For Her Sake

For Her Sake is a 1911 American silent short war romance film produced by the Thanhouser Company. The film starred William Garwood as a confederate soldier who wins the love of a young Southern girl shortly before the start of the American Civil War. His rival becomes a Union officer and the two are reunited when the Confederate is captured. After receiving news of his capture, the girl manages to sneak through the Union lines to free him. Together they escape and the Union officer tracks them to her home. Prepared to apprehend his foe, he sees his rival mourning the death of the girl, fatally shot during the escape. The two resolve their differences and the officer leaves the house, refusing to arrest the Confederate soldier. The film was released on February 14, 1911 and was met with positive reviews despite plot holes surrounding the girls ability to elude the guards. The film is now presumed lost.

Little is known about the production credits except for the fact that William Garwood played the role of the Confederate soldier. The director, scenario writer and cameraman is also unknown. Details by reviewers note that the staging surrounding the civil war camps was very good and that the setting for the old Southern home was excellent and selected with care and attention to detail. The film has several issues that are not resolved or made clear, the first being how the girl learns of his lovers capture and then how she is able to make it through the Union lines. The film is presumed lost because the film is not known to be held in any archive or by any collector.The single reel drama, approximately 1000 feet long, was released on February 14, 1911. The Valentines Day release garnered strong reviews from critics. The Billboard praised the story and the setting of the camps. The Moving Picture World found it to be a strong film stating, The acting and setting are in harmony with the subject. It would be hard to create anything better of the type. The New York Dramatic Mirror was mainly positive in its review, but highlighted the plot holes of how the girl learned of her lovers capture and managed to elude all the guards. The Mirror reviewer also stated that the films would have been more effective if the Union soldier had not been made out to be a villain. ........

Source: Wikipedia