Utvandrarna (1971)

Director:

Jan Troell

Writers:

Bengt Forslund (writer)
Vilhelm Moberg (novels)

Release Date:

8 March 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

In the middle of the 19th century, Kristina and Karl-Oskar live in a small rural village in Smaaland (southern Sweden)...

Plot Keywords:

Emigrant | Emigration | 19th Century | 1850s | Immigration

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 6 wins

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Emigrants (USA)

Runtime:

151 min | Germany:182 min | 191 min

Country:

Sweden

Language:

Swedish

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Company:

Svensk Filmindustri (SF)

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.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: 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.

Quotes:

The Vicar: No one is allowed to give communion unless they are ordained.
Danjel: As far as I know, nowhere in the Bible does it say that Our Lord Jesus was ordained.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "NileCity 105.6" (1995)

The Emigrants

The Emigrants is a Swedish film based on the novels of Swedish author Wilhelm Moberg. It is about the emigrants who sailed from Sweden in the 1850s to come to the United States. Max von Sydow is patriarch Karl Oskar. Liv Ullmann is his faithful wife, Kristina. The film shows the unbearable conditions which existed in Sweden, the agony of the ocean voyage and the promise of a better life in Minnesota. Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA turned the novels into a musical in the 1990s. The music is Swedish folk music. They are trying to get an English version to Broadway. The Emigrants and its 1972 sequel, The New Land, provide a wonderful learning experience.