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Name: John Huston's films suppressed by US Army
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Artist: John Huston Confronting Bodies: Army officials Date of Action: 1946 Specific Location: United States Description of Artwork: The two films that caused a stir are "The Battle of San Pietro," an army documentary revolving around a battle in World War 2, and "Let There be Light," which follows real veterans who suffered psychological damaged. The making of both these films had been assigned to him by the military.
His first film, "The Battle of San Pietro" was so emotionally powerful in it's scenes of death and destruction (Even though much of it was reenacted footage) that the screening staff ordered it be repressed. However, General George Marshell intervened and had the film released. The second movie, "Let There be Light," was not so lucky. This documentary followed soldiers with psychological damage through their therapy until their discharge. In 1946, military police confiscated the film during a preview showing. The army's reason was that not all the music had been cleared and that some patients did not sign release forms. The true cause is more likely that the army did not like the way Huston portrayed the subject matter. They did not want to worry the public about the psychological effects of war. The army later released another movie on the same topic using actors instead of real soldiers.
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