Emigrants

Synopsis

The peasant Karl Oskar Marie with Kristina and the couple have children. The life is very hard for the young family threatened by the famine following bad harvests and with the fires. When their Anna daughter dies, Kristina agrees the idea of Karl Oskar to emigrate in North America in order to build a better life for their family.

The brother of Karl Oskar, Robert, who works as farmhand in a miserly peasant and violent one, also projects to emigrate and his/her friend Arvid wants to accompany it.

Danjel, which lives with the Kärragärde farm, is opposed to the doctrines of the Swedish Church and organizes illegal religious meetings in its residence before being made imprison. Ulrika, a prostitute rejected by the inhabitants, and his/her Elin daughter find refuge at Danjel and share her beliefs.

16 people in all leave their native village.

The crossing of the Atlantic is long and very testing. The woman of Danjel and their more young child die. Many other people, whose Kristina, fall seriously sick.

Data sheet

Title: the Emigrants
original Title: Utvandrarna
Realization: Jan Troell
Scenario: Bengt Forslund and Jan Troell according to the novel of Vilhelm Moberg
Production: Bengt Forslund for Svensk Filmindustri
Music: Erik Nordgren, Jacob Regnart, Burkhard Waldis
Photography: Jan Troell
Assembly: Jan Troell
Decorations: P.A. Lundgren
Costumes: Ulla-Britt Söderlund
Country of origin: Sweden
Format: Color (Technicolor) - 1,37:1 - Mono - 35mm
Kind: Drama
Lasted: 135 minutes (2h15) for the French version (191 minutes in original version)
Comings out date: March 13rd 1974 (France)

Distribution

max von Sydow: Karl Oskar Nilsson
Liv Ullmann : Kristina Nilsson, woman of Karl Oskar
Eddie Axberg: Robert Nilsson, brother of Karl Oskar
Pierre Lindstedt: Arvid, buddy of Robert
Allan Edwall: Danjel, uncle de Kristina, Pasteur
Monica Zetterlund: Ulrika, prostitute

Around film

Born in 1898 in the province from Småland, Vilhelm Moberg, writer considered as one of the largest novelists of the Swedish literature of the 20th century, wrote “the Emigrants” between 1949 and 1959. This chronicle in four volumes was a considerable success in its country. After having seen the first feature-length film of Jan Troell, “ fires of the life ” ( Här har of the ditt liv ) (1966), Moberg declared: “If somebody must turn “the emigrants”, it will be Jan Troell”. What made the latter (in 1971) after having hesitated a long time. “ the New World ”, of the same realizer, in 1972, constitutes, in fact, the second part of film.

Rewards

Oscar 1972: Nomination for the best foreign film
Oscar 1973: 4 nominations, of which better realizer and better scenario
Golden Globe Award 1973: Better foreign film (with its continuation “ the New World ”).

See too

the Emigrants on Internet Movie Database

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