Let There Be Light

Let There Be Light

1946 · 58 min · ★ 7.3 · Documentary, War

The final entry in a trilogy of films produced for the U.S. government by John Huston. Some returning combat veterans suffer scars that are more psychological than physical. This film follows patients and staff during their treatment. It deals with what would now be called PTSD, but at the time was categorised as psychoneurosis or shell-shock. Government officials deemed this 1946 film counterproductive to postwar efforts; it was not shown publicly until 1981.

Directed by John Huston · Written by John Huston

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Rent or Buy

Cast

Walter Huston Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Make it a double feature

3h 4m together

Let There Be Light

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Both from John Huston.

More from John HustonSee all →

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre · 1948

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

MovieAdventureDrama

Two jobless Americans convince a prospector to travel to the mountains of Mexico with them in search of gold. But the hostile wilderness, local bandits, and greed all get in the way of their journey.

Chinatown

Chinatown · 1974

MovieCrimeMystery

Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon · 1941

The Maltese Falcon

MovieMysteryCrime

A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.

The Asphalt Jungle

The Asphalt Jungle · 1950

The Asphalt Jungle

MovieCrimeDrama

Recently paroled from prison, legendary burglar "Doc" Riedenschneider, with funding from Alonzo Emmerich, a crooked lawyer, gathers a small group of veteran criminals together in the Midwest for a big jewel heist.

The Man Who Would Be King

The Man Who Would Be King · 1975

The Man Who Would Be King

MovieAdventureDrama

Tired of life as soldiers, Peachy Carnehan and Danny Dravot travel to the isolated land of Kafiristan, where they are ultimately embraced by the people and revered as rulers. After a series of misunderstandings, the natives come to believe that Dravot is a god, but he and Carnehan can't keep up their deception forever.

The Killers

The Killers · 1946

MovieCrimeMystery

Two hit men walk into a diner asking for a man called "the Swede". When the killers find the Swede, he's expecting them and doesn't put up a fight. Since the Swede had a life insurance policy, an investigator, on a hunch, decides to look into the murder. As the Swede's past is laid bare, it comes to light that he was in love with a beautiful woman who may have lured him into pulling off a bank robbery overseen by another man.

The Bible: In the Beginning...

The Bible: In the Beginning... · 1966

The Bible: In the Beginning...

MovieAdventureHistory

Covering only the first 22 chapters of the Book of Genesis, vignettes include: Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden until their indulgence in the forbidden fruit sees them driven out; Cain murdering his brother Abel; Noah building an ark to preserve the animals of the world from the coming flood; and Abraham making a covenant with God.

The African Queen

The African Queen · 1952

The African Queen

MovieAdventureRomance

At the start of the First World War, in the middle of Africa’s nowhere, a gin soaked riverboat captain is persuaded by a strong-willed missionary to go down river and face-off a German warship.

Sergeant York

Sergeant York · 1941

Alvin York a hillbilly sharpshooter transforms himself from ruffian to religious pacifist. He is then called to serve his country and despite deep religious and moral objections to fighting becomes one of the most celebrated American heroes of WWI.

Moby Dick

Moby Dick · 1956

MovieAdventureDrama

In 1841, young Ishmael signs up for service aboard the Pequod, a whaler sailing out of New Bedford. The ship is under the command of Captain Ahab, a strict disciplinarian who exhorts his men to find Moby Dick, the great white whale. Ahab lost his leg to that creature and is desperate for revenge. As the crew soon learns, he will stop at nothing to gain satisfaction.

National Geographic Specials

National Geographic Specials · 1965

National Geographic Specials

SeriesDocumentary

For decades, the National Geographic Society has presented specials on nature, foreign culture, scientific breakthroughs, and things which fall under the general category of "neat stuff." Each special is self-contained.

Jezebel

Jezebel · 1938

MovieDramaRomance

In 1850s Louisiana, the willfulness of a tempestuous Southern belle threatens to destroy all who care for her.

The Misfits

The Misfits · 1961

MovieDramaRomance

While filing for a divorce, beautiful ex-stripper Roslyn Taber ends up meeting aging cowboy-turned-gambler Gay Langland and former World War II aviator Guido Racanelli. The two men instantly become infatuated with Roslyn and, on a whim, the three decide to move into Guido's half-finished desert home together. When grizzled ex-rodeo rider Perce Howland arrives, the unlikely foursome strike up a business capturing wild horses.

Escape to Victory

Escape to Victory · 1981

Escape to Victory

A group of POWs in a German prison camp during World War II play the German National Soccer Team in this powerful film depicting the role of prisoners during wartime.

The Prowler

The Prowler · 1951

MovieDramaThriller

Los Angeles, California. A cop who, unhappy with his job, blames others for his work problems, is assigned to investigate the case of a prowler who stalks the home of a married woman.

Across the Pacific

Across the Pacific · 1942

Across the Pacific

MovieAdventureThriller

Rick Leland makes no secret of the fact that he has no loyalty to his home country after he is court-martialed out of the army and boards a Japanese ship for the Orient in late 1941. But has Leland really been booted out, or is there some other motive for his getting close to fellow passenger Doctor Lorenz?

More Like This

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot · 2016

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

MovieComedyDrama

Stuck in a rut, reporter Kim Baker decides to shake things up by leaving her desk job in New York and taking a dangerous assignment in Afghanistan. Far from home and completely out of her comfort zone, a culture-shocked Kim befriends an adventurous reporter Tanya Vanderpoel, a stern Colonel, and a charming photojournalist to help her navigate this crazy new world.

Westfront 1918

Westfront 1918 · 1930

A group of German infantrymen of the First World War live out their lives in the trenches of France. They find brief entertainment and relief in a village behind the lines, but primarily terror fills their lives as the attacks on and from the French army ebb and flow. One of the men, Karl, goes home on leave only to discover the degradation forced on his family by wartime poverty. He returns to the lines in time to face an enormous attack by French tanks.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter