BLU-RAY REVIEW

Field Of Dreams

Featured In Issue 117, February 2007

Picture2.5
SoundNR
WSR Score
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
31302
(MPAA Rating):
PG
(Rating Reason):
(Retail Price):
$29.98
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (HD-30)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
106
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
Not Indicated
(Theatrical Year):
1989
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
12/12/06
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Phil Alden Robinson
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital+ 5.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

Based on the book "Shoeless Joe" by W.P. Kinsella, Field Of Dreams tells the inspirational tale of an Iowa farmer's (Kevin Costner) dreams come true. "If you build it, he will come," are the famous words that re-direct his life as he turns his cornfield into a baseball diamond.

Special features include My Scenes plus all of those found on the 15th Anniversary DVD, and include: an audio commentary track featuring writer-director Phil Alden Robinson and cinematographer John Lindley. (This is the track originally recorded way back in 1996 for the Signature Collection LaserDisc and subsequently included on the first DVD release issued in 1998.) Also included are a collection of deleted scenes which illustrate some good decision-making during the film's post-production period. The scenes run eleven minutes or seventeen with the optional director intros. The highlight of Disc One's supplements is the 39-minute documentary From Father To Son: Passing Along The Pastime, which features interview material with many big league ballplayers. Additionally, over an hour and a half of excellent documentary and featurette material, the most interesting to baseball fans likely being the 30-minute roundtable discussion with star Kevin Costner and ex-Major League stars Johnny Bench, George Brett, and Bret Saberhagen. The others are the 18-minute The Diamond In The Husks which focuses on the creation of the ball field and its current tourist attraction status, and a six-minute segment on the town of Galena, Illinois which was used in the film to pinch hit for Chisolm, Minnesota. And, the 46-minute Bravo segment of From Page To Screen offers an overview of the production and the original Shoeless Joe novel from which the film was based. Also included is a still-step section on baseball trivia and Major League stadiums, as well as some DVD-ROM content.

The VC-1-encoded 1.78:1 HD DVD shows very good image depth, with solid blacks and good shadow delineation. Colors are slightly over-saturated, and fleshtones are too red. Source element artifacts can be seen frequently, and edge enhancement can be noticed on high contrast transitions. (Danny Richelieu)

The Dolby® Digital Plus 5.1-channel soundtrack shows signs of its age, with a thin character and a very basic mix. Some distortion and low-level noise can be heard frequently throughout. (Danny Richelieu)