Public Domain Movies

Public Domain Movies

Classic Movies in the Public Domain

Menu
  • Home
  • Public Domain Movies list
    • Action movies
    • Cartoons
    • Comedy films
    • Drama movies
    • Film Noir movies
    • Classic Horror Films
    • Propaganda films
    • Romantic movies
    • Sci-Fi movies
    • Thriller movies
    • Westerns movies
  • Subscriptions
  • Members
    • Sing up
    • Sign in
Home ∼ Let There Be Light, 1946 directed by John Huston

Let There Be Light, 1946 directed by John Huston

Published by PublicDomainMovies on December 11, 2024

Let There Be Light (1946) — known to the U.S. Army as PMF 5019 — is a documentary film directed by American filmmaker John Huston (1906–1987). It was the last in a series of three films directed by Huston while serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. Its portrayal of soldiers suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder led to Let There Be Light being suppressed by the U.S. government; it was not released until the 1980s.

Content:
Seventy-five U.S. service members — recent combat veterans suffering from various “nervous conditions” including psychoneurosis, battle neurosis, conversion disorder, amnesia, severe stammering, and anxiety states — are followed in the course of their medical management. A series of scenes chronicles their entry into the military psychiatric hospital, treatment, and eventual recovery and discharge, all typically in a period of 6 to 8 weeks. Treatments depicted include narcosynthesis, hypnosis, group psychotherapy, music therapy, and work therapy. The highlighted cases are presented as marked therapeutic successes, accompanied by upbeat musical cues, although the narrator cautions after one dramatic recovery that “the neurosis is not cured”. The patients, who explain themselves to the doctors on camera at some length, are treated soberly and with dignity, while the therapies are presented in an optimistic and flattering manner. The film ends with a number of the featured patients participating in a ceremony in which they are discharged, not just from the hospital, but from military service, and returned to civilian life.


Buy a subscription to watch this movie and hundreds more:

Ready to watch? Click to start your free trial.

Watch anywhere. Cancel anytime. Free trial.

Free trialMonthly SubscriptionYearly Subscription
Free$5/mo$50/yr

Let There Be Light, 1946 directed by John Huston
Posted in Documentary & Animation Tagged 1946, John Huston, PTSD
← Previous Next →

Public Domain Movies

Classic Old Time Movies in the Public Domain. Best Classic Films - Full Movies.
Ready to watch 600+ full movies? Click HERE to start your FREE trial.

Members

Sign in

Movies by genre:

  • Action movies (45)
  • Adult films (5)
  • Cartoons (147)
  • Classic Horror Films (33)
  • Comedy films (99)
  • Documentary & Animation (12)
  • Drama movies (96)
  • Fantasy films (17)
  • Film Noir movies (28)
  • Musicals (21)
  • Propaganda films (25)
  • Romantic movies (22)
  • Sci-Fi movies (26)
  • Thriller movies (22)
  • Westerns movies (35)

Search movie database:

Top Movies

Cartoon: Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat, 1941
Cartoon: Superman in Terror on the Midway, 1942
Tango Tangles (1914) - Charles Chaplin and Roscoe Arbuckle
Ace Drummond, 1936 (serial) Chapter 1: Where East Meets West
Bloody Pit of Horror, 1965
She Shoulda Said No!, 1949 exploitation film
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
Cartoon: The Mechanical Cow, 1927 - Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Cosmos: War of the Planets, 1977

Latest Movies

  • The Stranger (1946), Orson Wells directs Edward G. Robinson
  • Cartoon: Superman in Terror on the Midway, 1942
  • Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
  • Cartoon: Scrub Me Mama with a Boogie Beat, 1941
  • Cartoon: The Mechanical Cow, 1927 – Oswald the Lucky Rabbit
  • Night of the Living Dead (1968)
  • The Navigator, 1924 directed by and starring Buster Keaton
  • Tango Tangles (1914) – Charles Chaplin and Roscoe Arbuckle
  • The Temptress, 1926 starring Greta Garbo
  • The Merry Widow, 1925

Follow Us

  • Telegram
  • RSS Feed
Written content is available under CC BY-SA 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Movies are in the Public Domain in the USA
Mastodon

Search

    Ad:
  • Google Workspace Coupons
  • Google Workspace Promo Codes
  • Código promocional do Google Workspace Brazil

Secondary Menu

  • Home
  • Public Domain Movies list
    • Action movies
    • Cartoons
    • Comedy films
    • Drama movies
    • Film Noir movies
    • Classic Horror Films
    • Propaganda films
    • Romantic movies
    • Sci-Fi movies
    • Thriller movies
    • Westerns movies
  • Subscriptions
  • Members
    • Sing up
    • Sign in

Copyright © 2025 Public Domain Movies.

Back to Top

  • Contact
  • Best Public Domain Movies
  • All the actors
  • Privacy & Cookies
We use cookies. With “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
SettingsAccept
Privacy & Cookies

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT