Let There Be Light - 1946 (Restored Image and Sound)
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- čas přidán 11. 02. 2013
- The quality of the copy of this important film by John Huston currently on CZcams isn't very good, so I found a better one and tweaked it with digital image and sound processing. For the first time, Huston explored the diagnosis and treatment of what used to be called "battle fatigue" or "shell shock" among returning servicemen. This condition is now know as PTSD - post traumatic stress disorder. "Let There Be Light" wasn't released to the public for 30 years for obvious reasons, but it's a story that must be told because it's still highly relevant to our times. Zeno, Zeno's Warbird Videos zenoswarbirdvideos.com
From the IMDB: "The final entry in a trilogy of films produced for the U.S. government by John Huston. This documentary film follows 75 U.S. soldiers who have sustained debilitating emotional trauma and depression. A series of scenes chronicle their entry into a psychiatric hospital, their treatment and eventual recovery."
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Do you like what you see? Are u serious?
That you for posting. Am sharing with some who'll find it interesting.
I don't like the advertisements; they shatter my concentration on this never before seen film.
Thank you! The Body Keeps The Score brought me here :)
Aurora H Me too
Same here!
Me too
It's a powerful book. Everyone should read it
Me too!
Heartbreaking...What's so striking to me about these men is how good they are, how polite and kind and mild-mannered despite their suffering - no anger, no cynicism, just a gentle stoicism. Hard not to weep watching this film.
The 33 thumbs down, at the time of this comment 08/14/20, have no feeling or understanding of what these men went through. As a peacetime veteran, I salute those of The Greatest Generation. God Bless them all. 🇺🇸👍✌
Anyone else here after seeing Five Came Back?
Been browsing the films mentioned. Sat through a bit of Private Snafu, watched Negro Soldiers and now this. Have seen Best Years of our Lives a couple of times. Think I'll watch it again.
LeHiNaD19 me! that was very good. now I've been watching the films shown in the documentary here on CZcams! Wasn't that crazy about both John Ford being sent home and dismissed after his 3 day drinking binge just after D-DAY, and poor William Wyler, losing his hearing after the B-25 flight? wow! As for Ford, I can understand why he did what he did, I'd probably too after seeing the carnage of D-DAY.
Amazing. The guy crying, couldn't stop, cause of love.
Pay attention to the way this men are treated - with utmost kindness and respect. It is so hard to find such help nowadays even if you pay for it.
Makes me happy to see how much they helped them for such a short time. Thank you for sharing!
hopefully true, but just remember that they know that they are being filmed, and of course it is heavily edited down to a 58minute narrative
My Father came home from the Korean War and never fully regained himself.
This film showed such positive and meaningful Healings without electric shock therapy or worse. I am happy to have seen such Beautiful Souls. Such Light and Hope. Thank You ❤️
7:33 man that dude is lossed without his love.
I hope they lived a long, happy life together.
Even though he gave so much for his country, he was probably treated terribly by his countrymen just for being black.
@@hau5ofmau5 I think it is very interesting - and heartening - that these patients were not segregated and that Black patients appeared at all, given that it was produced in 1946. Good for John Huston and good for the Army, which was at the time somewhat backward.
The more recent film The Master has Joaquin Phoenix recreating this portion of the documentary beat for beat, nearly word for word the same. Fascinating to see how much this phenomenal documentary influenced it.
Powerful work by John Huston. It's amazing to think this film was never released for fear it would shock the public. It sat classified nearly 30 years.
Imagine all the good it could have done if they'd given this a widespread release.
I served in Vietnam as a medical corpsman ( 31 May 1967 - 31 May 1068 ). I saw it on a local PBS station when it was finally released to the public after being suppressed by the government for so many years. It was the first time I cried about Vietnam.
George Hoffman thank you for your service sir. I hope you are doing well today.
SETH WARREN Thank you, Seth, for your unexpected reply to my comment. Yes, I am doing well in my retirement. The reason I wrote my comment was to finally be honest with myself about how moving this documentary was for me. Of course at the time in the 1970s When I saw the film, i was in denial about my experiences in Vietnam.
George Hoffman Thank you for your service, with all my heart. I hope you have managed to heal, and found some peace in life since.
Adia Salem I have somewhat. Thanks for your reply.
God bless you & thank you for your service.
War crushed these boys's souls...
As a veteran I cried and cried seeing those mental scars. I hope that mine will heal too in time. Thank you for this upload.
Michael van Dijken Thank you for your service.
Michael van Dijken thank you for your service sir. I hope you're doing well today!
much love, man.
I hope so too, brother. I have PTSD from an attempt made on my life when I was seven, so I have some idea of what you're going through.
I won't thank you for your service because of the pain and horror that being a dog for our politicians has given you, but I wish you all the love and support to making a recovery and moving past the nightmares.
I am left with tears of joy and sadness, of release, of relief and deep personal satisfaction that these men were treated with kindness, respect and compassion. One of the most important films of the last century.
I teach documentary production and show this film every class. It is perhaps the most unusual documentary every made.
@@bobbysands6923 unusual in a good way?
Pretty moving film----hopefully the soldiers who participated in it were able to use what they learned in the hospital to help themselves after they got out.
I grew up a mile from the hospital where this was filmed. We knew the hospital as Edgewood. As children we often went there and played in the abandoned buildings. Fascinating to see what went on there when it was operational.
+Bob Howard my friend Joe Giglio made a site for edgewood hopita They found the blue prints for it and everything! Great site. Those were awesome buildings!
+Antonio Cognato , can you send me the info on the site your friend Joe made. I happened to notice your last name....any relation to Denise Cognato who was originally from Deer Park?
Bob Howard yes. John cognato to. John was class of 1992. Big football player for deer park high. Edgewoodhospital.com
The site might be down. Has 600 pictures!! Inside and out. From the 1960s 70s 80s!!! On top of the roof too!!!! Basement. Power plant. Pics of the top roof on fire!!! Blue prints from the 1930s too!!!!
I too lived right down the road in North Babylon, I too as a young man explored the abandoned ruins of this grand building not knowing that treatment of our greatest generation happened there I too am a Veteran and it is sad, but good to see them get the treatment they needed, I recall exploring the halls of this installation, and even back then would say if these walls could talk, and I do recall that there was a magnificent beauty of the inside of this structure before it really got bad, I recall the great tiles as dusty as they where when you moved the dirt you saw great tiles, even the bathrooms had so much brass and they where something you would never see today architecture, and now to think I walked the floors as these great men did, you could tell this Hos. had great features to it. it is interesting to see the Hos. back then with literally no foliage around the structure I wonder if this was done by design, I did explore this build a few times in the early 80s, and there was a lot of trees around the whole area, I know behind the Hos. there was a big pine forest, and I had heard that is one of the reasons they turned it into a TB Hos. because the pines where supposed to be good treatment for people with TB it was to help the lungs,
I used to take care a Vietnam soldier. He said he never wanted to marry because he was damaged and could never make a woman happy. He was very jumpy; he was traumatized is whole life. Poor thing.
Many thanks for posting this film. I hadn't known of it until I read in the New Yorker magazine that it was being screened in New York City. Then I searched online, expecting only commentary, and found it here on CZcams. My father served in the Army in WWII as an administrator at a psychiatric hospital stateside. He never talked about his experiences there, and he was never able to discuss any difficult emotional issues. This film may help me to understand my father better.
You're welcome!
Zeno
Paul Thomas Anderson brought me here...now I have 2 reasons to thank him. This documentary is better than most today...and theres lots of good ones out.
Hi, how does PT Anderson fit in with this? Just curious. Thanks.
It served as inspiration for him with The Master, and it was included on the DVD/Blu-Ray. The scene in particular with the man beginning around 7:30 in was incorporated in to the film which you can see at /watch?v=xvYkcgryftw
The: In your profession it's called nostalgia, quote right?
