Sightlines · reception

How The New Land was received

1972 · Jan Troell · The New Land on Sightlines

The arc

Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar on release, it then spent decades nearly impossible to see in decent shape outside Sweden — until Criterion's 2016 restoration (paired with The Emigrants) turned it into a genuine rediscovery for a new generation of cinephiles.

What’s debated

The perennial debate: is The New Land the richer, darker half that quietly surpasses The Emigrants, and should the two really be watched as one continuous six-and-a-half-hour film?

Its footprint

In Sweden the Moberg emigrant saga these films embody is national mythology — the same story later became Kristina från Duvemåla, the hit 1995 musical by ABBA's Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and got a fresh Swedish film remake of The Emigrants in 2021.

Where it stands

A beloved-but-under-seen epic turned canon climber — the 'you must see both halves' recommendation Letterboxd users make after The Emigrants.

Did you know? Jan Troell essentially made the film with his own hands: he not only directed but also shot and edited it himself, filming The New Land back-to-back with The Emigrants with Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann.