The Emigrants / The New Land

Jan Troell's epic two-part drama The Emigrants and The New Land comes to Blu-ray

What did it take to leave Europe for a new life in America in the 19^th century? Imagine embarking on a journey of astonishing hardship with no knowledge of what you'd find at the other end, driven only by a burning hope that some kind of better life lay ahead. The best expression of such an experience is surely Jan Troell's epic two-part drama The Emigrants and The New Land, which follow a Swedish couple (Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann, both magnificent) as they and their family venture into the unknown.

These films might be long, clocking in at 191 and 202 minutes respectively, but their length is fully justified. Troell favours slow, long takes and the effect is similar to Barry Lyndon in the way it lets us readjust to the different pace of a bygone era. By the time we have moved into The New Land, we have come to know these people so intimately that the various births and deaths that they experience become deeply moving.

Troell, who acts as his own director of photography, is constantly alive to the world around his characters – his camera frequently distracted, Malick-like, by birds – and his evocation of late-19^th century America is as intoxicatingly convincing as any in cinema. Both films were heavily cut on their original theatrical release, but now restored to their former glory they can be seen as a timeless work of art.

Extras

In his fawning introduction, John Simon argues that Troell is one of only two filmmakers capable of depicting peasant life (the other being Ermanno Olmi). Troell himself is far too humble for such statements, as can be seen in a charming and insightful interview with Peter Cowie, while Liv Ullman also discusses a project that remains very close to her heart. An hour-long Swedish TV special on the films contains some great archive footage, and the image quality on both features is breathtaking.