The Emigrants (film)
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''The Emigrants'' ( sv, Utvandrarna) is a 1971 Swedish film directed and co-written by
Jan Troell Jan Gustaf Troell (born 23 July 1931) is a Swedish writer-director, and cinematographer. His realistic films, with a lyrical photography in which nature is prominent, have placed him in the first rank of modern Swedish film directors along with I ...
and starring
Max von Sydow Max von Sydow ( , ; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...
,
Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...
,
Eddie Axberg Jan Eddie Axberg (born 9 July 1947) is a Swedish actor and audio engineer. He has appeared in more than 50 films and television shows since 1959. At the 8th Guldbagge Awards he won the award for Best Actor for his roles in '' The Emigrants'' an ...
,
Allan Edwall Johan Allan Edwall (25 August 1924 – 7 February 1997) was a Swedish actor, director, author, composer and singer, best-known outside Sweden for the small roles he played in some of Ingmar Bergman's films, such as ''Fanny and Alexander'' (198 ...
,
Monica Zetterlund Monica Zetterlund (born Eva Monica Nilsson; 20 September 1937 – 12 May 2005) was a Swedish jazz singer and actress. Through her lifetime, she starred in over 10 Swedish film productions and recorded over 20 studio albums. She gained int ...
, and
Pierre Lindstedt Pierre Ernst Vilhelm Lindstedt (born 15 August 1943) is a Swedish actor. He has appeared in more than 50 films and television shows since 1966. He is the son of actor Carl-Gustaf Lindstedt. Selected filmography *'' Ormen'' (1966) *'' The Emigra ...
. It and its 1972 sequel, ''The New Land'' (''Nybyggarna''), which were produced concurrently, are based on
Vilhelm Moberg Karl Artur Vilhelm Moberg (20 August 1898 – 8 August 1973) was a Swedish journalist, author, playwright, historian, and debater. His literary career, spanning more than 45 years, is associated with his series ''The Emigrants''. The four ...
's ''The Emigrants'', a series of novels about poor Swedes who emigrate from
Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...
,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, in the mid-19th century and make their home in
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. This film adapts the first two of the four novels ('' The Emigrants'' (1949) and ''
Unto a Good Land ''Unto a Good Land'' ( sv, Invandrarna) is a novel by Vilhelm Moberg from 1952. It is the second part of ''The Emigrants'' series. Plot This novel describes the journey of the Emigrants from New York City, New York to Taylors Falls, Minnesota. T ...
'' (1952)), which depict the hardships the emigrants experience in Sweden and on their journey to America. ''The Emigrants'' won international acclaim and was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
at the
44th Academy Awards The 44th Academy Awards were presented April 10, 1972, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The ceremonies were presided over by Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis Jr., and Jack Lemmon. One of the highlights of the evening was the ...
. It was nominated for four more Oscars the following year, including for
Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, the same year that ''The New Land'' was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. The 1974 American television series ''
The New Land ''The New Land'' ( sv, Nybyggarna) is a 1972 Swedish film directed and co-written by Jan Troell and starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall, Monica Zetterlund, and Pierre Lindstedt. It and its 1971 predecessor, ''The Emi ...
'' is loosely based on both ''The Emigrants'' and its sequel.


