Abstract
The financial and critical success of the film Field of Dreams attests to the wideranging appeal of its main character and the nostalgic ideals he embodies. One critic exclaims that “Field of Dreams soars beyond dreams” and describes the film as “a fantasy about belief, hope, fathers and sons, passion for life. A masterwork of wonderment,” while another describes it as “a magical movie. It’s so perfect, it’s like a miracle—a completely original and visionary movie.”1 Wes D. Gehring argues that Field of Dreams is a “populist” film in the tradition of Frank Capra, for like populism the film celebrates “adherence to traditional values and customs (mirroring the phenomenon’s [populism’s] strong sense of nostalgia)” and a “general optimism concerning both man’s potential for good and the importance of the individual” (36). And Caroline M. Cooper, citing an interview of Bill Clinton by Tom Brook, explains that Field of Dreams is, after High Noon (1952), the favorite film of President Clinton. He loves it, apparently, because of its message that “if you build it, they will come”; he finds it a “fabulous fairy tale” which “makes people feel that anything can happen.”
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
