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"In the Border States" is a very simple story of a horrible and senseless time, but it gets top rating because of the performance of little Gladys Egan.

In years, her career, if that's even the right word, was short, but in those few years, she accumulated 110 credits, apparently not performing after 1914.

She plays the younger daughter of a man who goes off to war, and that terrible event is fought right in the family's neighborhood.

Northern and Southern forces fight back and forth, and the child gets her loyalties and her humanity tested.

Not much surprising happens, but how little Gladys Egan, about age 10 at filming, handles her role makes watching this completely worthwhile.

In the Border States (1910)

*** (out of 4)

Civil War short has a father (Charles West) joining the Union and going off to war. The father gets sent on a secret mission but he is wounded and barely makes it back home. When his child rushes off to get help a group of Confederate solders come in and its up to one to turn the father in or not. This is a pretty interesting short from Griffith because it's rather low-key and shows the human side of war. The story itself is pretty far fetched but that doesn't really matter because the main thing is its message and the director has no trouble getting this across. The fact that two sides could be fighting for their own beliefs but this shouldn't stand in front of doing the right thing is something Griffith told in many of his movies but the war backdrop here just makes it all the more memorable. Another big plus is the cinematography by G.W. Bitzer is excellent as are the New Jersey locations, which are filling in for a Southern state. Henry B. Walthall, Dorothy West and Mack Sennett are among the cast.

During the Civil War, there were many cases of divided loyalties; obviously, many occurred "In the Border States", where North met South by happenstance of geography. From the border, young father Owen Moore goes off to join the Union Army. Shortly, Confederate soldier Henry B. Walthall, separated from his regimen, wanders onto the enemy's property, desperate for water; he finds a supply where the Unionist's young daughter Gladys Egan sits. When the Yankee soldiers track him down, Little Gladys innocently helps the Confederate hide. Later, when he returns to kill her father, the little girl's kindness is remembered. A sweet, small story from director D.W. Griffith. Location footage and humanity are lovingly displayed.

***** In the Border States (6/13/10) D.W. Griffith ~ Henry B. Walthall, Owen Moore, Gladys Egan

During the 1910s, there were a large number of films made in the US about the Civil War--most likely since the 50th anniversary of its start and finish were being celebrated. I've seen quite a few compared to most people alive today and some of them are pretty good (like this one) and some are incredibly old fashioned and totally ridiculous. I was happy to see that even though the plot here is a bit difficult to imagine actually happening, the film itself isn't so heavy-handed and schmaltzy as many of the day. In fact, the film is pretty low-key and the acting is a bit easier to believe than most--with less wild gesticulating and over-acting than usual. The film is a very simple film about a family living in a Border state that is caught up in the war. In many ways, it's like the old story about the lion and the mouse that pulled the splinter out of the lion's paw--only to later have this act of kindness repaid in kind. While this film WON'T change your life, it's well-made, interesting and gives what looks like a real window into the Civil War.

In 1910, America was preparing to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the Civil War, and the gradual development of cinema made it possible to convincingly recreate the events of decades past. While many of these Civil War films were dispensable and quickly forgotten, at least one director knew exactly what he was doing with the camera. D.W. Griffith became such a successful filmmaker because he could really connect with the human side of his characters. War films can very easily become a one-sided affair, showing sympathy and compassion for only one of the feuding powers, while the other one is designated to the role of the faceless enemy. Not so for Griffith, at least not in this case. 'In the Border States (1910)' humanises both sides of the American Civil War, suggesting that there was little difference between the soldiers who fought for either the Union or the Confederacy (a sobering realisation that usually only comes years after the bloodshed of combat).

The film opens with a young father (Charles West) joining the Union army and marching off to war, leaving behind an anxious family. His daughter (Gladys Egan), collecting water at the well one day, is surprised by a Confederate soldier, who is dying of thirst and being pursued by the enemy. Despite her prejudices, the girl decides to help the poor man, a simple act of kindness that will later reward her in kind. 'In the Border States' really captures the turmoil and confusion of the Civil War, with soldiers fighting fellow Americans at their own doorstep, and being unable to understand why they are in conflict with men who are so similar to themselves. The young girl's benevolence shows that, while loyalty to one's army is noble, this comes second to one's obligation towards his fellow man – regardless of nationality or beliefs. Griffith's action-packed Biograph short, without needing to hammer its message home, is a stirring anti-war testament; it's too bad that, within a few years, the world would be making the same mistakes all over again.