Plot

In 1844, the Nilsson family lives on a small farm in the woods at Korpamoen in Ljuder Parish in the Swedish province of
Småland Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden. Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...
. The eldest son, Karl Oskar, takes charge of the farm after his father, Nils, is injured when moving a large rock. Karl Oskar marries Kristina Johansdotter, and she moves to Korpamoen to live with him and his parents. In the following years, Karl Oskar and Kristina start a family, starting with Anna, who is followed by Johan, Marta and Harald. The family struggles with rock filled fields, poor weather, and bad harvests, leaving them hungry and in debt. Kristina rebukes Karl Oskar for his irreligious attitude, which she thinks is the cause of some of their troubles. Karl Oskar's daydreaming and bookish younger brother, Robert, tired of being overworked and regularly beaten as an indentured farmhand at Aron's farm, reads about how wonderful life is in America and decides he is going to emigrate. He asks Arvid, his friend and fellow farmhand, to come with him, and Arvid eagerly agrees, but the pair's hopes are dashed when they realize they can not afford their passage. Robert confronts Karl Oskar about selling his share of the family farm, only to find that Karl Oskar has also privately been considering the idea of going to America. Kristina is unenthusiastic about the move, despite the potential for a better life, because she does not want to leave her homeland and has concerns about the arduous journey that would be required. However, when Anna dies after gorging herself on uncooked porridge, which expands and damages her stomach, Kristina, devastated by the loss, agrees to Karl Oskar's plan and they begin making preparations to leave Sweden. Meanwhile, Danjel Andreasson, Kristina's uncle, is being persecuted by Brusander, the local provost, for rejecting the official religion and holding fundamentalist religious services in his home. He and his wife, Inga-Lena, and four young children are sentenced to exile, so he decides to join Karl Oskar in his move to America. Ulrika of Västergöhl, a former prostitute who is one of Danjel's followers, and her illegitimate sixteen-year-old daughter, Elin, also decide to come along, and Jonas Petter, a friend and neighbor of Karl Oskar, expresses an interest in making the trip to escape his unhappy marriage. Robert is even able to persuade Danjel to hire Arvid and pay his fare. The night before the departure, Kristina reveals to Karl Oskar that she is pregnant. The party of emigrants travels south to the port city of
Karlshamn Karlshamn () is a locality and the seat of Karlshamn Municipality in Blekinge County, Sweden. It had 13,576 inhabitants in 2015, out of 31,846 in the municipality. Karlshamn received a Royal Charter and city privileges in 1664, when King Charles ...
, where they board the wooden brig ''Charlotta'', which is bound for
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. On board, Karl Oskar and Kristina meet Måns and Fina-Kajsa Andersson, an elderly couple heading for the
Minnesota Territory The Territory of Minnesota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 3, 1849, until May 11, 1858, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Minnesota and west ...
, where they plan to settle on their son Anders' farm near a town called Taylor's Falls. After hearing how good the land is there, Karl Oskar and Kristina decide to follow them. During the voyage, Inga-Lena and Måns Andersson die of unrelated sudden illnesses, and Kristina nearly dies from a severe nosebleed. Upon their arrival in New York, Karl Oskar and his party, along with Fina-Kajsa, begin the long journey westward to Minnesota, first by train, and then by riverboat. Throughout the whole journey from Sweden, the pious Kristina has been prejudiced against Ulrika for her past immorality, but they reconcile after Ulrika finds one of Kristina's children, who had gone missing at a riverboat stop and was almost left behind. Not long after this, while still on the riverboat, Danjel's infant daughter dies after a brief illness. After finally arriving at the town of Stillwater, the party, with the help of Pastor Jackson, a friendly
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
minister, finds their way to Anders' farm in what is now known as the
Chisago Lakes Chisago Lakes is an area of Chisago County, Minnesota, along Highway 8. The Chisago Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce includes the combined areas of Shafer, Center City, Chisago City, Almelund, Taylor's Falls, and Lindström. History The Chisago L ...
area. He just lives in a wooden shack, but the land is fertile, and Danjel and Jonas Petter choose fine tracts of farmland nearby. Karl Oskar, however, heads deep into the woods to explore the lands along the shore of Lake Ki Chi Saga that he hears are even better. Upon his arrival, he finds the topsoil to be of excellent quality and stakes a claim to the land for himself and Kristina and their family by carving his name into a tree overlooking the lake.


