I'm Jenny Rattelet, producer of the treatment.

Another bonus episode, courtesy of the Film Independent at Lackma film series.

The following conversation between Elvis Mitchell and Paul Thomas Anderson

was recorded live at Lackma's Bing Theater.

It followed a double feature of two war documentaries by John Houston,

1945's San Pietro, and Let There Be Light from 1946.

Anderson cites both films, which he found on YouTube, as highly influential during the making

of his latest film, The Master, which is currently nominated for three Academy Awards.

So talk to me about the first time you saw Let There Be Light.

Well, like I said, it was on YouTube.

And, um, sorry, I'd never seen anything quite like it.

Just, um, I guess with the first film, which I think I watched at the same time, you know,

taking nothing away from it, because it's a great film, but you've seen explosions off

in the distance and the camera rattle.

I was familiar with that stuff and it already kind of, you know, it already may become desensitized to it

in a sort of terrible way, but this was something, these close-ups of these fellas, and hearing them

talk and long takes, it was not, it was not battle footage, it was obviously the aftermath of the

battles, and yeah, it was just no wonder they didn't want anybody to see it and it was just a great for at the time was writing the master and you know you can get you can only go so far when you get a you know when you're trying to sort of get in the head of another time and you sort of get hungry for more.

Films of that period don't do it, you know,

but seeing a documentary from that period

and something that's laid so bare

was, God, I just, I watched it again and again

...