If ever a film deserved a DVD release, it is this small overlooked gem! Set in a small Scandanavian North Dakota farming community in the early 19th century, the film portrays the dignity of a tightly knit/culturally rich community of family farmers attempting to fight back/resist losing their farms (and indeed the community itself) to the insidious powers of unregulated banking, undercut prices/profit usurpation, and distant corporate takeovers from businesses that have no investment/interest in the survival of the rich tapestry that forms the basis of this community and the unbroken spirits of the strong-willed individuals that compose it. Within this superstructure of plot, we get a very unique glimpse into the Scandanavian language, character, customs, culture, family traditions, songs, and stories whose collective strength permitted this strong-willed/"no-nonsense" group of people to transplant their entire lives and families from the old-country to the new and eek out a way of life (indeed) survive the harsh conditions of frontier life on the Great Northern Plains of North America. As if that wasn't enough, the beautifully artistic camera work was purposefully shot in black-and-white, whose vivid contrasts of light and shadow very effectively conveys the sharp oppositions of this world and its characters as a superior means of etching its metaphors into our consciousness. People familiar with Luchino Visconti's 1948 masterpiece, "La Terra Trema" will find the themes and neorealistic approach here to be very similar and equivalent to the strength of a Visconti, Rossellini, or DeSica film. In fact, (on that note) this film very deservedly won the Camera D'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival. And yet most people have never even heard of it? Why?!?!?!...this is TRULY A LANDMARK in American independent film and American cultural legacy!!! PLEASE RELEASE THIS GEM ON DVD FOR THE WORLD TO SEE!!! Thank You.
