Screened in tandem, The Emigrants and its sequel, The New Land, comprise nearly seven
hours of narrative material, all depicting the travails of a 19th-century Swedish
family that relocates from their homeland to Minnesota. Accordingly, the first
question that must be asked is whether cowriter/director Jan Troell needed
seven hours to communicate the story that he tells across the two pictures. The
simple answer to that question is no, but the simple answer is deceptive. It’s
inarguable that both The Emigrants
and The New Land contain superfluous
scenes. Similarly, both films suffer from extraordinary bloat. Important scenes
drag on past the point of impact, minor scenes are given too much screen time,
and Troell periodically stops the drama cold to linger on an idyllic shot of a
stream or a panoramic view of a forest. Both films are so indulgent, from the
perspective of content and pacing, that it’s tempting to joke that Troell set
out to tell an epic story in real time.
Yet buried inside the expanse of these
movies, and indeed woven into the very fabric of scenes that run longer than
they should, is something deeply important—a sense of chronological weight. In
telling a story about an era that precedes the fast-paced modern age, Troell
found an appropriate style for conveying the drudgery of work, the monumental
scope of international travel, and the sheer hardship of survival. Making
audiences feel as if they’d been on an exhausting journey wasn’t the only way
to explore the themes of the Vilhem Moberg novels upon which the two films are
based, but it was an artistically credible way of doing so. No surprise, then,
that massive acclaim was showered upon The
Emigrants and The New Land both
at home in Sweden and internationally.
The first film introduces viewers to
Karl Oskar Nilsson (Max Von Sydow) and his wife, Kristina (Liv Ullmann), as
well as Karl Oskar’s younger brother, Robert (Eddie Axberg). In the broadest
strokes, Karl Oskar realizes that he cannot sustain life in Sweden anymore,
thanks to a deadly combination of famine, poverty, and religious persecution. With
several children in tow, the Nilssons and several of their friends embark on a
brutal journey from Sweden to America. By the time Karl Oskar finds what he
deems the perfect location for a new homestead in the woods of Minnesota, the
first movie is over. The New Land
dramatizes the struggles that Karl Oskar, his family, and other Swedes
encounter while trying to become successful farmers despite language barriers,
limited resources, and the threat of hostile Indians. Much of the second
picture is devoted to a harrowing adventure that Robert experiences when he
leaves the homestead to seek gold in California.
Although joyful moments occur
periodically, deprivation and tragedy dominate The Emigrants and The New
Land. Part history, part soap opera, and part tribute to indomitable
settlers, these films are monumental in their dimensions. The stories cover decades, and the entire lives of certain characters are depicted. Troell accentuates
subtle tropes, so many scenes feel impressionistic or even surreal, even though
the movies address certain topics (especially religion) with detailed dialogue.
At their best, these pictures have the sort of immersive realism that later
became commonplace in American miniseries derived from literature. The Emigrants and The New Land require tremendous attention, patience, and stamina
from viewers, so the movies are not for everyone, especially because the
narratives are bleak. By any measure, however, the films represent extraordinary
accomplishments.
The labors of Troell and his collaborators were recognized by
entities including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—both movies
were nominated as Best Foreign Film in their respective release years, and The Emigrants has the odd distinction of
receiving Oscar nominations in two separate years, because when the film was
rereleased, it earned a nomination as Best Picture, rare for foreign films in
any circumstances. FYI, Hollywood generated a short-lived TV series based on
the material. Costarring Kurt Russell, The
New Land aired for all of one month in the fall of 1974, flopping so badly that
half the produced episodes were shelved.
The Emigrants: GROOVY
The New Land: GROOVY
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