The Emigrants
Encyclopedia
The Emigrants is a 1971 Swedish film directed by Jan Troell. It tells the story of a Swedish group who emigrate from Småland
, Sweden
to Minnesota
, United States
in the 19th century. The film follows the hardship of the group in Sweden and on the trip.
The film is based on the first two novels of The Emigrants suite
by Vilhelm Moberg
: The Emigrants
and Unto a Good Land
. It was adapted to the screen by Bengt Forslund
and Jan Troell. The Emigrants stars Max von Sydow
and Liv Ullmann
in the lead, along with Eddie Axberg, Sven-Olof Bern, Aina Alfredsson, Allan Edwall
, Monica Zetterlund
and Pierre Lindstedt. The Emigrants was followed by a 1972 sequel, The New Land
(Nybyggarna), with the same cast.
wrote in Life
that "Jan Troell has made the masterpiece about the dream that shaped America - a dream, and an America, fast disappearing from our views." Vincent Canby
of The New York Times
hailed the acting performances, especially from Sydow and Ullmann, which he found to hold "a kind of spontaneous truth, in look and gesture, that does a lot to relieve the otherwise programed nobility, truth and beauty." One complaint was raised by Canby: "As he showed in Here's Your Life
, Mr. Troell, who is a fine cameraman, simply cannot resist the extra shot of sunlight-reflected-in-water that becomes just one too many, a thing of movie decoration."
:
At the 30th Golden Globe Awards
it won the awards for Best Foreign Language Film
and Best Actress (Liv Ullmann). In Sweden it won the Guldbagge Award
s for Best Film and Best Actor (Eddie Axberg).
Småland
' is a historical province in southern Sweden.Småland borders Blekinge, Scania or Skåne, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means Small Lands. . The latinized form Smolandia has been used in other languages...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 19th century. The film follows the hardship of the group in Sweden and on the trip.
The film is based on the first two novels of The Emigrants suite
The Emigrants (novels)
The Emigrants is the collective name of a four novel suite by the Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg:*The Emigrants *Unto a Good Land *The Settlers *The Last Letter Home...
by Vilhelm Moberg
Vilhelm Moberg
Karl Artur Vilhelm Moberg was a Swedish author and historian, most commonly associated with his four novels known as The Emigrants Series.-Early life:...
: The Emigrants
The Emigrants (Swedish novel)
The Emigrants is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1949. It is the first part of the The Emigrants suite.- Plot :The story takes place in the 1840s up to 1850. The first part of the novel describes the hardships faced by rural families in Sweden. Karl Oskar Nilsson and his wife, Kristina, own a farm...
and Unto a Good Land
Unto a Good Land
Unto a Good Land is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1952. It is the second part of the The Emigrants suite.-Plot:This novel describes the journey of the Emigrants from New York City, New York to Taylors Falls, Minnesota. They settle at the lake Ki-Chi-Saga in what is today Chisago County, and...
. It was adapted to the screen by Bengt Forslund
Bengt Forslund
Bengt Forslund is a Swedish film producer, screenwriter and production manager. He produced and co-wrote The Emigrants , for which he was nominated for Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Writing Adapted Screenplay.-Selected filmography:* Made in Sweden * The Emigrants * A Handful of Love *...
and Jan Troell. The Emigrants stars Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
and Liv Ullmann
Liv Ullmann
Liv Johanne Ullmann is a Norwegian actress and film director, as well as one of the "muses" of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman...
in the lead, along with Eddie Axberg, Sven-Olof Bern, Aina Alfredsson, Allan Edwall
Allan Edwall
Johan Allan Edwall was a Swedish actor, director, author, composer and singer, best-known outside Sweden for the small roles he played in some of Ingmar Bergman's films such as Fanny and Alexander...
, Monica Zetterlund
Monica Zetterlund
Eva Monica Zetterlund was a Swedish singer and actress.-Biography:Zetterlund was a singer particularly noted for her jazz work. She began by learning the classic jazz songs from radio and records, initially not knowing the language and what they sang about in English...
and Pierre Lindstedt. The Emigrants was followed by a 1972 sequel, The New Land
The New Land
Nybyggarna is a 1972 Swedish film written by Bengt Forslund and directed by Jan Troell. It stars Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann and Eddie Axberg....
(Nybyggarna), with the same cast.
