Let there be light : John Huston's wartime documentaries / presented in cooperation with the National Archives and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ; directed by John Huston.

Huston, John, 1906-1987 (film director.). Huston, Walter, 1884-1950 (narrator.). Stewart, James, 1908-1997 (host.). Henabery, Joseph, 1887-1976 (film director.). Olive Films, (publisher.).

Summary:

"Presented in cooperation with the National Archives and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this collection features four documentaries directed by John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen) as part of his service as an officer in the Army Signal Corps. The documentaries are not simple propaganda, but reflect Huston's own changing attitudes toward war.

Winning your wings (18:19 min): a recruitment film for the U.S. Army Air Forces, hosted by Jimmy Stewart.

Report from the Aleutians (44:48 min): reveals the tedium of being stationed at a remote Army post in the islands of Alaska.

San Pietro (32:05 min): in this film, the tone of Huston's documentaries begin to take a dark turn, documenting an Italian military battle that cost an estimated 1,100 American lives, revealing, in unflinching detail, the retrieval and burial of casualties. The Army chose not to publicly screen the film.

Let there be light (57:50 min): narrated by Walter Huston (The Treasure of the Sierra Madre), this film is considered to be one of the most important wartime documentaries ever made, depicting the treatment of "psychoneurotics" (now known as post-traumatic stress disorder), through hypnosis, drugs, and psychotherapy.

Shades of gray (1:05.46): After the suppression of Let there be light, the US Army commissioned this dramatized remake of the film, which was produced without Huston's involvement,

Item details

ISBN: 9786316337375
ISBN: 631633737X
Physical Description: 2 videodiscs (281 min.) : sound, color and black and white ; 4 3/4 in.
Edition: Archive editon.
Publisher: [Chicago, Illinois] : Olive Films, [2016]
Copyright: ©2016

Contents / Notes

General Note:	Full screen (1.33:1) presentation Originally produced as motion pictures in 1942-1946. Title from disc surface; statement of responsibility from container.
Formatted Contents Note:	Disc 1: John Huston's wartime documentaries: an introduction (26:11) / written and edited by Bret Wood -- Winning your wings (18:19 ; 1942) / United States Army Air Forces present ; produced in cooperation with Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. ; with Lieutenant James Stewart -- Report from the Aleutians (44:48 ; 1943) / The War Department presents ; produced by U. S. Army Signal Corps ; -- San Pietro (32:05 ; 1945) / The War Department presents ; produced by the Army Pictorial Service ; -- Bonus feature: San Pietro: raw camera footage (32:58). Disc 2: Let there be light (57:50 ; 1946) / The United States Army presents -- Bonus feature: Shades of gray (1:05:46 ; 1947) / The United States Army presents ; directed by Joe Henabery.
System Details Note:	DVD, 1.33:1 aspect ratio.