Les Émigrants

This film is so deeply immersive, taking its time to give us an incredibly realistic portrayal of what life was like in 1840's rural Sweden, and then an immigrant to America. The first hour or so is slow, but it establishes the world these people were living in, with hardships often threatening ruin, when child mortality rates in Sweden were 20-25%, and when superstition, ignorance, and religion were so dominant. The context is incredibly important to show the motivation to emigrate, and just how extraordinary the undertaking was. It also amplifies one of the film's best scenes, that backward glance they take at the old farm as they trundle down the road in their carriage. It's an enormous moment for not only them, but their children and descendants. To the film's credit, nothing is fast forwarded; we're not given simple cursory scenes in Sweden, cut to being on the ship, and then to arriving in a new land all smiles. We really feel the experience at each stage.

There are lots of little touches in the film, such as the family's reaction to being on a train for the first time, reminding us that railroads were a monumental innovation in the 19th century. The priest who is with them along with his followers because they were persecuted in Sweden doles out some sublime thoughts, such as reminding them that even lice are god's creation and that suffering because of them allows one to understand suffering in others better and to empathize. He also dispenses a lot of nonsense, such as the idea that they'll magically understand English when they land in America per his understanding of the Bible, and in general trying to attribute everything that happens in their little lives to divine favor or displeasure operating on them in ways he's always trying to explain after the fact.

The family is incredibly naïve about planning beyond the idea of 'going to America', and their rosy optimism of all the wonderful things they would find there. It's interesting that on the one hand they find a fellow Swede in Minnesota living in what his mother sees as squalor, but on the other hand, that they're free to stake out claims to beautiful, arable land, which is hard to fathom today. They are in some sense disillusioned, but in another sense, are in a paradise of sorts. There are lots of moments where fantasy and reality meet in the film, but it's in nuanced ways and never overplayed.

It's a fantastic moment when we get a brief glimpse of slaves in chains on a steamboat, and in those poor eyes get a heartstopping reminder that to others, coming to America was a very different, horrifying nightmare of an experience. So much for the idea that the young men had read about in Sweden, that "many of the slaves have better houses, food, and circumstances than peasants in Europe." Unfortunately while we might see a few Native Americans at one of the stops, the idea that the land these people from Sweden are claiming had been inhabited by people who were going through genocide is not articulated by the film, though it is in the sequel, 'The New Land.'

In terms of production value, there is a lot to love about the realism. We're not flooded with grand images of landscapes, and even the beauty we see in the woods or fields has a natural ruggedness to it. It's a very small moment, but at one point director Jan Troell gives us the sun on the water during a very serene moment with slow undulations, which I found simply exquisite, and such a contrast to the harshness of the ocean journey. The performances from Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, and the rest of the fine cast are unaffected and natural. The version I saw had unfortunately been dubbed in English though, and I think seeing it in Swedish with English subtitles would have been infinitely preferable, and much more in keeping with the spirit of the film, so if it's an option for you, I would certainly seek it out.

The Emigrants follows Karl Oskar (Max von Sydow) and Kristina (Liv Ullman), plus their children and some extended family members and neighbors, on their journey from rural Sweden to America in the 1840s. The movie excels at showing the backbreaking work required just to stay afloat on a struggling farm, as well as the everyday misfortunes and occasional calamities that could ruin those already on the brink of economic catastrophe.

Few of the characters believe the streets of America are paved with gold. Instead, The Emigrants is a brutally realistic take about struggling and seeing no future in one's homeland and deciding to risk everything in order to have a shot at a better future. The movie is neither cliche nor cynical about the "American Dream." It makes its social points through contrasts and juxtaposition. We see the wealthy Americans aboard a steamboat interspersed with jarring shots of chained slaves below. There also are incredible moments of wonder, like the elderly Swedish woman seeing a steam engine approach for the first time in her life.

The film is an honest and moving portrait about one group of Swedish expats seeking opportunity, whether financial or religious. Perhaps most of all, the movie captures the sense of home and of homelessness for the characters. The chemistry between von Sydow and Ullmann is incredible. Husband and wife, they say they are best friends, and it shows. It's powerful acting.

