Let There Be Light

Released Dec 16, 1980

59m

Documentary

List

86%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Directed by renowned filmmaker John Huston, this documentary depicts the effects of war by focusing on American soldiers who are suffering from mental trauma after their tours of duty. The movie follows numerous hospitalized veterans as they receive psychiatric care for their various symptoms, which include depression, phobias and antisocial behavior. As the soldiers undergo treatment, many of them make progress and slowly begin to reclaim their lives.

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Audience Member

John Hustonâ(TM)s (1946) documentary film was shot at Mason General Hospital on Long Island at the end of the Second World War for the U.S. Government during the directorâ(TM)s time as an officer in the U.S. Signal Corps. One of a number of documentary films he made in this capacity including â~Report From The Aleutiansâ(TM) and â~The Battle of San Pietroâ(TM), it did not see â~The Lightâ(TM) for a number of years. As copyright holders and owners of the film, the U.S. Government chose not to release it. The techniques used in making the film are described in John Hustonâ(TM)s autobiography â~An Open Bookâ(TM) published by Macmillan and also in an interview recorded by Richard Leacock and Midge McKenzie in 1982. The film follows the progress of a particular intake of men returning from active service in various theatres of war. These men have returned deeply disturbed by their battle experiences and we follow their progress as they are helped to come to terms with their distress and to rebuild their fragile lives. Huston captures the most unusual and remarkable sequences that document the work of the gifted psychiatrists at Mason General as they assist the men to reconcile themselves to the awful experiences they have endured. This film was way ahead of its time in recognising and understanding how conditions that were variously known as â~shell shockâ(TM) and â~battle fatigueâ(TM) can respond to treatment and give their unfortunate sufferers a renewed lease of life. Despite the dated soundtrack, the narration by Hustonâ(TM)s own father â" Walter â" makes the confusing and sometimes disturbing footage accessible and meaningful to the audience. How tragic that such a well-made and important film should have been kept from us for so long.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Audience Member

Absolutely tremendous look at post war mental health.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/16/18

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Audience Member

Haunting coverage of war's lesser-known casualties. A documentary, filmed shortly after the end of WW2, shot entirely in a US Army psychiatric hospital. Candidly shot, the film shows the mental casualties of war - soldiers with PTSD and other neurological issues: their symptoms, how they cope and, if they're lucky, how they are cured. Haunting coverage of war's lesser-known casualties, written and directed by the great John Huston. Incredibly original and decades ahead of its time, as, at the time, PTSD was not very well-known outside medical circles. It would take until after the Vietnam War, about 30 years later, that PTSD gained public knowledge and acceptance. Sensitively told, despite the candidness of the footage. Quite confronting too - these are all real patients, undergoing real psychological episodes. Starkly brings home the long-term effects of war.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A really haunting piece on the effects of war and the mental state it can leave a man in.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Audience Member

Historically important documentary was suppressed by the U.S. government for over thirty years.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is an interesting documentary about the emotional price for war was banned for many years after it was produced. Director John Huston made this at the end of World War II, showcasing the turmoil the war caused on some soldiers. It is interesting in two ways, one to see how they dealt with these kind of issues in the 1940s, and also to see them actually talking about the non-death/physical wounded price that war has...so many films and documentaries produced of the era glossed over the emotional stuff. It isn't great propaganda to say that war is difficult and scars you mentally if not physically. Worth a look.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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John Huston

Director

Walter Huston

Narrator (uncredited)

John Huston

Writer

Charles Kaufman

Writer

Dimitri Tiomkin

Original Music

Stanley Cortez

Cinematographer

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Michael Sragow

New Yorker

The film becomes a moving document of the social and psychological tensions that reach the surface of American life in war.

Jan 5, 2015

Full Review

Noel Murray

AV Club

Rated: A-

May 24, 2012

Full Review

Carson Timar

ButteredPopcorn

Let There Be Light is a powerful film that clocking in at only 58-minutes, is incredibly watchable.

Rated: A-

Aug 28, 2022

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

The film was suppressed by the military brass. Not because it was inaccurate or insensitive, mind you, but because the portrait was too frank and too sensitive. And maybe for other reasons.

Apr 21, 2017

Full Review

Peter Canavese

Groucho Reviews

Clearly, the breadth of Huston's Army Signal Corps films show a Blakian passage from innocence to experience, unquestioning jingoism to a recognition of war horrors. [Blu-ray]

Rated: 3.5/4

Feb 4, 2016

Full Review

Phil Hall

Film Threat

Had the film not been banned by the Army, it probably would've been forgotten almost immediately.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 17, 2007

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Synopsis

Directed by renowned filmmaker John Huston, this documentary depicts the effects of war by focusing on American soldiers who are suffering from mental trauma after their tours of duty. The movie follows numerous hospitalized veterans as they receive psychiatric care for their various symptoms, which include depression, phobias and antisocial behavior. As the soldiers undergo treatment, many of them make progress and slowly begin to reclaim their lives.

Director: John Huston
Screenwriter: John Huston, Charles Kaufman
Production Co: U.S. Army Pictorial Services [us]
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 16, 1980, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 11, 2016
Runtime: 59m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.37:1)

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