The Girl Spy: An Incident of the Civil War

War dramas are always popular when they are served up in a style that convinces; in other words, when the story and scenes leave the impression that it is not a fake and the spectator is so carried away by the realism that he forgets the medium by which the" drama is presented. Several American producers have scored distinct hits in war dramas, and these, as a rule, have emphasized the heroism of the North when the Civil War was the theme. The Kalem Company, during their sojourn in Florida, disclosed many interesting traditions and incidents of Southern life, but none more thrilling than the story of "The Girl Spy," whose success in conveying the movements of the Union soldiers to the Confederate general so long baffled the Union officers. Although the bitterness of feeling between the North and South is happily a thing of the past, this prettily told incident of the war by the Kalem Company should be especially dear to Southern audiences, while it is of equal interest to the North, in that it is a faithful representation of an actual historical fact. During the whole reel there is not a moment of dullness; in fact, the interest is intense. The heroine does her part to perfection, and it is the opinion of those who have looked upon hundreds of moving picture plays that "The Girl Spy" is the most convincing military drama yet produced by the Kalem Company. - The Moving Picture World, May 22, 1909

The era of movie serials had not yet dawned in the United States when Sidney Olcott made this film starring Gene Gauntier as a daredevil Civil War spy. She listens at windows! She wears men's clothing! She rides a horse! All for the Confederacy, of course. The Union, having won, was anxious to get on with the business of the country. The states that had formed the Confederacy were sulking half a century later and would sulk for most of the 20th Century. White theaters in the South would not run a movie about a heroic Union spy. As a result, all these stories featured heroic Southerners. So long as Lincoln was treated with respect, the North did not care.

As a result, not only does Miss Gauntier changes clothing, but so does a male Southern spy to fool the Yankees. It works, too.

Although the story telling techniques at Kalem frequently seemed negligible, their photography was first rate and there are some nice shots here. Add in the piquancy of Miss Gauntier wearing men's clothes and Kalem had a movie that was enough of a success to warrant at least two sequels.