796-797 The Emigrants/The New Land

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Lino
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796-797 The Emigrants/The New Land

#1 Post by Lino » Sat Jun 25, 2005 4:16 am

The Emigrants/The New Land

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This monumental mid-nineteenth-century epic from Jan Troell (Here Is Your Life) charts, over the course of two films, a poor Swedish farming family's voyage to America and their efforts to put down roots in this beautiful but forbidding new world. Movie legends Max Von Sydow (The Seventh Seal) and Liv Ullmann (Persona) give remarkably authentic performances as Karl-Oskar and Kristina, a couple who meet with one physical and emotional trial after another on their arduous journey. The precise, minute detail with which Troell depicts the couple's story—which is also the story of countless other people who sought better lives across the Atlantic—is a wonder to behold. Engrossing every step of the way, the duo of The Emigrants and The New Land makes for perhaps the greatest screen drama about the settling of America.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED EDITION:

• New high-definition digital restorations of both films, with uncompressed monaural soundtracks on the Blu-rays
• New introduction by critic and Swedish-film expert John Simon
• New conversation between film scholar Peter Cowie and director Jan Troell
• New interview with actor Liv Ullmann
To Paint with Pictures, a 2005 documentary on the making of the films, featuring archival footage as well as interviews with Troell, Ullmann, producer and coscreenwriter Bengt Forslund, and actor Eddie Axberg
• Trailers
• New English subtitle translations
• PLUS: An essay by critic Terrence Rafferty

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#2 Post by Lino » Sat Jun 25, 2005 11:59 am

Seeing as The Emigrants is a Warner title, I'm expecting that an announcement should be forthcoming next year hopefully. This is a title that gives prestige to any studio releasing it, so I guess that a DVD is inevitable. I'm also very curious about its sequel, A New Land which seems to be equally as engaging as the former.

Jan Troell went on to shoot a third movie set in the early years of America's colonization - Zandy's Bride - also with Ullmann. Again, it's a Warner title and I think this would make a lovely and fitting companion piece to the other two. Anyway, I love poster cover art and here they are, for all three:

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Picture quality is average as it's most certainly taken from a VHS source. However, you get the original swedish dub which is a big plus for me. Running time wise, this is the theatrical cut made by Bergman himself from the 4 hour TV mini-series that originally ran on swedish TV.

I don't know if you should get your hopes too high for this one because of all Bergman's works I've seen, this is the most difficult to get or even like from a first viewing. Most people hate it. It's very grueling, unnerving, not a pleasant watch at all. Nevertheless, it's my favorite of his. Pure genius from both Bergman and Ullmann. She never surpassed herself after this.

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#3 Post by Lino » Sat Jun 25, 2005 1:20 pm

OT, but this thread got me all psyched up on Liv again and after some searching I found a film she acted in that I've never heard of anyone mention before - it's called Leonor and it was directed by Buñuel's own son, Juan Luis. This apparently is a sort of a vampire movie (can't imagine her doing a horror movie but there you go and I'm glad she did) and get this: it was shot by Luciano Tovoli, Suspiria's DP and scored by Morricone! How's that for some class, hey? Anyway, here's a poster I've found:

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073278/
Moody, right? Any comments are welcome of course and sorry again for shifting the thread's topic for a bit.

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#4 Post by godardslave » Sun Jun 26, 2005 1:12 am

those 3 posters are nice.

i like the design of the top one the best, with that large white space, quite minimalist.

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#5 Post by Lino » Mon Jul 11, 2005 12:15 pm

So I went hunting for The Emigrants on ebay and finally bought it from the guy Idioteck mentions at the top of this thread. Had the chance to watch it yesterday and what a treat it is. More below.

First of all, this is hands down one of the biggest human epics I've ever had the pleasure to watch although it is not an overall pleasant experience at all as the story is very tragic in parts. If I had to compare it to another film, maybe The Deer Hunter would fit the part if only for the sheer emotional power on display for more than 3 hours.

It was shot in a kind of documentary style which seems logic since Jan Troell, the director, had already shot a few before he tackled this monster of a film if you count with The New Land, its accompanying piece (which incidentally I cannot wait to watch because now I really want to know what happened to all those people!).

As Idioteck already mentioned above, Liv and Max really lift the film to a higher level of drama and honesty but they are amazingly not the only ones in this fantastically acted film - all the other thespiens are also in top form throughout the whole duration of this incredible film making it one of the best ensemble pieces of acting I've seen since maybe Magnolia.

Top marks also go to the classically infused score that manages to turn this simple and very straightforward story into a parable of the human spirit.

It really is this good of a film, believe me. And the best part is that nowhere in this grand piece of filmmaking do you find yourself tear-jerking at big, sentimental words or schmaltzy music - it's all very pure and down to earth and the results are infinitely much more rewarding.

Watch this at any cost!

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#6 Post by Lino » Mon Jul 11, 2005 1:31 pm

Oh, one more thing Idioteck: you got Liv's nationality wrong. She speaks brilliant swedish but she was born norwegian. Just thought you'd like to know.

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#7 Post by Lino » Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:06 pm

Watch for a pack of these two films on DVD next November, 9. It's a 3 disker and here is the link:

http://www.discshop.se/LIVE/shop/ds_pro ... er=1&&ref=

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Do any of our swede members know if this is going to support english subs? Any kind of answer greatly appreciated! And what's on the third disc?

