Axel Mattson

The popular artist Frank Harvey has been offered a job in America. On the voyage across the Atlantic, Harvey catches sight of the captain’s beautiful daughter, and the two quickly become good friends. However, a fire breaks out in the ship’s hold, and while the crew struggles to put out the flames, Harvey has to keep the passengers calm with his very best performances, and pray for his and the lives of others. (Stumfilm.dk)

Martha, a war widow, finds a new zest for life when she meets the noble Captain von Tilling. They marry, but before long he, too, is called to war. In his absence, Martha falls into a depression and is hospitalised. Sick with longing and learning that her banking firm has gone belly-up, she leaves the hospital and takes a train to the battlefield to find her husband. (stumfilm.dk)

It’s the spring of 1793 and the French Revolution is raging. King Louis XVI had been beheaded in Paris a few months earlier, and the whole of Europe is teetering on the brink of war. Austrian troops move across the country’s northern border, and among many other members of the French nobility who emigrated, Erneste des Tressailles also serves as an officer in the enemy ranks. Although he risks the death penalty for treason, he rides to Trionville Castle to marry his young bride Alaine. The revolutionary troops arrive quickly and storm the castle, but Alaine is determined to save her groom. (Stumfilm.dk)

Out of the blue, war is declared, making two otherwise friendly neighbouring nations deadly enemies. Amid the inferno, finding themselves on different sides of the conflict, Elsa and Alexis are forced to call off their engagement. Will they ever get back together again? (stumfilm.dk)

While holidaying, the beautiful heiress Grace meets the love of her life. Percy Fancourt is a cowboy and hardly a suitable match for a millionaire’s daughter – at least not if you ask her father. Reluctantly, she returns home. Then, a surprising piece of news reaches heartbroken Percy: a huge estate in London has been willed to him as sole heir. Will his newfound wealth make his marriage to Grace possible? (stumfilm.dk)

A peace-loving prince and his followers dream of eternal peace – pax aeterna. So far, they have been successful only within the realm. When the neighbouring state declares war, the prince’s heart stops beating. Is the vision of global peace just a naive dream, or will his followers be able to see it through? (stumfilm.dk)

Countess Schach is ill and her estate is impoverished. Fortunately, the daughter Cecilia is responsible for the household and the upbringing of the younger siblings. One day, the composer cousin Ernst comes to visit, and when he sees the financial predicament the family is in, he promises Cecilia to complete his opera and earn enough money to save the estate. When the Countess’ old friend, Princess von Staffenfeldt, offers Cecilia employment as a lady-in-waiting and governess, she accepts and soon after meets the Princess’ son, who after some time asks for her hand in marriage. Cecilia is now faced with a difficult choice: Should she marry the Prince who can save the family, and thereby break off the engagement with her true love, cousin Ernst? A dark tragedy seals her fate. (Stumfilm.dk)

Alice, the seventeen-year-old daughter of millionaire John Payne, is dying. Doctor Sheldon, deep in grief due to the very recent loss of his wife, reluctantly agrees to help and saves Alice’s life at the very last minute. While he was treating his patient, a fire has broken out in his home, and upon his return the sight of the flames consuming the flower-covered coffin still laid out in the living room takes a heavy toll on his psyche. He is admitted to a mental hospital, where Payne and Alice’s frequent visits help him get back on his feet. But darkness still lurks in a corner of his mind. (Stumfilm.dk)

Of the films that Psilander made at Nordisk during the first two years it is the film Dødsspring til Hest fra Cirkuskuplen (The Great Circus Catastrophe), that is worth noting. Maybe not so much for Psilander's acting, but for the sensational, action-packed storylines that he was in. This film shows the other side of Psilander's fame: his daring. He was an excellent rider and looked fantastic in long riding boots and elegant riding jackets and this skill was exploited in his films.