Jackson will come and play. Shoeless Joe was a member of the infamous team from 100 years ago, the Black Sox. Jackson was accused of “throwing a game.” He professed his innocence to the end of his life.
Annie supports her husband’s vision when he finds it necessary to travel to Boston, MA, to get help from a famous writer who has disappeared, James Earl Jones. Ray then goes to Minnesota talk to what remains of a doctor, Burt Lancaster, who never got the chance to play the game with the pros.
Be alert for who “he” is, as the film progresses.
They all love baseball and think it stands for an earlier, simpler time when professional sports were still games and not industries. Why do they come back from the great beyond to play in this cornfield? It’s simply to hit a few, field a few, and remind us all of a good and innocent time.
There is no charge for the movie, but a small donation is most welcome to offset costs of film rental.