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Demobbed solders with mental problems are admitted to a hospital; the camera films them from their induction through to their eventual 'cure' and final departure back into mainstream America. This compelling and uplifting documentary, beautifully photographed, was banned for over 30 years. The US war department in its wisdom apparently insisted that the content be translated into a feature film, the name of which escapes me. Whether or not the events before the camera were staged or not, there can be no doubt as to the integrity of director John Huston in letting the characters 'write' their story. Although rarely seen, this documentary is well covered in a 1990s documentary, JOHN HUSTON: WAR STORIES.

All these years we saw through film and newsreels at how heroic our soldiers were during WWII. We never got to see what some dealt with like we see today. Back then they were super human and all bullet proof. Turns out the issues we well know today, were relevant far before these days. This film will show with great clarity what "PTSD" or shell shock can do to a human mind.

In this, you get to see real issues of having to deal with being thrown into a human horror show all the while coming from a normal background and living a basic ordinary life. These guys were just living normal lives like most do but when war calls, things can happen to the mind for some. With this film, you'll see what the realities of war can do to a seemingly normal man.

Most days in the news we get to hear about the issue of PTSD in wars that were/are quite recent. Seeing this you'll know, how long this issue has gone on.

Not enough thanks can be given to National Film Preservation Foundation for saving and restoring this must see on how war can affect...the soul.

Let There Be Light (1946)

*** (out of 4)

John Huston's third and final documentary for the U.S. Army was another controversial one, which was originally banned for over thirty years as it didn't get shown to the public until 1980. It's easy to see why the film was banned because had people watched this at the end of WW2 it's doubtful very many would want to enlist. The film centers on a group of men who are psychologically scared from their time in the war. One man can't talk, one can't walk and various other psychological problems occur. A psychiatrist is used to try and cure the men as they go through a program at the Mason General Hospital in Long Island. Walter Huston does a nice job narrating the story but for the most part the patients and the doctor are the ones talking. The documentary is a very interesting one because it gives us a view of American soldiers coming back from WW2. On that ground alone this film is worth checking out but Huston does his typical nice work and really digs in deep into the material. I'm not sure how well the practice used here would hold up today but the theories being discussed are interesting to hear about. This early look at "battle shock" is certainly a nice history lesson that fans of the director will want to check out.

It was very fitting that I chose today of all days to watch this short film, as today is Memorial Day here in the US--the day we remember and celebrate our veterans. That's because the short film "Let There Be Light" is about combat-related mental illnesses--such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (a label only recently coined). Sadly, after John Huston made this marvelous film, it was pulled--as the government apparently thought it was too much. In other words, since they sponsored the project, they could withhold it from distribution--and they did because, I assume, it acknowledged that there is serious mental damage caused by war (duh!). Why they would think that way is beyond me--the film really is a great tribute to the men who sacrificed and endured so much during WWII.

The film is set at a VA hospital and their psychiatric ward. The story appears to involve real patients--many of whose progress the film follows through their course of treatment. Using a variety of techniques you'd use today (such as group therapy) and those you wouldn't (chemical hypnosis has fallen out of vogue), the film gives a lot of hope to survivors and their families--perhaps too much hope, as the film makes it appear as if the problems can easily be treated and the long-term effects aren't discussed. Still, I loved the film for being so daring and for being confident enough with the subject matter to offer little narration (by the director's famous father, Walter Huston)--and just let folks speak for themselves. A fascinating and touching little film.

By the way, there are a couple interesting things to look for in the film. The Rorschach cards you see are both REAL ones--although the manufacturer has stipulated they cannot be reproduced or shown on film or photos (though you can easily find them on the internet today). I also was surprised to see black and white servicemen together in the hospital--and I hoped they did treat everyone in non-segregated wards at the time. It was also nice to see that the one black g.i. featured in the film was incredibly bright and well-spoken--and nothing like a negative stereotype.

I saw this film years ago and couldn't remember what it was called so I'm glad to find it on the net at last. Some of the comments posted on this site critically analyse this amazing film applying 21st century wisdom to it and it's production. It is what it is. Most of these boys (the patients) had hardly seen a box-brownie let alone a director and film camera. Their responses are gut wrenching, awkward and the soldiers are - what would now seem - abruptly dealt with. Yet the psychiatrists show these returning soldiers the way forward. Slowly the patients gain enough mental footholds to rejoin post-war society. Just watching it will make you a better person.