And the colored 60s again. 1963, Dallas, USA – this year was fatal in the history of the country in connection with the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Lurin (Michelle Pfeiffer) is an ardent patriot, determined, by all means, to attend the funeral of the President, which does not quite understand her husband, leading a sofa-beer lifestyle. During his journey, Lurin meets a black man (Dennis Heisbert) and his timid 5-year-old daughter, whom he turns out to have stolen from an orphanage. At first, Lurin is infuriated by the news, but after learning the sad story of this black family and the reason for this act, he cools down and is called to help them. Is it worth mentioning that the 60s in the United States is a time of reigning racial prejudices and what was the attitude of “white” society to the so-called “colored”?
Jonathan Kaplan’s film, which found itself in social dramas that expose the injustice that reigns in our imperfect society ("The Accused, Illegal Invasion), passed almost unnoticed by the general audience in its time, and completely sunk into oblivion. And this is even despite the participation of a three-time Oscar nominee (including this picture) in the title role - the beauty of Michelle Pfeiffer in the image of a classic well-groomed blonde of the 60s, who conquered the festival audience of the Berlin IFF with this role, receiving a silver prize. I will say at once - I am glad to see this actress almost always in any project on the screen, and this role, recognized by critics as one of her best in her career, was no exception - perhaps the abundance of nominations and is dictated by the "correctness" of the role itself (kind white helps the unhappy black, you know), watching Pfeiffer and her heroine was very pleasant and interesting. Secondary characters here shade the game of Michelle, while not being just “furniture” – and of them just want to highlight Dennis Heisbert with his infinitely sad gaze – a harmonious tandem with the leading actress came out. The film itself stars from the sky is not enough, the direction and script are simple and unpretentious, however, the obvious advantages in the person of the main star of the film, cinematography with elegant angles and color scheme, as well as the music of the notorious Jerry Goldsmith, make the Field of Love worthy of viewing and certainly absolutely unworthy of complete oblivion. In a word – simple, but kind, humane and pleasant cinema, unfortunately, underestimated.
Remarkable fact: Dennis Heisbert will still appear in the role of an oppressed Negro and also with a young daughter, 10 years later, in the retro drama Far From Heaven (2002), and Michelle Pfeiffer will try on the image of a platinum blonde of the 60s in the remake of the musical “Hairspray” by Adam Shankman (2007).
7 out of 10