The Emigrants (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Emigrants
American theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jan Troell
Produced by	Bengt Forslund
Screenplay by	Jan Troell Bengt Forslund
Starring	Max von Sydow Liv Ullmann Eddie Axberg Allan Edwall Monica Zetterlund Pierre Lindstedt
Music by	Erik Nordgren
Cinematography	Jan Troell
Editing by	Jan Troell
Studio	Svensk Filmindustri
Distributed by	Warner Bros. (U.S.)
Release date(s)	8 March 1971 (1971-03-08) (Sweden)
Running time	191 minutes
Country	Sweden
Language	Swedish
Budget	$1.6 million

The Emigrants (Swedish: Utvandrarna) is a Swedish movie from 1971. It was directed and co-written by Jan Troell. The main actors include Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann.

This film, along with its 1972 sequel, The New Land, tells the story of poor Swedish people. They leave their home in Småland, Sweden, in the mid-19th century. They travel to America to start a new life in Minnesota. The movie is based on a series of books called The Emigrants by Vilhelm Moberg. This film covers the first two books, showing the difficulties the emigrants faced in Sweden and during their long journey to America.

The Emigrants was very popular around the world. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1972. The next year, it was nominated for four more Oscars, including Best Picture. The 1974 American TV show The New Land was also inspired by this movie and its sequel.

Plot summary: A New Beginning

In 1844, the Nilsson family lives on a small farm in the woods of Korpamoen, Sweden. The oldest son, Karl Oskar, takes over the farm after his father gets hurt. Karl Oskar marries Kristina Johansdotter, and they start a family. They have four children: Anna, Johan, Marta, and Harald.

The family faces many challenges. Their fields are full of rocks, the weather is bad, and harvests are poor. This leaves them hungry and in debt. Kristina sometimes blames Karl Oskar's lack of religious faith for their problems.

Robert's Dream of America

Karl Oskar's younger brother, Robert, works hard as a farmhand. He is often overworked and beaten. He reads about how wonderful life is in America and dreams of moving there. Robert asks his friend Arvid to come with him, and Arvid agrees. However, they soon realize they don't have enough money for the trip.

Robert asks Karl Oskar to sell his part of the family farm. To Robert's surprise, Karl Oskar has also been thinking about moving to America. Kristina is not excited about leaving her homeland. She worries about the difficult journey, even though a better life might be waiting.

A Sad Loss and a Big Decision

A terrible event changes Kristina's mind. Her daughter, Anna, sadly dies after eating too much uncooked porridge. It expanded in her stomach and caused serious problems. Devastated by this loss, Kristina agrees to Karl Oskar's plan. They begin to prepare for their journey to America.

Meanwhile, Kristina's uncle, Danjel Andreasson, is having trouble with the local church leader. Danjel has different religious beliefs and holds his own services at home. He, his wife Inga-Lena, and their four young children are told they must leave the area. So, Danjel decides to join Karl Oskar's group going to America.

Ulrika of Västergöhl, who follows Danjel's religious teachings, also decides to come. She brings her sixteen-year-old daughter, Elin. Jonas Petter, a friend and neighbor, also wants to join to escape his unhappy marriage. Robert even convinces Danjel to pay for Arvid's trip. The night before they leave, Kristina tells Karl Oskar that she is pregnant again.

The Long Journey to America

The group of emigrants travels south to the port city of Karlshamn. There, they board a wooden ship called the Charlotta, which is sailing to New York City. On the ship, Karl Oskar and Kristina meet an older couple, Måns and Fina-Kajsa Andersson. They are going to the Minnesota Territory to live near their son's farm. After hearing about the good land there, Karl Oskar and Kristina decide to follow them.

During the voyage, Inga-Lena and Måns Andersson die from sudden illnesses. Kristina also becomes very ill from a severe nosebleed.

Arrival in the New Land

When they arrive in New York, Karl Oskar and his group, along with Fina-Kajsa, begin the long trip west to Minnesota. They travel first by train, then by riverboat. Kristina, who is very religious, had not liked Ulrika because of her past. But they become friends after Ulrika helps find one of Kristina's children who went missing at a riverboat stop. Soon after, Danjel's baby daughter dies while still on the riverboat.

Finally, they arrive in Stillwater. With the help of Pastor Jackson, a friendly minister, they find their way to Anders' farm. This area is now known as Chisago Lakes. Anders lives in a simple wooden shack, but the land is very good for farming. Danjel and Jonas Petter choose good pieces of farmland nearby. Karl Oskar, however, goes deeper into the woods to explore land along the shore of Lake Ki Chi Saga. He hears this land is even better. When he arrives, he finds excellent soil. He claims the land for his family by carving his name into a tree overlooking the lake.

Cast

Behind the Scenes: Making the Movie

How the Idea Started

Plans to turn The Emigrants books into a movie began in late 1967. The author, Vilhelm Moberg, had seen director Jan Troell's earlier film. Then, producer Bengt Forslund asked Moberg about making an Emigrants movie. The film studio, SF Studios, wanted to adapt all four books.

Moberg, Forslund, and Troell met and planned out the story. They finished mapping out 98 scenes in March 1968. They also thought that Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, and Eddie Axberg would be perfect for the main roles. Troell and Forslund went to the United States in September 1968 to find places to film. However, they found that many areas were too developed or couldn't fit film equipment.

Filming the Story

Lake Krageholm was a filming location.

The parts of the movie set in Chisago Lakes were actually filmed at Lake Krageholm in Scania, Sweden. Filming took place from June 1969 to January 1970, and then again from May to August 1970.

Liv Ullmann said that for The Emigrants and The New Land, which were filmed at the same time, the actors had to learn old ways of doing laundry. She also mentioned that a short scene in The Emigrants where she is on a swing took two days to film!

The movie used 20 actors and 500 extras (people in the background). Both films together cost 7 million kronor. At that time, this made them the most expensive Swedish films ever made.

Release and Home Video

The Emigrants first came out in cinemas in Sweden on March 8, 1971. It opened in New York City on September 24, 1972. The version shown in the U.S. was shorter, cut from 190 minutes to 150 minutes by Warner Bros., who distributed the film in America.

The movie was not available on home video in the U.S. until February 2016. That's when The Criterion Collection released it, along with The New Land, on DVD and Blu-ray. Many customers had asked for these films to be released. In 2016, The Emigrants was also shown at the Gothenburg Film Festival.

Legacy: The Film's Impact

The Emigrants helped make Jan Troell famous around the world.

The sequel, The New Land (Nybyggarna), was released in 1972. The 1974 U.S. television series The New Land was loosely based on both The Emigrants and its sequel. The TV series was created because the movies were so popular.

In Sweden, a musical called Kristina från Duvemåla was created by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (who were part of the famous group ABBA). This musical was partly made as a different take on Troell's films. Troell also gave his approval for a new Emigrants film adaptation in 2015.

These two films helped Jan Troell become famous around the world. Because of their success, he was offered a job by Warner Bros. to make the movie Zandy's Bride. This was one of the first times a well-known Swedish director moved to Hollywood since the 1920s.

See also

In Spanish: Los emigrantes para niños