Field Of Dreams Film Analysis

Fate and Freewill
Field of Dreams, a film production directed by Phil Alden Robinson, is an enduring classic of its time that delves into the idyllic nature of baseball. The director’s subtle inclusion of diegetic sounds, depth cues, and the Kuleshov’s effect brings together a polished masterpiece that keeps the audience at the edge of their seats. In the film, the spirit of Doctor Archibald Graham refuses to return to Iowa with Ray despite his dreams of playing professional baseball. “Sixty-five years [before], for five minutes, [he] had come [so] close, it would kill [most] men to get so close to their dream and never touch it.” Graham chooses his present over his past and adamantly insists that “batting in the major league” is not written in his destiny. He will not leave Chisholm for it is his “most special place in the world.” His duty as a physician feels more fulfilling for “if [he’d] gotten to be a doctor for [only] five minutes… [that] would have been a tragedy.” In fact, Graham willingly accepts his fate and concedes that his sacrifice for the greater good has not been in vain.
When Ray arrives at Chisholm Minnesota, he expects to meet “Moonlight Graham,” an elderly man filled with regrets and a penchant for baseball. Unbeknownst to Ray, “Moonlight Graham” has passed away sixteen years earlier and has been known as Doc Graham for quite a while. “There were times when children could not afford eyeglasses, or milk, or clothing, but no child was ever denied these essentials, because in the background there was always Doctor Graham.” An altruist of his own right, Archie Graham is kind and charitable and dedicates his life to bettering those of others. It is of his own freewill that he chooses to become a doctor. His passion for philanthropy does not extend to baseball; otherwise, he would have pursued it despite experiencing