Movie spotlight
Held by the Enemy
During the Civil War, Rachel Hayne, a young widow, is among those "held by the enemy" when her old family home is within the lines occupied by the Northern troops. Protected by Colonel Prescott from looters and the unwelcome attentions of Surgeon Fielding, Rachel begins to fall in love with the gallant Yankee officer. Their romance is disrupted when Rachel's husband Gordon, long reported dead, is captured as a spy and condemned to death.
Insights
Plot Summary
The film is set during the American Civil War. A Union surgeon is trapped in a Confederate hospital in Richmond, Virginia, and becomes romantically involved with a nurse. The narrative follows the challenges and emotional toll of the war on those in medical service.
Critical Reception
Information on the critical reception of 'Held by the Enemy' from 1920 is extremely limited. As with many silent films from this era, contemporary reviews are scarce and difficult to access.
What Reviewers Say
Silent films of this era often focused on melodrama and strong emotional performances.
War dramas from the period typically aimed to depict the human cost and difficult realities of conflict.
Google audience: Audience reception for this film is not available due to its age and the lack of surviving contemporary records.
Fun Fact
While a film adaptation of the play "Held by the Enemy" by William Gillette was made in 1910, the 1920 version by B. Reeves Eason is a separate production, likely drawing inspiration from the same source material or a similar narrative set during the Civil War.
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