I was curious about this film, as it was noted in context to early work in trauma processing (exposure treatment) in the book "the body keeps the score" by Bessel Van der kolk. Anyone interested in this topic may find it an interesting read, and it is available as a free pdf, or an audio book on youtube as well. My Father was a veteran of this era, and he told me his memories of the war, the things that troubled him and the things that gave him comfort and safty as well. He was changed by the experience, but lucky that the war ended a year into his enlistment, never shot up or bombed, stationed in a motor pool in France. What I am taking away from this film is number one : negative childhood or "developmental trauma" is a big factor for many of these men, and number two: Hypnotherapy (which has been greatly refined and developed since the 1940's) is a good place to start when addressing these issues. The truth is "you have to feel it to heal it" and there are safe and skillful techniques available to do just that, so keep the faith!
Watching this after seeing the Netflix series Five Came Back. Thanks for sharing this. My grandfather was a P-38 pilot in the Mediterranean theatre. Out of his 9 grandchildren, I was the only one who asked him about the war and I miss him everyday.
Dr Benjamin Simon, seen in this documentary treating the man who couldn't walk and the man who couldn't speak, was very well respected both as a doctor and a hypnotist. He later worked with Betty and Barney Hill regarding their famous UFO encounter. The recording of his session with Barney can be heard on my channel among other places.
As a Historian of WWII, the Cold War and the Space Race I find the videos you upload onto CZcams to be invaluable in presenting a visual/audio record of the events during these eras. I greatly appreciate the work you do to bring us these restored films and shorts. This is the kind of primary documents we love in my field.
This film changed my life and showed me the psychological origins of conversion disorder.
Army psychologists have determined-this is from a book published by West Point about ten years ago, I forget its name-that 100% of people develop mental illness if subjected to certain combat situations over a length of time. For example, being in close combat for 60 consecutive days gives everyone "battle fatigue" of some sort. Proximity to killing greatly multiplies the mental strain. The military's function-killing and being near those being killed is completely contrary to maintaining mental stability. Patton was wrong-it isn't cowardice-we all have our breaking point. The ones who get it soonest or strongest are perhaps those who are nicest and more caring. The military goes to great lengths to stop its personnel from being subjected to situations that cause mental disorders, at least, as much as combat allows.
Hope you find help & healing.
Patton was a retrograde and an asshole.
Extreme Ownership is the book and it's great
Maybe, but a lot of damage has already been done for the past 40 or more years. Generations lost or hurt, and for what? For a piece of the pie, or the maximum share. And please, stop referencing to generals, or presidents, that were a long time ago - stick to those we can relate to. War is war, it's never "nice" and generals aren't paid to be nice.
What if the breaking point would measure the depth of a human soul?
I started crying tears of joy when they got better and went home! I can only imagine how traumatizing it had been for them during the events of the Wars....
Thanks for posting! I first saw this John Huston documentary 20 years ago. It's interesting the way the psychiatrists quickly ask the veterans questions and put pressure on them to give an instinctive answer. Really amazing to watch it again after all these years! I love that back then people were so unaware of the cameras. It is a brilliant film. Beautifully shot and edited.
Great historical documentary... it's great to see the effort that was made to help these veterans recover from PTSD and what treatments were available then. Looks like an excellent program considering it was 1946.
I'M CRYING SO HARD. GOD BLESS.
Thank you as a hypnotherapist I was looking for this after reading Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps The Score where he mentions this film.
I really appreciate this film and the soldiers’ responses later near the end of the film. What a journey toward healing these brave men walked. These were the fortunate ones.
I came here after watching American Sniper. Parts of this movie - especially the man who learned about his speech difficulties through Sodium Pentothal - moved me very much, whereas American Sniper left me cold.
All the daily suicides in this country of veterans is evidence that this is real, and very sad . I spent 31 years on a big city fire department, and in that time, we lost more men to suicide (7) , than we did to line of duty deaths(1). Mental stress is real, and is accumulative.
