The New Land · reception & legacy

1972 · Jan Troell

How The New Land has been received, argued over, and remembered.

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.