Que se Faça Luz

This must be one of the most shocking movies I have ever seen. Well actually it's more like a documentary than a movie. It shows American soldiers in a hospital, after coming home from World War II. Some of them can't speak, some can but it's impossible to hear what they're saying, others can't walk. Some shiver uncontrollably, some cry. We also see the hypnotist curing patients, and like magic they're able to walk again, or talk or whatever their problem was. This film was banned for 35 years because the American government thought it was unsuitable for the American people (and I understand why, this is the most disturbing thing I've seen since the sliced eye in Un Chien Andalou), and it was shown for the first time at the Cannes festival in '81.

Disturbing documentary that nonetheless raises a number of questions. My guess is that the film was produced for general circulation, to allay civilian fears of emotional trauma among returning vets. If so, that's certainly a laudable intent. For, as the documentary shows, many could be rehabilitated and returned to civilian life, despite the emotional wounds of war. In fact, the film conveys an optimistic tone throughout, as though eventual recovery is certain. That, plus the prologue assertion that no scene was staged, adds up to a generally reassuring note for anyone watching. After all, prospective employers need reassurance as well as family, while the last scene is as joyously uplifting as any Hollywood commercial contrivance.

As laudable as that intent is, I'm still left wondering how representative the film is of what we would now term "post-traumatic stress syndrome". For example, we know the scenes weren't staged, but we don't know how much editing went into the final cut. Nothing is said about editing in the prologue, and savvy viewers know how important editing is to creating desired effect. Then too, I'm wondering whether there was pre-sorting of vets according to severity such that we only viewed the mildest, most remedial, cases. For example, the one session of hypnosis and regression appears a quick and easy cure. It's good that some cases are open to such efficient methods, but, again, how representative is this one case. Moreover, as another reviewer points out, nothing is said about possibility of relapse, even among the mild cases.

My point is that we shouldn't draw general conclusions about this terrible affliction from one documentary that may have been geared toward another purpose. The fact that the army withheld release for 30 years shows how wary they became to exposing the public to even this most optimistic rendering of the problem. Those early scenes of afflicted men are simply too wrenchingly real to be forgotten, and should serve as a reminder the next time our politicians start beating the now incessant drum of war. Perhaps that's why the film was withheld for so long.

In honor of Memorial Day which was yesterday, I watched the first two of John Huston's World War II documentaries, Report from the Aleutians and San Pietro. Now I've just viewed a restored version of Let There Be Light, which explored the psychological effects of war veterans that survived those battles being treated in a hospital, on the National Film Preservation Foundation site on recommendation of Leonard Maltin on his. One couldn't walk, one couldn't talk, and then there was an African-American one whose only solace came when he got something delivered to him from his girlfriend back home. Whether his skin color had something to do with his social reticence, I don't know but since the military was still segregated then, it couldn't have helped. Though it should also be noted that the place he stayed at was integrated. John's father Walter Huston provided wise narration as written by his son and Dimitri Tiomkin provided a score that didn't dominate too much of the proceedings. This film, made for the Army, might have been too realistic for them which resulted in it being kept from the public until 1980, but today it may have been a little easy solution-wise since there's no one depicted as not having been cured by the end though the Hustons make sure you know that it does take time for that. Anyway, Let There Be Light is essential viewing for anyone curious about what some veterans who survive go through in trying to go back to a normal life. They certainly deserve our utmost thanks for even braving it out in the first place!

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.