That Steven is a reality that most don't see or accept. Media misinforms, and local authorities basically don't want to scare the folks. Add to this the fact that most people aren't well informed. And if they haven't had the experience of working in a hospital or clinic, or with social workers..... they don't know.
Sorry for the loss of your friends to suicide I can't imagine that. I know after 31 years, a lifetime for some that you must have saw soo much. Thank you for your service and enjoy your night sir.
Thanks Robert, I really appreciate your positive feedback.
My father was in Mason General Hospital for 8 months after liberating the Nazi Concentration Camps and being traumatized by the horrors he saw. He only avoided heavy narcotic and shock therapy by the sheer will to get better without these interventions. This film has made me understand a lot more about his trauma, and I am devastated that I did not bother to research the MGH and this important film while he was alive. It would have given me a much better perspective, and allowed for greater understanding of his inner pain and anxiety he carried within him his whole life.
I've always been really curious about the effects on soldiers during different war periods especially from WW2 to Vietnam. Always wondered how it was handled within our country especially after WW2 because you never hear about it only to find out they were treated as "just forget about it, move on". It has fascinated me and always scared me that our own military in which these men fought within would turn their backs on them in cases like these. Nice to see the military tried and wanted to learn more but hats off to these men. Those guys were never the same and their lives were forever changed.
I suggest to read the book “The body keeps the score.” If you hadn’t yet
Thank you. One of the most moving films I've seen.
These soldiers had to fight another battle in their lives. Very brave and lot of courage. Respect. 👍
Absolutely disgusting that this film wasn't released until 40 years later.
One of the most important films ever made. ❤
I am checking this out after seeing it identified in notes from the book, "Soldier From the War Returning" by Thomas Childers. Very interesting and well presented film which was not shown to the general public at the time for reasons still unclear to me. I believe it presented everything in the most positive light possible and gave returning Vets and their families some hope.
thank you so much for uploading, people like you make youtube a great place in the name of justice and mankind, seriously. its such an important movie, historically and socially as well. social media could be a great place, but we need regulation!
This a fascinating documentary, one of a kind, as it is both observational and expositional in style. Houston directed it in 1946 but they army was terrified of releasing it, not wanting to show what horror that soldiers faced, and not wanting to alarm the public. They finally released it in the early 1980s. It is amazing how relevant it still is today. Thanks for the post.
That's a better therapy then now.
oh man this is heartbreaking IMO
It hurts to watch. Thank you Mr. Huston!
I saw this years ago on television and never forgot it.
Thank you for posting this. John Huston was a great man
This film gets me every time I see it. To see what war does to men is heart breaking.
Thank you so much for posting.
Thanks Zeno....as always your videos bring home important and historical issues & subjects
These doctors did a hell of a job for these men, especially for the little that was known about PTSD at this time. It wouldn’t even be known as PTSD for decades to come. I have no idea how these men did after leaving the hospital likely NEVER speaking to anyone like a psychiatrist again in their lives, but it seems as if they received the best possible quality of care they had at the time while in hospital. At least the hospital this great documentary was shot at.
crazy canuck:
Actually PTSD, as we now know it, was observed in soldiers as early as World War I----back then, it was called "shell shock", and
I could be wrong, but I think soldiers who had it were also referred to as having "the thousand-yard stare", when they looked completely out of touch due to whatever trauma from the war they were trying to process. This film was actually on Netflix a few years back---I read the back story of how it got it was turned down by the military and never shown publicly until 1980---apparently they didn't want a film that showed soldiers as vulnerable, in pain, and dealing with mental illness/war trauma to the public---probably because it went against the prevailing macho image the military presented of them at the time. Good thing anyone can see it now here on youtube, though.
thanks for doing this
John, Stryker, Tex, and Papa are heroes!
Thanks for uploading this video. I found out about this video through 5 Came Back. Like the soldiers in this film, my dad served in WWII and went through a lot.
Came here from a question on my film history quiz. Will watch this later.
