Let there be light

Produced by the American Department of Defence and banned for 35 years, this documentary deals with the treatment of soldiers suffering from war-induced psychotic and psychosomatic disorders. The camera records a wide range of emotional disabilities among the returning World War II veterans at Mason General Hospital at Long Island. Looks at the various methods of treatment which include hypnosis and truth-inducing drugs. The original purpose of the film was to convince the public, employers in particular, that soldiers suffering from neuro-psychiatric damage could be rehabilitated and resume civilian life. After seeing the finished product, the War Department withdrew the film for various reasons among them the invasion of the patients’ privacy and the fear that it would scare off potential recruit. Narrated by Walter Huston. Cinematography by Stanley Cortez.