Let There Be Light

John Huston’s Banned 1946 Film About WWII Veterans »

theatlanticvideo via coldisthesea

American film legend John Huston directed Let There Be Light for the U.S. Army Signal Corps in 1946, documenting the treatment of psychologically traumatized soldiers at an army hospital after the war. The beautiful black and white cinematography might look like a Hollywood production, but the film states that “no scenes were staged. The cameras merely recorded what took place …” It’s a moving testament to the cost of war, which might be why the U.S. Army suppressed screenings of the film for over 30 years. The documentary finally resurfaced at the Cannes Film Festival in 1981, to critical acclaim.

This excerpt from the beginning of the film includes the narrator’s introduction and interviews with soldiers about their symptoms and experiences in combat. The full documentary is an hour long and can be watched at the Internet Archive.