It's goddamnn infuriating that the US military buried this brilliant documentary for forty years. Imagine what it could have done to help people understand PTSD, how it could have ended the stigma around mental health. So much missed opportunity to give solace and reassurance to countless people suffering in the world for decades.
John Huston, upon being told his film was anti-war, responded "If I ever make a film that is pro-war, I hope someone will take me out back and shoot me."
thanks for posting
Many thanks. This video should be Required Watching.
the hospital was called mason general hospital at the time and later Edgewood state hospital. when we were kids we would play there since it was abandoned. it was a disneyland for the local teenagers. little did we know the history of that place but i always wondered.
Having had a brain injury in Iraq, I recognise symptoms in some of these guys...I hope that they went on to lead a happy life.
Respect for your service Sir, I hope you are recovering now
@@evilwomanofdoom yeah but it's a wild ride. I forget everything...i feel like im that guy in the movie that forgets everything he learned the previous day.
@@michaelriley2 that must be difficult too, I have only ever spoken with a veteran once and he told me about being in Africa in the 50s.
Hope you're hanging in there man
Just read an article on this documentary. I'm quite eager to watch it now. Thanks for sharing it.
This documentary has had a profound effect on me, and I can’t help but wonder what became of the men in this movie.
I know it’s a long shot, but is there any way to find these men’s names, or updates on what became of them later on? I sincerely hope from the bottom of my heart that they went on to have the full, happy lives they more than deserved.
I would like to know this, I fear very mixed results
The film was buried by the government until 1981 so there would have been no press or interest in them after filming stopped. Most of the men in this film likely died never having heard of the film ever again
Are the men actors?
Very interesting... Thank you
This is a great representation of the time. Back when propaganda was so think and almost overwhelming to get the point across and this doesnt have anything like that. just trying to show us a sliver of what it was like for our men and women who came home and some who came home but there minds and peace of mind was left back on the Warfield. i know us as Americans get ourselves into stuff we have no business sticking our noses now moee than ever but this but watching something like this makes me so proud to be American. i probably didnt make much sense and i know i didn't say anything of importance i just felt i needed to write something. thqnk you for such a great upload!
Wow this was definetely an influence for The Master. The look of the scenes and the even certain lines are taken verbatim from the master
Thanks for posting this film ,I came here after watching a Netflix documentary about the producers who made war documentaries on the second world war its called "Five came back "it talks about the producers and their methods of making films also combat ,soldiers etc and there was a section on this movie .
The Century of the Self brought me here!
Hypnosis is incredible. Thousands of studies/hundreds of journals supporting the clinical use and efficacy of hypnosis overall, but for some reason, nobody knows about the extent of its real uses; and it simply is reduced to making people cluck like chicken in stage shows. It's A real shame, as it's probably one of the closest things to magic that we have when it comes to helping people with personal issues.
Thanks for Noah i have something to watch tonight ❤️
Fantastic upload
Thank you! Cheers!
this is heartbreaking
The total of psychological, and physical, after effects of war, throughout history have, for the most part, been unspoken. That is what makes this film great! My father was treated at this center after his horrific experiences during the liberation of Dachau. Lord bless our dear Veterans.
one of the finest pieces of WWII video material i have come across. Thank you Zeno!
evan wain yes thank you Zeno
John Houston did well to make this film, and the narrator's voice (his father) is just right. Great film; still a current topic. It gives us an overview of what was being done (some good and some bad) in terms of psychology and psychiatry. Medicine was advancing. It puts us into their lives, and theirs in ours. Mental or physical trauma is terrible and some veterans may need more time to recover not just with medical help (that one guy is right "people go to the MD, get a pill, go home and take it..."). Going back into community life, being accepted and respected - takes a lot of patient and caring. It would be interesting to know how they fared in life.
This film was not seen in public for many years . This is a great work by mr john Huston !
I swear that doctor is giving them opiates and why he never clearly shows it, that's exactly the type of reaction and relaxation from the patient I would expect.
