The Emigrants

1971 [SWEDISH]

Action / Drama / History

15
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 87% · 17 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 87% · 500 ratings
IMDb Rating 8.0/10 10 8180 8.2K

ship husband wife relationship minnesota american dream farm worker the new world

Plot summary

Karl and Kristina Nilsson work on a farm in a cold and desolate area of 19th century rural Sweden. Growing privations, combined with increasing social and religious persecution, motivate the Nilssons and many of their neighbors to strike out for the United States. Following a treacherous ocean crossing and an equally grueling land passage, the emigrants find themselves in seemingly idyllic Minnesota.

Director

Jan Troell Photo
Jan Troell

Top cast

Liv Ullmann Photo
Liv Ullmann as Kristina
Max von Sydow Photo
Max von Sydow as Karl Oskar
Allan Edwall Photo
Allan Edwall as Danjel
Hans Alfredson Photo
Hans Alfredson as Jonas Petter
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1.72 GB
1204*720
Swedish 2.0
NR
Subtitles sv  
23.976 fps
3 hr 12 min
Seeds 5
3.2 GB
1792*1072
Swedish 2.0
NR
Subtitles sv  
23.976 fps
3 hr 12 min
Seeds 11

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by BoboLaTuque 8 / 10

Real movie lovers MUST see this!

I had this movie on VHS and transferred it to DVD. It is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and its sequel "The New Land" is equally as good. The acting, direction, cinematography... all excellent. It is a very evocative movie and seems to depict quite honestly the hardships and struggles of immigrants in the 1800s. This is one of about a dozen movies I must watch at least once per year. I love it. I would recommend this movie to dang-near anybody!
Reviewed by gbill-74877 9 / 10

Wonderfully realistic

This film is so deeply immersive, taking its time to give us an incredibly realistic portrayal of what life was like in 1840's rural Sweden, and then an immigrant to America. The first hour or so is slow, but it establishes the world these people were living in, with hardships often threatening ruin, when child mortality rates in Sweden were 20-25%, and when superstition, ignorance, and religion were so dominant. The context is incredibly important to show the motivation to emigrate, and just how extraordinary the undertaking was. It also amplifies one of the film's best scenes, that backward glance they take at the old farm as they trundle down the road in their carriage. It's an enormous moment for not only them, but their children and descendants. To the film's credit, nothing is fast forwarded; we're not given simple cursory scenes in Sweden, cut to being on the ship, and then to arriving in a new land all smiles. We really feel the experience at each stage.There are lots of little touches in the film, such as the family's reaction to being on a train for the first time, reminding us that railroads were a monumental innovation in the 19th century. The priest who is with them along with his followers because they were persecuted in Sweden doles out some sublime thoughts, such as reminding them that even lice are god's creation and that suffering because of them allows one to understand suffering in others better and to empathize. He also dispenses a lot of nonsense, such as the idea that they'll magically understand English when they land in America per his understanding of the Bible, and in general trying to attribute everything that happens in their little lives to divine favor or displeasure operating on them in ways he's always trying to explain after the fact.The family is incredibly naïve about planning beyond the idea of 'going to America', and their rosy optimism of all the wonderful things they would find there. It's interesting that on the one hand they find a fellow Swede in Minnesota living in what his mother sees as squalor, but on the other hand, that they're free to stake out claims to beautiful, arable land, which is hard to fathom today. They are in some sense disillusioned, but in another sense, are in a paradise of sorts. There are lots of moments where fantasy and reality meet in the film, but it's in nuanced ways and never overplayed.It's a fantastic moment when we get a brief glimpse of slaves in chains on a steamboat, and in those poor eyes get a heartstopping reminder that to others, coming to America was a very different, horrifying nightmare of an experience. So much for the idea that the young men had read about in Sweden, that "many of the slaves have better houses, food, and circumstances than peasants in Europe." Unfortunately while we might see a few Native Americans at one of the stops, the idea that the land these people from Sweden are claiming had been inhabited by people who were going through genocide is not articulated by the film, though it is in the sequel, 'The New Land.'In terms of production value, there is a lot to love about the realism. We're not flooded with grand images of landscapes, and even the beauty we see in the woods or fields has a natural ruggedness to it. It's a very small moment, but at one point director Jan Troell gives us the sun on the water during a very serene moment with slow undulations, which I found simply exquisite, and such a contrast to the harshness of the ocean journey. The performances from Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, and the rest of the fine cast are unaffected and natural. The version I saw had unfortunately been dubbed in English though, and I think seeing it in Swedish with English subtitles would have been infinitely preferable, and much more in keeping with the spirit of the film, so if it's an option for you, I would certainly seek it out.
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