The mystery of Field of Dreams has been part of pop culture for so long that it's difficult to remember what it was like back when the movie first came out, and no one knew what was going on. A farmer already fighting to stave off financial ruin hears voices while out in the fields, and decides that he needs to build a baseball field. At first, he (and everyone else) just thinks he's crazy. But then one night, he sees a man standing out on the field. A man in an old-fashioned White Sox uniform who answers to the name of Shoeless Joe Jackson. It adds to the magical feel of the film that's just one lone man coming out of the cornfields (which is a fantastic visual, by the way), who's not really sure how he got there but just so awestruck that he's back on a baseball diamond again. Ultimately, he's a placeholder for the person who's really meant to show up in the Field of Dreams: Ray's father.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