Go here to read some of my thoughts about these great, great films:

viewtopic.php?t=2526&highlight=the+emigrants

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#8 Post by ola t » Fri Sep 23, 2005 2:19 pm

Annie Mall wrote:Do any of our swede members know if this is going to support english subs? Any kind of answer greatly appreciated! And what's on the third disc?
Don't know yet -- I promise I'll post as soon as it's announced. There have been rumors about director & producer commentary tracks and extensive new video interviews with the actors (those who are still alive, of course), but I'd say chances are slim that any extras will have English subs. Fingers crossed!

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#9 Post by tavernier » Fri Sep 23, 2005 6:04 pm

Annie Mall wrote:And what's on the third disc?
Both films clock in at 3-1/2 hours each in their original Swedish cuts, so it's quite possible that the 3 discs will include just the two films.

Or maybe not....

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#10 Post by Lino » Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:45 am

Any news yet on those english subs?

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#11 Post by Lino » Wed Oct 19, 2005 5:40 am


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ola t
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#12 Post by ola t » Wed Oct 19, 2005 6:22 am

Uh oh, if the listing at this Norwegian site (linked to in the DVDTalk article) is complete and correct, then there will be no English subtitles. I have no idea how reliable their information is.

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#13 Post by Lino » Wed Oct 19, 2005 7:57 am

Well, if that proves to be true, it's not such a surprise for me as I wasn't holding my breath for this to happen. A crying shame, though. Less money to spend, I guess.

Warners, bring them on RIGHT NOW!

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#14 Post by Lino » Fri Nov 04, 2005 11:26 am

Any confirmation on that absence of english subs on the upcoming DVDs?

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ola t
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#15 Post by ola t » Fri Nov 04, 2005 12:10 pm

I just found this back cover scan and it says "Subtitles: Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish for the hearing impaired". No mention of English. However, the back cover of Man on the Roof didn't list English subs either, so a tiny possibility still remains.

No one's actually laid their hands on it yet, as far as I know -- release date is on Wednesday.

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#16 Post by Lino » Fri Nov 04, 2005 1:11 pm

ola t wrote:I just found this back cover scan and it says "Subtitles: Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish for the hearing impaired". No mention of English. However, the back cover of Man on the Roof didn't list English subs either, so a tiny possibility still remains.
Please let us know if indeed it has. I'm about to order an unofficial DVD of The New Land off of ebay but I need to be sure about that issue. It would make a world of difference to me (and to many others, I'm sure).

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#17 Post by Lino » Wed Nov 09, 2005 12:12 pm

Today's the day. Any reviews yet?

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#18 Post by ola t » Wed Nov 09, 2005 4:31 pm

Sorry Annie, no reviews that I know of yet. And unfortunately (in a sense), I've been given some pretty strong hints that I'll get it for Christmas so I won't lay my own hands on it soon. I'm keeping an eye on the Swedish web sites and have emailed a friend who I suspect may have bought it today. As I soon as I know, I'll post here, promise!

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#19 Post by ola t » Fri Nov 11, 2005 3:44 am

My friend reports that there are no English subtitles on the disc. Alas!

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#20 Post by Lino » Wed Jan 04, 2006 11:49 am

Now that you've probably gone through all the contents of the set, could you give us your take on it? That would be greatly appreciated!

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ola t
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#21 Post by ola t » Wed Jan 04, 2006 12:12 pm

I didn't get it for Christmas, much to my surprise. Don't quite know what happened there. Maybe I've been a naughty boy. (Or maybe not -- I did get the Danish Dogme box set, after all.)

I will of course buy it eventually but I don't think it will happen on this month's budget.

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#22 Post by Nadsat » Sun Jun 04, 2006 3:12 pm

Annie Mall wrote:Now that you've probably gone through all the contents of the set, could you give us your take on it? That would be greatly appreciated!
I may be not Ola T but I think could answer anyway :wink:

The transfer are very good. I could hardly notice any flaws in the print (there are some but hardly noticeable*). The extras are not so very exciting though. There a commentary with Jan Troell and the producer Bengt Forslund, but is very dry and technical. The documentary are good but it repeats stuff said in the commentary. And as already told before, no english subs is included.

(*watched on 32" widecreen TV)

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#23 Post by tavernier » Sun Jun 04, 2006 3:32 pm

A new print of The Emigrants is being shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York this month as part of its "To Save and Project" series:

Utvandrarna (The Emigrants). 1971. Sweden. Written and directed by Jan Troell, based on several novels by Vilhelm Moberg. With Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann. Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Film, Troell's magnum opus succeeds both as a sweeping epic of the immigrant experience and a detailed portrait of character and landscape. An impoverished Swedish farmer and his wife embark on a journey to the New World with a group of coreligionists, making their perilous way across ocean and wilderness to stake their claim in Minnesota. Full-length Swedish theatrical version preserved by Svenska Filminstitutet, Stockholm. In Swedish, English subtitles. 191 min.

Friday, June 9; Saturday, June 17.

So maybe there'll finally be a Warner DVD on the way???

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#24 Post by tavernier » Sat Jun 10, 2006 10:47 am

I saw The Emigrants last night at MOMA: the restored print by the SFI was quite good, and it was a thrill to finally see Troell's original version on a big screen. It's an overwhelming experience, and I urge anyone in New York next weekend to see it on June 17 at MOMA.
The problem was the subtitles. The print had none, so they were put onscreen as a slide show. This had several shortcomings - the titles were an ugly green and in a small font, so there were times during brightly-lit scenes that the titles were barely readable. Also, the small lit rectangle at the bottom of the screen remained throughout, so during darker scenes (and there are many!), the titles were easy to read but that rectangle was an annoying distraction.
Anyway, here's hoping that MOMA gets the restored print of The New Land to screen as well.

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#25 Post by Dylan » Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:21 am

Any updates on an English-subtitled release of these films?

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