I would give this film a 9/10, but for the editing. At least a half hour of this film could have been left on the cutting-room floor, particularly in the first half. You could walk away for several minutes and miss nothing. Otherwise, The Emigrants definitely worth seeing.

When Jan Troell's "The Emigrants" was released in the U.S. in 1972, it opened to excellent reviews and received the honor of being one of the few foreign-language films to receive a Best Picture nomination. It didn't win anything, though, and seems to have been forgotten over the years. Perhaps this is because the public has since found other Swedish films to be more noteworthy, in particular the works of Bille August and the later works of Ingmar Bergman.

Sad to say, because "The Emigrants" is a film that closely examines two very different cultures in an effective and insightful way. A diverse group of Swedish peasants (among them a married couple, a priest, a prostitute, and a young upstart) endure back-breaking labor in their homeland to little profit. They decide to move to the states after being influenced by the exaggerated stories spread abroad (everyone has more than enough food, everyone is filthy rich, etc.). The audience sympathizes with them not just because they endure so much in Sweden, but also because they believe the stories they hear about frontier life in America. Yes, they will obviously have to strive and struggle to survive in their new home, but they are all the more admirable because of their adherence to the American dream.

"The Emigrants" is harsh and often unrelenting in the straightforward way it depicts the realities encountered by the Swedish settlers. The scenes where they travel across the ocean in a small, cramped, and diseased ship are appropriately claustrophobic and terrifying. Later, the family at the center of the story threatens to break up when Liv Ullmann's character, a fragile young mother, loses track of her daughter while hurrying to board a steamboat.

Although most of the characters were better developed in the sequel to this film, "The New Land," Troell's story is very moving in its sincere depiction of how outsiders came to this country to pursue their hopes and dreams.

Jan Troell, has truly captured the feeling of what inspires people to emigrate and the subsequent hardships that await in the land of hope. True masters of the craft, Sydow and Ullmann, are superb in their performances. They truly pull you into the time, the frame of mind and thus make you feel like you are sharing their voyage. A great film that is everything a film should be - moving. It is a mystery why this film did not win an Oscar for best foreign picture, best actress and best actor - though with all fairness, with both Caberet and The Godfather in the running, it would have required a miracle. If you should have the luck of stumbling onto this film at a rental shop, thank Fellini's ghost - grasp it and head for the check out.

The Emigrants is one of the best stories ever told of a family's emigration to America to flee an authoritarian government and find better land for farming.

I was trying to explain one of the most unique things about the film (and its 2nd part, The New Land) to my brother but I was having a hard time finding the words. Finally, "transfixed" was what I was looking for. The film is long but it held me "transfixed" with nearly every scene. The shots are long. The dialog is often sparse. The soundtrack is almost non-existent. Rather, the director holds one nearly spellbound by "showing" rather "telling" the story. The imagery and expressions on the actors' faces and their silent actions relate most of what makes this film so powerful.

As the viewer, you feel almost like you are right there with the characters, sharing the moments along side them. One becomes immersed in what is happening as if you are there. The powerful empathy that the film manages to generate within the viewer is really quite amazing given the lack (or maybe due to the lack) of modern cinematic styles and techniques.

Another thing about this film that is incredibly impressive is that the viewer really gets a sense of how someone migrating from Sweden at the time would see things and think. The perspective is fresh and unapologetically authentic. Unlike many films set in the past, it does not "dumb-down" any aspect by modernizing or "updating" anything to make it easier for a modern audience to relate to (language, mannerisms, music, etc.). One of my biggest peeves about modern films set in the past is that, other than the wardrobe, everything else is modern... modern language, modern manners, modern politics/norms, modern music (electric guitar in the soundtrack of a "western" film?). It is also refreshingly unpolluted by modern-day political correctness.

This is really a fantastic work of art that in many ways, gets better with time as it is so accurate and truthful to the situation and period. The 2nd part, "The New Land" is equally as fantastic. It is not a "sequel" per se, but rather the filmmaker realized he would need several hours to accurately portray the story set out in the book and one movie would be too long. So, it was essentially shot as one long movie but released in two parts in back-to-back years.

This film really provides the viewer with an authentic sense of the times and the situations many emigrants went through in the mid-19th century. One of the best film discoveries I've made in a long time. Highly recommended.