Cast
- Max von SydowMax von SydowMax von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
as Karl Oskar Nilsson - Liv UllmannLiv UllmannLiv Johanne Ullmann is a Norwegian actress and film director, as well as one of the "muses" of the Swedish director Ingmar Bergman...
as Kristina Nilsson - Eddie Axberg as Robert Nilsson
- Pierre Lindstedt as Arvid
- Allan EdwallAllan EdwallJohan Allan Edwall was a Swedish actor, director, author, composer and singer, best-known outside Sweden for the small roles he played in some of Ingmar Bergman's films such as Fanny and Alexander...
as Danjel - Monica ZetterlundMonica ZetterlundEva Monica Zetterlund was a Swedish singer and actress.-Biography:Zetterlund was a singer particularly noted for her jazz work. She began by learning the classic jazz songs from radio and records, initially not knowing the language and what they sang about in English...
as Ulrika - Hans AlfredsonHans AlfredsonHans Folke "Hasse" Alfredson is a Swedish actor, film director, writer and comedian. He was born in Malmö, Sweden. He is known for his collaboration with Tage Danielsson...
as Jonas Petter - Aina Alfredsson as Märta
- Sven-Olof Bern as Nils
- Gustaf Färingborg as Brusander, The Vicar
- Åke Fridell as Aron
- Bruno Sörwing as Lönnegren
- Arnold Alfredsson as Verger
- Ulla Smidje as Inga-Lena, Danjel's wife
- Eva-Lena Zetterlund as Elin, Ulrika's daughter
- Bror Englund as Måns Jakob
- Agneta PrytzAgneta PrytzAgneta Prytz was a Swedish movie and stage actress who appeared in thirty-six films over the course of her career. Prytz was the wife of Swedish director, Gösta Folke, who died in April 2008....
as Fina Kajsa - Halvar BjörkHalvar BjörkErik Halvar Bertil Björk was a Swedish actor. He worked at the Malmö City Theatre from 1962 till 1986, but also made many substantial film- and TV-roles; for example, he acted in Autumn Sonata and Sunday's Children by Ingmar Bergman and The Emigrants and The New Land by Jan Troell.Björk won...
as Anders Månsson
Reception
Richard SchickelRichard Schickel
Richard Warren Schickel is an American author, journalist, and documentary filmmaker. He is a film critic for Time magazine, having also written for Life magazine and the Los Angeles Times Book Review....
wrote in Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
that "Jan Troell has made the masterpiece about the dream that shaped America - a dream, and an America, fast disappearing from our views." Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
hailed the acting performances, especially from Sydow and Ullmann, which he found to hold "a kind of spontaneous truth, in look and gesture, that does a lot to relieve the otherwise programed nobility, truth and beauty." One complaint was raised by Canby: "As he showed in Here's Your Life
Here's Your Life
Here's Your Life is a 1966 Swedish drama film directed by Jan Troell, based on the second of Eyvind Johnson's semi-autobiographical series of four novels Romanen om Olof, about a working-class boy growing up in northern Sweden.-Selected cast:...
, Mr. Troell, who is a fine cameraman, simply cannot resist the extra shot of sunlight-reflected-in-water that becomes just one too many, a thing of movie decoration."
Awards and honours
The Emigrants was nominated for five Academy AwardsAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
:
- Best Foreign Language FilmAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language FilmThe Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
- Best PictureAcademy Award for Best PictureThe Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to artists working in the motion picture industry. The Best Picture category is the only category in which every member of the Academy is eligible not only...
- Best DirectorAcademy Award for DirectingThe Academy Award for Achievement in Directing , usually known as the Best Director Oscar, is one of the Awards of Merit presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to directors working in the motion picture industry...
(Jan Troell) - Best Actress in a Leading RoleAcademy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
(Liv Ullmann) - Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
At the 30th Golden Globe Awards
30th Golden Globe Awards
The 30th Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and television for 1972 films, were held on 28 January 1973.-Best Actor - Drama: Marlon Brando - The Godfather*Michael Caine - Sleuth*Laurence Olivier - Sleuth...
it won the awards for Best Foreign Language Film
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the awards presented at the Golden Globes, an American film awards ceremony.Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film could be honoured...
and Best Actress (Liv Ullmann). In Sweden it won the Guldbagge Award
Guldbagge Award
The Guldbagge Award is an official Swedish film award awarded annually since 1964 by the Swedish Film Institute.-Etymology:Guldbagge is the Swedish name for Cetonia aurata, a beetle also known as rose chafer. The name of the award could also be interpreted as a play on the Swedish word skalbagge,...
s for Best Film and Best Actor (Eddie Axberg).
See also
- List of submissions to the 44th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Swedish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film