Cast


Production


Development

Plans for adapting '' The Emigrants'' novels began late in 1967. Its author,
Vilhelm Moberg Karl Artur Vilhelm Moberg (20 August 1898 – 8 August 1973) was a Swedish journalist, author, playwright, historian, and debater. His literary career, spanning more than 45 years, is associated with his series ''The Emigrants''. The four ...
, had seen
Jan Troell Jan Gustaf Troell (born 23 July 1931) is a Swedish writer-director, and cinematographer. His realistic films, with a lyrical photography in which nature is prominent, have placed him in the first rank of modern Swedish film directors along with I ...
's film ''
Here Is Your Life ''Here Is Your Life'' ( sv, Här har du ditt liv) is a Swedish Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age film directed by Jan Troell. It was released to cinemas in Sweden on 26 December 1966, The film is based on a novel of the same name, the second of ...
'' before producer
Bengt Forslund Bengt Forslund (born 22 June 1932) is a Swedish film producer, screenwriter and production manager. He produced and co-wrote (with Jan Troell) '' The Emigrants'' (1971), for which he was nominated for Academy Awards for both Best Picture and W ...
approached him about an ''Emigrants'' film.
SF Studios SF Studios is a Swedish film and television production and distribution company (both Swedish and international) with headquarters in Stockholm and local offices in Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki and London. The studio is owned by Nordic media congl ...
wished to adapt all four novels, although it was uncertain how such a film structure would work. Moberg requested Forslund and Troell meet him, and the three men mapped out a plot, with 98 scenes, finishing in March 1968. They also envisioned
Max von Sydow Max von Sydow ( , ; born Carl Adolf von Sydow; 10 April 1929 – 8 March 2020) was a Swedish-French actor. He had a 70-year career in European and American cinema, television, and theatre, appearing in more than 150 films and several television ...
,
Liv Ullmann Liv Johanne Ullmann (born 16 December 1938) is a Norwegian actress and film director. Recognised as one of the greatest European actresses of all time, Ullmann is known as the muse and frequent partner of filmmaker Ingmar Bergman. She acted in m ...
and
Eddie Axberg Jan Eddie Axberg (born 9 July 1947) is a Swedish actor and audio engineer. He has appeared in more than 50 films and television shows since 1959. At the 8th Guldbagge Awards he won the award for Best Actor for his roles in '' The Emigrants'' an ...
as the ideal stars. Troell and Forslund went
location scouting Location scouting is a vital process in the pre-production stage of filmmaking and commercial photography. Once scriptwriters, producers or directors have decided what general kind of scenery they require for the various parts of their work t ...
in the United States in September 1968, but found many of the lands were too developed or could not accommodate film equipment.


Filming

The scenes set in
Chisago Lakes Chisago Lakes is an area of Chisago County, Minnesota, along Highway 8. The Chisago Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce includes the combined areas of Shafer, Center City, Chisago City, Almelund, Taylor's Falls, and Lindström. History The Chisago L ...
were actually filmed at Lake Krageholm in
Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...
, Sweden. Filming took place from June 1969 to January 1970, and then from May to August 1970. Ullmann said that for ''The Emigrants'' and ''The New Land'', which were shot at the same time, the actors had to learn historic methods of
laundry Laundry refers to the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with t ...
, and also that the brief scene in ''The Emigrants'' where she is on a swing took two days to film. The film employed 20 actors and 500 extras. The combined cost of the two films was kr 7 million, making them, at the time, the most expensive Swedish film yet produced.


Release

''The Emigrants'' was released to cinemas in Sweden on 8 March 1971. It opened in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on 24 September 1972. The version released in the U.S. was cut from 190 to 150 minutes by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
, who distributed the film in America. In the U.S., the film was not released on home video until February 2016, when
The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...
released it, along with ''The New Land'', on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
. The films had been frequently requested by customers. In 2016, ''The Emigrants'' was also featured in the
Gothenburg Film Festival Göteborg Film Festival (GFF), formerly Göteborg International Film Festival (GIFF), known in English as the Gothenburg Film Festival, formerly Gothenburg International Film Festival, is an annual film festival in Gothenburg, Sweden and the larg ...
.


Reception


Critical reception

The film received mostly positive reviews.
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave it four stars, praising it as a "masterpiece", "infinitely absorbing and moving", and likely more accurate than traditional stories about
immigration to the United States Immigration has been a major source of population growth and Culture of the United States, cultural change throughout much of the history of the United States. In absolute numbers, the United States has a larger immigrant population than a ...
.
Richard Schickel Richard Warren Schickel (February 10, 1933 – February 18, 2017) was an American film historian, journalist, author, documentarian, and film and literary critic. He was a film critic for ''Time'' magazine from 1965–2010, and also w ...
wrote in ''
Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...
'' that "Jan Troell has made ''the'' masterpiece about the dream that shaped America - a dream, and an America, fast disappearing from our views".
Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' hailed the acting performances, especially from von Sydow and Ullmann, which he found to hold "a kind of spontaneous truth, in look and gesture, that does a lot to relieve the otherwise programed nobility, truth and beauty". However, Canby criticized Troell for excessive views of "sunlight-reflected-in-water that becomes just one too many, a thing of movie decoration". In ''
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
'',
Judith Crist Judith Crist (; May 22, 1922 – August 7, 2012) was an American film critic and academic. She appeared regularly on the ''Today'' show from 1964 to 1973 Martin, Douglas (August 8, 2012)"Judith Crist, Zinging and Influential Film Critic, ...
praised the film as "exquisite", and wrote that the depiction of history "throbs with flesh and blood". In '' 5001 Nights at the Movies'',
Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions oft ...
declared the film is "A bursting, resonant work". In his ''2015 Movie Guide'',
Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...
gave the film three stars, calling it "Solid if rambling".
Dave Kehr David Kehr (born 1953) is an American museum curator and film critic. For many years a critic at the ''Chicago Reader'' and the ''Chicago Tribune,'' he later wrote a weekly column for ''The New York Times'' on DVD releases. He later became a c ...
recalled it as overrated, calling it "Uncommitted, tedious, and often dishonest". In 2016, the Swedish journal '' Sydsvenskan'' recalled ''The Emigrants'' as a classic.


