Sweet Land (2005)
Doug Boilesen, 2009
This movie is in my
top ten not just because of its phonograph scenes but also for its
story and evocative picture of early twentieth-century life on the
American prairie. A magic lantern program with a phonograph providing
music is another highlight to experience a piece of early multi-media
entertainment.
As someone whose great-grandparents
homesteaded in 1872 Nebraska, this movie resonates for its love
of the land and the hardships that come with it. The homemade pie
scene is also great, stimulating all of the senses.
This page is less
about my own review of the movie and more about the images from
the movie that I have captured here highlighting scenes with the
phonograph and moments that were memorable for me.
The following are
the synopsis and reviews from the official movie website:
Synopsis
Winner of the Audience Award for
Best Narrative Feature at the 2005 Hamptons International Film
Festival, Sweet Land is a poignant and lyrical celebration of
land, love, and the American immigrant experience.
When Lars Torvik's grandmother Inge
dies in 2004, he is faced with a decision- sell the family farm
on which she lived since 1920, or cling to the legacy of the land.
Seeking advice, he turns to the memory of Inge and the stories
that she had passed on to him. Inge arrives in Minnesota in 1920
to marry a young Norwegian farmer named Olaf. Her German heritage
and lack of official immigration papers makes her an object of
suspicion in the small town, and she and Olaf are forbidden to
marry. Alone and adrift, Inge goes to live with the family of
Olaf's friend and neighbor Frandsen and his wife Brownie, where
she learns the English language, American ways, and a hard-won
independence. Inge and Olaf slowly come to know each other, and
against the backdrop of endless farmland and cathedral skies they
fall in love, a man and woman united by the elemental forces of
nature. Still unable to marry, they live together openly, despite
the scorn of the neighbors and the disapproval of the local minister.
But when his friend Frandsen's farm is threatened by foreclosure,
Olaf takes a stand, and the community unites around the young
couple, finally accepting Inge as one of their own.
Based on Will Weaver's short story
A Gravestone Made of Wheat and shot on location in Southern
Minnesota, Sweet Land is that rare independent feature that uses
painterly images and understated performances to tell a universal
story of love and discovery. David Tumblety's glorious magic-hour
cinematography recalls classic American art cinema like Days of
Heaven, transforming the amber majesty of Southern Minnesota's
farm country into an elegiac metaphor for memory, family, and
history. Featuring supporting performances by veteran performers
Ned Beatty, Paul Sand, and Lois Smith, Sweet Land is the story
of immigrant America, made by the son of first-generation immigrants
themselves.
“A visually indelible movie
that’s a grand dream of the American past. Sweet Land is
a movie of extraordinary tenderness.” –Owen Gleiberman,
Entertainment Weekly
“A gorgeously realized romance.”
–Rob Nelson, Village Voice
“Sweet Land celebrates a gutsy,
old-fashioned sort of love, which Mr. Selim lovingly presents
in scene after scene of glorious 35-millimeter images.” –Jeannette
Catsoulis, The New York Times
“Richly detailed visuals, evocative
writing, and an intense performance by Elizabeth Reaser.”
–Gene Seymour, New York Newsday
“A gentle, heart-warming,
almost fairytale-like love saga.” –Jennifer Merin, New
York Press “**** (Highest Rating)!
A beautifully shot, sweetly crafted,
finely acted film. Elizabeth Reaser is breathtakingly spot-on.
Tim Guinee is wonderfully understated.” –Clint O’Connor,
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“***** (Highest Rating)! A
lyrical prairie love story. Terrific acting and a simple, aching
courtship. Good movies don’t need to have edge. ‘The
edge’ moves, from day to day. The heart is constant. Touch
that and you’ve done something.” –Roger Moore,
Orlando Sentinel
“A small, nearly perfect gem
of a movie...don’t miss it.” –Chris Hewitt, St.
Paul Pioneer-Press
“Seductively sweet...a compelling
picture of the American immigrant experience. Elizabeth Reaser
is luminous” –Raven Snook, Time Out New York
“Demonstrating a mastery of
the medium, writer-director Selim has crafted a tale of pure Americana
that speaks both to the immigrant experience and the nature of
love. Reaser breathes fire into (her) character.” –Kirk
Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter “*** ½*.
An intelligently told story, undeniably
sweet.” –Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star-Tribune
“Sweet Land is brave and touchingly
executed cinematic storytelling that explores the lives of these
immigrants with extraordinary insight.” –Prairie Miller,
WBAI Arts Magazine
The
enjoyment of a slice of pie
The
Evening of the Magic Lantern and Phonograph program
In the Fields and
at Home with the Phonograph
Sweet
Land, 2005, LaSalle Holland Productions
Phonographia
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