Scandinavian Library

Don't miss this epic movie, "The Emigrants," which is based on Vilhelm Moberg's "The Emigrants," a series of novels about poor Swedes who emigrate from Småland, Sweden, in the mid-19th century and make their home in Minnesota. This film adapts the first two of the four novels ("The Emigrants" (1949) and "Unto a Good Land" (1952)).

This original version from 1971 stars Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann as Karl Oskar and Kristina who decide to go to America. Karl Oskar’s brother, Robert, and his friend Arvid are also eager to live in the new land. Also going are Kristina’s uncle Danjel with his wife and four children, plus a few other acquaintances. After leaving the hardships of their lives in Sweden, they find that there are other hardships to endure before arriving in Minnesota.