Accolades

''The Emigrants'' was nominated for five
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, including for both
Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
and
Best Picture This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
. However, the Academy's rules for eligibility for specific awards meant the nominations occurred in two separate years. It was the third film not in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
to be nominated for Best Picture in the history of the Academy.


Legacy

The sequel, ''
The New Land ''The New Land'' ( sv, Nybyggarna) is a 1972 Swedish film directed and co-written by Jan Troell and starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall, Monica Zetterlund, and Pierre Lindstedt. It and its 1971 predecessor, ''The Emi ...
'' (''Nybyggarna''), was released in 1972. The 1974 U.S. television series ''
The New Land ''The New Land'' ( sv, Nybyggarna) is a 1972 Swedish film directed and co-written by Jan Troell and starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall, Monica Zetterlund, and Pierre Lindstedt. It and its 1971 predecessor, ''The Emi ...
'' is based loosely on both ''The Emigrants'' and its sequel. The creation of the TV series can be attributed to the popularity of the films. In Sweden, the musical '' Kristina från Duvemåla'' by
Björn Ulvaeus Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (; born 25 April 1945) is a Swedish singer, songwriter, producer, a member of the musical group ABBA, and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma Mia!'' He co-produced the films ...
and
Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, singer, composer and producer best known as a member of the musical group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess'', '' Kristina från Duvemåla'', and '' Mamma M ...
, formerly of
ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's ...
fame, was designed partly in reaction to Troell's films, particularly in differences in the set. Troell also gave his approval to
Daniel Espinosa Jorge Daniel Espinosa (born 23 March 1977) is a Swedish film director from Trångsund, Stockholm, of Chilean origin. Early life He attended the National Film School of Denmark and graduated in 2001. Career His third feature film, '' Easy Mone ...
to make a new ''Emigrants'' film adaptation in 2015. The two films were considered to give
Jan Troell Jan Gustaf Troell (born 23 July 1931) is a Swedish writer-director, and cinematographer. His realistic films, with a lyrical photography in which nature is prominent, have placed him in the first rank of modern Swedish film directors along with I ...
his "international breakthrough". They led to his receiving, and accepting, an offer from
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
to make ''
Zandy's Bride ''Zandy's Bride'' is a 1974 American Western film directed by Jan Troell and starring Gene Hackman and Liv Ullmann. The film is also known as ''For Better, for Worse'' in the United States (TV title). It was filmed on location near Big Sur, ...
'', one of the first times a prominent Swedish director moved to Hollywood since the 1920s.


See also

*
List of submissions to the 44th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
*
List of Swedish submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film Swedish submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film are handed out annually by representatives from the Guldbagge Awards jury. Sweden has submitted films for consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film category sin ...
*
List of foreign-language films nominated for Academy Awards This article lists all the foreign language films which have been nominated for or won Academy Awards in categories other than the International Feature Film category (known before the 2019 awards as Best Foreign Language Film) itself. The Academy ...


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * *


External links

* * * *
''The Emigrants/The New Land: Homelands''
an essay by
Terrence Rafferty Terrence Rafferty is a film critic who wrote regularly for ''The New Yorker'' during the 1990s. His writing has also appeared in ''Slate'', ''The Atlantic Monthly'', ''The Village Voice'', ''The Nation'', and ''The New York Times''. For a number ...
at the
Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Emigrants, The 1971 films 1971 drama films Swedish historical drama films Swedish migration to North America 1970s Swedish-language films Films based on Swedish novels Films based on works by Vilhelm Moberg Films featuring a Best Drama Actress Golden Globe-winning performance Best Film Guldbagge Award winners Films directed by Jan Troell Films set in the 1840s Films set in Minnesota Films about immigration to the United States Films set in the Atlantic Ocean Films set in Småland Works about Swedish-American culture Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe winners Films based on multiple works of a series Films scored by Erik Nordgren 1970s Swedish films Foreign films set in the United States