Axel von Fersen, 1798, Museo del Prado
Hans Axel von Fersen (1755-1810) was a Swedish count and Swedish general who spent time in France as a diplomat, where he became close to Marie-Antoinette, and served in the American Revolutionary War. His relationship with Marie-Antoinette is the usual focus of popular interest, as the two of them were probably in love and JUST SLIGHTLY POSSIBLY lovers. He also played an important part in the Flight to Varennes, in which the royal family tried to escape the French Revolution (but were caught, a real negative turning point for them). When the Swedish Crown Prince died in 1810, Fersen was falsely suspected by political opponents of poisoning him, and a mob attacked and killed him in Stockholm Square (right, I may add, where there’s now a fabulous museum of Swedish royal costumes).
Let’s run down the screen depictions of this real-life 18th-century heartthrob!
L’Enfant Roi (1923)
A silent French short about the dauphin, son of Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI. Fersen is played by Georges Vaultier.
Marie Antoinette (1938)
Tyrone Power as Fersen is a major focus of this classic starring Norma Shearer. We’ve analyzed Fersen’s hair in this film, soon we’ll do a deep dive on the whole shebang.
Royal Affairs in Versailles (1954)
Wait! Editing this post to add Jean-Claude Pascal as Fersen in this multi-episodic wander through French history. Because I am a completionist! And I forgot him!
Shadow of the Guillotine (1956)
A surprisingly entertaining, surprisingly well-costumed French film, with British actor Richard Todd as the Swedish count.
Marie Antoinette (1975)
A French TV miniseries that I really plan to watch and review sooner than later. Henri Déus plays Fersen.
Waffen für Amerika (1976)
A German TV movie, which was an adaptation of a historical novel focusing on Beaumarchais and Benjamin Franklin. Argentinian actor Sky du Mont (EXCELLENT name!) plays Fersen.
La nuit de l’été (1979)
This looks potentially baaaaad — like, entertainingly bad? A French TV movie about the French royal family’s failed escape to Varennes, with Gérard Chambre as the Swedish count leading the effort.
Lady Oscar (1979)
SO BAD IT’S GOOD live adaptation of the animated Rose of Versailles, in which a female soldier lives as a man. She has a flirtation with Fersen (Swedish actor Jonas Bergström).
La Révolution française (1989)
A strong attempt to tell the story of the French Revolution from both the monarchy’s and the leading revolutionaries’ perspectives. Fersen is only a bit part, and he’s played by Jean-Yves Berteloot.
Les jupons de la révolution (1989)
A French TV series, with six episodes focusing on different people involved in the French Revolution; Laurent Le Doyen plays Fersen in the episode focusing on Marie-Antoinette.
Marie Antoinette la véritable histoire (2006)
A docudrama about Marie-Antoinette, timed to be released at the same time as Sophia Coppola’s fictional account (below). Canadian actor Danny Gilmore plays Fersen.
Marie Antoinette (2006)
Sophia Coppola’s young and hip take on Marie-Antoinette, with American Jamie Dornan looking mighty fine as Fersen.
Which cinematic Axel von Fersen makes you swoon?
Small correction– Jaime Dornan is Irish
Is this the same Jamie Dornan who plays the serial killer in “The Fall”?
It is!
Looks like him. I always thought he was marginally creepy. In The Fall, he’s REALLY creepy.
Tyrone Power. Always. The most beautiful man in the movies.
Based on these pictures. 1st: Jean Yves Berteloot (he’s always yummy). 2nd: Jonas Berstrom. 3rd: Jamie Dornan.
Amusing connection: at time he made ‘Marie-Antoinette/Shadow of the Guillotine’ and other major costume films, Richard Todd was m. to my grandmother’s cousin (they’d met as young actors working at Dundee Rep Theatre). Visited all the family when back in the Highlands filming ‘Rob Roy’.
I liked la nuit de l’été, when I saw it on the 80´s. It was an intimistic movie written by the famous writter Didier Decoin, as you can see on this clip https://youtu.be/vBDo-DtfnxY
Fersen played a major role in “Le Gerfaut” from 1987. Although I thought that the performance was stiff and the whole production very much looked like a soap opera the costumes were not too bad for French TV. The actor was Patrice Alexsandre.
I suppose that there was Axel von Fersen in “La comtesse de Charny” from 1989 too, which had some good costumes although I didn’t found him on imdb.
You can still buy the silk lisere fabric in the dress from the 1975 Marie Antoinette series. Mindblowing in a way.
A a Swede I am glad to see that the costume maker for “The shadow of the guillotine” has got von Fersens Swedish uniform nearly exactly right.
https://sv.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fil:L%C3%A4tta_Dragonerna_1779.jpg
I am a uniform enthusiast and I am not spoiled by good renderings of Swedish uniforms. It made my day!
The wonderful Hanna Schygulla is the actress in the shot from La Nuit de Varennes. She plays a lady in waiting to Marie Antoinette. The royals are never shown directly. The movie is about the people in the coach that follows in the wake of Louis and Marie Antoinette on their disastrous journey. I love this movie and fully recommend it.