The New Land facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The New Land |
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American theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jan Troell |
| Produced by | Bengt Forslund |
| Written by | Jan Troell Bengt Forslund |
| Starring | Max von Sydow Liv Ullmann Eddie Axberg Allan Edwall Monica Zetterlund Pierre Lindstedt |
| Music by | Bengst Ernryd Georg Oddner |
| Cinematography | Jan Troell |
| Editing by | Jan Troell |
| Distributed by | Svensk Filmindustri |
| Release date(s) | 26 February 1972 (Sweden) |
| Running time | 202 minutes |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
The New Land (Swedish: Nybyggarna) is a 1972 Swedish movie. It was directed and co-written by Jan Troell. The main actors include Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann.
This film is a sequel to the 1971 movie The Emigrants. Both movies are based on a series of books by Vilhelm Moberg. These books tell the story of poor Swedish people. They left Småland, Sweden, in the mid-1800s. They traveled to America to start a new life in Minnesota.
The New Land focuses on the second half of the book series. It shows the challenges these immigrants faced. They worked hard to build a new home in the wilderness. They also had to get used to life in America.
Like The Emigrants, The New Land was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. A TV show called The New Land was also made in 1974. It was loosely based on these films and books.
Story of the Film
In 1850, Karl Oskar and his wife Kristina arrive in Minnesota. They have three children with them. Karl Oskar's brother Robert and his friend Arvid are also there. They have just finished a very difficult journey from Sweden.
The family first lives in a small, simple shelter. Karl Oskar uses all his energy to build a proper house. He starts by clearing the land of pine trees. With help from Robert, Arvid, and Swedish neighbors, he builds a small farmhouse. They finish it before winter arrives.
At their housewarming party, Swedish settlers gather. Kristina's uncle, Danjel, and her close friend, Ulrika, are there. They talk about whether they regret moving to America. Kristina misses Sweden very much and starts to cry.
Kristina gives birth to a son, Danjel, named after her uncle. Ulrika helps her as a midwife. Later, Ulrika marries Pastor Jackson, a kind Baptist minister. Some strict Lutheran neighbors try to make Kristina and Karl Oskar avoid Ulrika. But they refuse to do so.
Robert and Arvid decide to go to the California Gold Rush. They want to find gold and get rich. After several years, Robert returns alone to Karl Oskar's farm. He gives Karl Oskar and Kristina a large stack of banknotes. Robert feels that Karl Oskar always looks down on him. So, he says the money is only a small part of what he found.
However, the movie shows what really happened. Robert and Arvid had many problems on their trip. They got lost in the desert while looking for a lost donkey. Arvid died after drinking bad water. Robert was saved by their Hispanic guide. The guide took him to a village in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The guide then got very sick with yellow fever. Robert took care of him, even though it was risky. Before he died, the guide gave Robert a bag of coins. Robert later exchanged these coins for lighter banknotes. He then headed back to Minnesota. Karl Oskar soon finds out that Robert was tricked. The banknotes are worthless. Robert is very upset and has a bad cough. He refuses to see a doctor and dies a short time later.
In the years that follow, Karl Oskar becomes an American citizen. He tries to join the Civil War army. But he is not accepted because he has a limp. Kristina is happy her husband will not be a soldier. She gives birth to two more children, Ulrika and Frank.
A doctor tells Kristina that another pregnancy could be dangerous for her. But Kristina decides to have more children, trusting in God. She has several miscarriages. Then she becomes very ill. This happens as the Dakota War of 1862 begins. During this time, the starving Dakota people fought back. They killed many settlers across Minnesota. Among those killed are Uncle Danjel, his oldest son, and his pregnant daughter-in-law.
Karl Oskar stays by Kristina's side as she passes away. The uprising is stopped. Many Dakota warriors are executed in Mankato.
After Kristina's death, Karl Oskar is very sad. He spends a lot of time alone. His children grow up and start their own families. He often visits Kristina's grave by the lake. He takes care of her grave. In the distance, he can hear hammering sounds. More Swedes are moving into the area and building their farms. On Kristina's grave marker, it says: "We Shall Meet Again".
Karl Oskar dies peacefully in his sleep on December 7, 1890. His children have forgotten how to speak Swedish. So, a neighbor, Axel J. Andersson, writes a letter to Karl Oskar's sister Lydia in Sweden. He tells her about Karl Oskar's death. The letter includes a family photo. It shows Karl Oskar with his many children and grandchildren.
Cast
- Max von Sydow as Karl Oskar Nilsson
- Liv Ullmann as Kristina Nilsson
- Eddie Axberg as Robert Nilsson
- Pierre Lindstedt as Arvid
- Allan Edwall as Danjel Andreasson, Kristina's uncle
- Monica Zetterlund as Ulrika
- Hans Alfredson as Jonas Petter
- Agneta Prytz as Fina-Kajsa
- Halvar Björk as Anders Månsson, Fina-Kajsa's son
- Tom C. Fouts as Pastor Jackson
- Peter Lindgren as Samuel Nöjd
- Per Oscarsson as Pastor Törner
- Oscar Ljung as Petrus Olausson, the Nilsson's first neighbor
- Karin Nordström as Judit Olausson, Petrus' wife
- Eva-Lena Zetterlund as Elin, Ulrika's daughter (uncredited)
Making the Film
Actress Liv Ullmann shared that The New Land was filmed at the same time as The Emigrants. They worked on both movies for a whole year. The actors spent many days working in fields to show farming life. This was especially true for The New Land. Ullmann said she felt very tired after just three days of this work.
The movie was filmed in several locations. These included Filmstaden in Stockholm, and areas in Småland and Skåne in Sweden. Filming also took place in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Colorado in the United States. This happened between February 1969 and January 1970.
Together, the two films cost 7,000,000 Swedish Kronor (SEK) in 1969. This made them the most expensive Swedish films ever made at that time.
Release of the Film
The New Land first came out in cinemas in Sweden on February 26, 1972. It was the movie that earned the most money in Sweden that year. The film then opened in New York City on October 26, 1973.
Later, The Emigrants and The New Land were combined. They were edited into a longer version called The Emigrant Saga for television. The movies were not available to buy on home video in the U.S. until February 2016. That's when The Criterion Collection released them on DVD and Blu-ray. Many people had asked for these films to be released. In 2016, The New Land was also shown at the Gothenburg Film Festival.
Images for kids
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The film shows the mass execution of Sioux warriors after the Dakota War of 1862.
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Liv Ullmann won awards for her role as Kristina.
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See also
In Spanish: La nueva tierra para niños