Mainlined him with Barbiturates, Hell of a kick.
ah you're probably right, I haven't heard the word 'barbiturates' in a long time even though it famously killed Monroe, Elvis, Hendrix, Judy Garland, etc... maybe there's modern safer version, it seemed useful
Sodium Amytal /or truth serum is what he gave them.
@adam solomon I don’t know if this is used any longer . But it is available. Most likely in research or private psychiatric hospital. It is a controlled substance.ordered by psychiatrist or used by federal agencies, to elicit what the person knows. etc.
Absolutely moving, it’s difficult to believe that back then they seem to understand the human condition so much better than today tho
It’s fucked how the government hid this film. They knew what they were doing. “Evil minds that plot destruction, sorcerers of deaths construction”
The narrator is Walter Huston, director John Huston's father.
And for every one of these soldiers who got 6weeks of therapy, there were 30 who got nothing.
Rangeme smh!!
@lifthra Blaming the mothers" what do you mean?
I wanted to watch this along with the upcoming Mel Gibson film, hacksaw ridge. I heard many of the PTSD patients were from the battle in Okinawa. thank you.
I heard about this after learning Frank’s interview with the military psychologist (in The Master) was basically lifted word for word from the black soldier, and that I guess this stayed classified/didn’t release until the 80s to keep public morale up.
My bad. Looked just like him. Thanks for the up, btw!
No problem, I have seen Ronnie's face many times when I have restored WW2 training films that featured him. I know his mug very well :)
54:25 the building in the back is pilgrim state hospital
57:44 the building in the back is Edgewood State Hospital demolished in 1989
THANK YOU for this upload! i have been told over and over that the "PTSD crap didn't start until 'drafted crybabies' came home from Vietnam, but nowww it is a gaddarn excuse for people who don't want to do anything with themselves". i"ve studied it and had some articles and such about this time period, but i could never pull this part into it! now, i almost dread to see the convoluted cognitive dissonance that will follow me showing them this. btw... it is NOT to be argumentative or mean that i have tried to inform them of misconceptions they have... i have PTSD from a trauma *no one* wants to acknowledge, let alone talk about or let me talk about. this is a simple but very powerful, "NO. you do NOT know everything... not about the world, your environment, or your own daughter and THANKS for the reinforcing trauma when i did try to reach out for help and had my hand smacked back". i forgive them... but it is all ongoing.
Me tooo...thanks!
Good Movie!
We live now a days in a very De-sensitized society, back then you had a complete generation of young that had probably never even saw a dead body until they went to war, so imagine the sights they saw, they had no internet back then or the violent TV shows or movies like they have today, so blood and guts, as well as it can be, was something they where not exposed to, and plus of course the end result of just war itself.
This is incredible. I only wish they hadn't added music, as no dramatic effect needs to be added.
the ending or like last 5 mins is a wild tonal shift
I always wondered how others survived following WW2. Neither my uncle (infantry) or my father (medical core) would speak about it. My father, in 2010 finally, spoke but just about locations he had been to. My uncle returned with TB and spent months in the sanatorium, then farming; my father continued on in x-ray in hospitals.
The picture quality is very good. But speech is hard to understand. Subtitles would be very helpful.
Five came back Netflix documentary sent me here. Advise everyone to watch I had no clue these films were shot by Hollywood directors many of which served.
Türkçe alt yazı yapılabilir mi? Okuduğum bir kitaptan öğrendim belgeseli, ancak anlayamıyorum.
My dad was there at Mason General Hospital in 1945. I'm not sure it did him a bit of good.
What is most interesting to me is that I am rewatching this one more time since 2019 and I now notice the word
NEUROPSYCHIATRIC :)
This could have been my Father...Fort Snelling VA left him to rot.
Kinda wished I found this before watching the other one.
very sad..
This was inspiring. Wish we still had atuff like this today in the uk . We here are regressiing . Our system was made for the nation not to serve the whole world . Our kindness is now a weakness. We even have foreigners come here for free nhs treatment then go home again . The sums just dont add up anymore if the ww2 generation and ww1 could see what our leaders have dont to the west !!! Absolutely heartbreaking