Let There Be Light: John Huston's Wartime Documentaries

Huston's World War II-era efforts for the Army Signal Corps--which reflect the director's own shifting perspectives on combat--have been collected in this definitive set. James Stewart hosts the U.S. Army Air Forces officer recruitment piece "Winning Your Wings" (1942). The routine of soldiers stationed in the Alaskan archipelago is chronicled in "Report from the Aleutians" (1943). The toll of a bloody battle with Italian forces for the liberation of "San Pietro" (1945) is soberingly recounted; and the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning veterans is focused upon in the long-barred "Let There Be Light" (1946). 3 2/3 hrs. total on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; featurette; raw "San Pietro" footage; edited "Let There Be Light" version "Shades of Gray."