Nybyggarna (1972)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Jan Troell

Writers:

Bengt Forslund (writer)
Vilhelm Moberg (novel)

Release Date:

26 February 1972 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The life of an immigrant family from Sweden in the Minnesota's forests, during mid 19th century

Plot Keywords:

Settler | Gold Rush | 19th Century | Farm | Swedish American

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins

Cast

Max von Sydow	...	Karl-Oskar
Liv Ullmann	...	Kristina
Eddie Axberg	...	Robert Nilsson
Pierre Lindstedt	...	Arvid
Allan Edwall	...	Danjel
Monica Zetterlund	...	Ulrika
Hans Alfredson	...	Jonas Petter
Agneta Prytz	...	Fina Kajsa
Halvar Björk	...	Anders Månsson
Tom C. Fouts	...	Pastor Jackson
Peter Lindgren	...	Samuel Nöjd
Per Oscarsson	...	Pastor Törner
Oscar Ljung	...	Petrus Olausson
Karin Nordström	...	Judit Olausson (as Karin Nordström-Järegård)
Larry Clementson	...	Mr. Abbot

Also Known As:

The New Land
Unto a Good Land (International: English title) (informal title)

Runtime:

Mexico:157 min | USA:102 min | Sweden:204 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

English | Swedish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | Norway:16 (1972) | Sweden:11 | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Krageholmssjön, Krageholm, Skåne län, Sweden

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Robert and Arvid are in the desert and Robert falls into the pit, you can see the shadow of director Jan Troell holding the camera.

Quotes:

Karl-Oskar: [as Kristina dies] Kristina! Stay!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Stjärnbilder (1995)

The continuation of an American saga

"The New Land" is the second half of a story started in Troell's "The Emigrants," which depicted the struggles of a band of Swedish peasants in their move to America. Here, several of the settlers- such as the priest and the prostitute- move away in the first half-hour and reappear here and there throughout the rest of the film. The plot focuses on Karl-Oscar, his wife Kristina, and the family they try to raise in the Minnesota wilderness.

Von Sydow and Ullmann are given a chance to embellish on their characters, and they both do excellent work. Axberg also does a fine job of lending more depth to the character of Robert, Karl-Oscar's rebellious younger brother. There is also material worked in that examines the mistreatment (and eventual uprising) of local Native Americans and the futile searches for gold in the north. These other elements do not always seem to fit with the central story, but they effectively add to the sense of time and place anyway.

"The New Land" does not have the same emotional impact that "The Emigrants" had, but it develops the two central characters more and intelligently explores how they learn to adapt to their new life. Put together, these two films convincingly illustrate the plight of those who forged our frontier.