The Emigrants (1971)
"Utvandrarna" (original title)

In the middle of the 19th century, Kristina and Karl-Oskar live in a small rural village in Smaaland (southern Sweden). They get married and try to make a living on a small spot of land. ... See full summary »

Director:

Jan Troell

Writers:

Bengt Forslund, Vilhelm Moberg (novels),

Stars:

Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Max von Sydow	...	Karl Oskar
Liv Ullmann	...	Kristina
Eddie Axberg	...	Robert Nilsson
Sven-Olof Bern	...	Nils
Aina Alfredsson	...	Marta
Allan Edwall	...	Danjel
Monica Zetterlund	...	Ulrika
Pierre Lindstedt	...	Arvid
Hans Alfredson	...	Jonas Petter
Ulla Smidje	...	Danjel's wife
Eva-Lena Zetterlund	...	Elin, Ulrika's daughter
Gustaf Färingborg	...	The Vicar
Åke Fridell	...	Aron
Agneta Prytz	...	Fina Kajsa
Halvar Björk	...	Anders

Storyline

In the middle of the 19th century, Kristina and Karl-Oskar live in a small rural village in Smaaland (southern Sweden). They get married and try to make a living on a small spot of land. However, the small size of their land, the infertile soil, and some bad harvests makes it tough. One of their children even starve to death. Thus, they decide to emigrate to the U.S. They meet a group of farmers with their families planing the emigration under the leadership of a banned priest. They sell everything and embark for the U.S. The journey on the sailing ship is long and tedious. Some of the emigrants will never reach the New World.

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Plot Keywords:

journey | 19th century | ship | sailing ship | emigrant | 

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Taglines:

a new land...a new hope...a new dream

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish English

Release Date:

8 March 1971 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Emigrants

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Box Office

Gross:

SEK 19,958,000 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

191 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jan Troell and Wilhelm Moberg had a disagreement whether the actors should use dialects. Troell wanted all actors to speak Småländska (the dialect spoken in county Småland where the story takes place) while Moberg wanted no dialects. As a compromise Karl-Oskar and Kristina speak with a dialect while many of the others such as Robert and Arvid only speak with a very light accent.

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Goofs

On the train west a character shows an American silver coin and yells out it has "In God We Trust" on it. The scene is the 1850s and the motto was not added to American silver coins until 1867.

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Quotes

Robert: There are two kinds of people in America. First, those who have lived here long and become rich. And then there's those who are newly arrived and haven't yet become rich.

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Connections

Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)

User Reviews

if you should have the luck of stumbling onto this film at a rental shop, thank Fellini's ghost - grasp it and head for the check out.

Jan Troell, has truly captured the feeling of what inspires people to emigrate and the subsequent hardships that await in the land of hope. True masters of the craft, Sydow and Ullmann, are superb in their performances. They truly pull you into the time, the frame of mind and thus make you feel like you are sharing their voyage. A great film that is everything a film should be - moving. It is a mystery why this film did not win an Oscar for best foreign picture, best actress and best actor - though with all fairness, with both Caberet and The Godfather in the running, it would have required a miracle. If you should have the luck of stumbling onto this film at a rental shop, thank Fellini's ghost - grasp it and head for the check out.