The New Land (1972) review

This continuation of Troell's 1971 film The Emigrants has Karl Oskar Nilsson (Max von Sydow), his wife Kristina (Liv Ullmann) and their offspring finally settling down in the Minnesota Territory and working the land - the settlers are worried about the Native Americans in the area, Kristina keeps producing children and becomes close friends with "unclean" Ulrika (Monica Zetterlund), Karl Oskar's brother Robert (Eddie Axberg) and his buddy Arvid (Pierre Lindstedt) journey to California with the hope of discovering gold, Karl Oscar volunteers to fight in the Civil War (but is rejected for having a bad leg) and there's plenty of sickness and death.  My comments on the first picture also apply here (they were filmed at the same time), except this sequel is considerably more morose in nature and comparatively less engaging, although both leads remain interesting protagonists - Von Sydow's patriarch is accomplished at virtually everything but pulling out - and the mostly dialogue-free subplot involving Robert and Arvid dreaming of riches provides a warning about attempting to make an easy buck in America (the brief inclusion of the Sioux Uprising and its grim aftermath does feel out of place, however).  It concludes somberly, with Kristina passing away and Karl Oskar becoming reclusive (their kids have all grown up and moved out), but the legacy they left behind is what counts.