The New Land Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

The New Land Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 19, 2016

Jan Troell's "The New Land" a.k.a. "Nybyggarna" (1972) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video conversation with director Jan Troell; and new video interview with actress Liv Ullmann. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Terrence Rafferty's essay "Homelands". In Swedish, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

A new home

The second film begins with the arrival of the emigrants in Minnesota. Karl Oskar (Max von Sydow) claims a piece of land and then quickly builds a small house for his family. Other Swedes also choose to settle down in the same area.

In the beginning the family struggles a lot. Even though the land is better than in the Old World, the extreme weather makes it much more difficult to grow crops. They also run out of money. It is around this time that Robert (Eddie Axberg) convinces Arvid (Pierre Lindstedt) to travel with him to California’s gold fields.

What happens to Robert and Arvid is revealed in a series of scattered flashbacks. During their trip Robert undergoes a massive character transformation that forces him to reevaluate his life and his difficult relationship with Karl Oskar, while Arvid begins questioning his decision to leave Sweden.

A few years later, the Sioux tribes unite and begin clashing with the settlers and the army. During the uprising, many of the Swedes volunteer and become soldiers. Karl Oskar, however, is declared unfit for military service after he is examined by a local doctor.

Eventually, the government issues official papers for all settlers and they become American citizens. Karl Oskar also receives his papers with a new name. Kristina (Liv Ullmann) becomes pregnant again, but this time she is told that there can be dangerous complications.

The chronology of the events is important, but Jan Troell is once again a lot more interested in documenting the feelings and emotions of the settlers. Special attention is also paid to their evolving relationship with nature.

The New Land is even longer than The Emigrants -- the complete version of the film runs at approximately 203 minutes -- but it never drags. However, it is a much more fluid film because it sees the passing of time through the eyes of different characters. This is done so that one can get a better grasp of the many crucial choices the settlers made while pursuing the same dream.

There are certain truths that are spoken throughout the film that will likely be understood only by people who have experienced what Karl Oskar and Kristina go through after they leave their homeland. One of them is what gives Kristina the courage to go back to Karl Oscar after she is warned that she can’t give birth again. The simple letter that is sent to Karl Oscar’s sister at the end also accurately sums up the harsh realities of the emigration experience.

Troell cowrote, directed, lensed and edited The Emigrants and The New Land. Both films earned Oscar nominations in multiple categories, including Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Director.

Criterion's release of The New Land features the original uncut version of the film with its original intermission. When the film was released theatrically in the United States, it was heavily cut by Warner Bros.

The New Land Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Jan Troell's The New Land arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

(The film is included in Criterion's new double-featre set with The Emigrants).

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"For these restorations, undertaken by AB Svensk Filmindustri in cooperation with Frithiof Film to Video AB, and Cinepost Studios AB, new high-definition digital transfers were created on a Thomsen Spirit DataCine film scanner from the original camera negative. The grading was done using Da Vinci's 2K, and the restoration work using Quantel iQ tools. The original monaural soundtracks were remastered at 24-bits from the 17.5mm print masters. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX4.

Restoration supervisor: Mats Forsberg/Chimney Group, Stockholm.
Transfer supervisor: Peter Bengtsson.
Colorist: Thomas Barkenas/Nordisk Film Post Production, Stockholm."

The basic characteristics of the technical presentation are identical to the ones described in our review of The Emigrants. The are only a few very small differences in the area of color reproduction/balance. During the winter footage (from Minnesota) and the flashbacks (from California) there are some new and expanded color nuances. Detail, clarity, and depth remain very good. The film also looks equally healthy. There are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The New Land Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Swedish LPCM 1.0. (with a few small exchanges in English). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Unlike The Emigrants, The New Land has large segments where music has a very special role. (See the flashbacks with the footage from California). Depth and separation are excellent. The dialog is always clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts, pops, background hiss, or digital distortions to report in our review.

The New Land Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for The New Land. In Swedish, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).

• Jan Troell - in this filmed conversation, Jan Troell discusses the production of The Emigrants and The New Land with film scholar Peter Cowie. During the conversation, the director also explains in great detail how important the success of Here is Your Life was for his involvement with The Emigrants and The New Land, and discusses Vilhelm Moberg's persona and his novels which inspired the films (four novels were reduced to two films), life in Sweden during the 19th century, and his working methods. The conversation was filmed exclusively for Criterion at the director's home in Sweden in March 2015. In English, not subtitled. (36 min, 1080p).

• Liv Ullmann - in this brand new video interview, actress Liv Ullmann recalls how she was cast to play Kristina, her exceptionally close and beautiful relationship with Max von Sydow, Jan Troell's instructions during the shooting of the two films, some of the key differences between Jan Troell and Ingmar Bergman's working methods, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York in October 2015. In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Terrence Rafferty's essay "Homelands".

The New Land Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Karl Oskar and Kristina settle down in Minnesota while Robert and his friend Arvid head to California's dangerous gold fields. After that they are routinely tested and forced to reexamine their lives in ways that many immigrants do today. Criterion have included the original fully uncut version of Jan Troell's The New Land in a two-disc set together with its prequel, The Emigrants. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.