Above and Beyond

Above and Beyond (2014) is a documentary film directed by Roberta Grossman. It tells the story of a group of young American WWII veterans who brought planes and their combat skills to Israel in 1948, during the Israeli War of Independence.

I thought this was a wonderful film for what it was--a documentary about ordinary people who risked their lives to fight for a cause in which they believed. In 1948, Israel didn't have an air force. By a combination of boldness, determination, and ingenuity, these young men managed to bring the planes to Israel, and use them in the war.

The film has been criticized for not putting the efforts of these men into a historical context, not talking about the justice--or injustice--of the 1948 war, and not pointing out the long-term consequences of Israel winning the war. All of those criticisms are accurate, but I believe they aren't relevant.

Director Grossman and producer Nancy Spielberg weren't making a documentary series about the 1948 war. They were making a documentary about a particular, specific aspect of the war. These U.S. volunteers survived WWII, and yet they were willing to go back into combat to fight as volunteers for Israel. As far as I could tell, none of them were profoundly philosophical types of men. They did what they thought was right, based on their own Jewishness, their belief in the Israeli cause, and large amounts of testosterone. (As one of them tells the interviewer.)

The survivors are old men now. This documentary had to been made quickly, because, in a few years, it would have been too late to get first-hand interviews with the pilots involved. Now, their stories are recorded forever.

I enjoyed this movie, which was shown in Rochester's Dryden Theatre as the opening night film of the superb Rochester International Jewish Film Festival. My compliments to the RIJFF for choosing this movie, and for inviting producer Nancy Spielberg to the event. Ms. Spielberg didn't so much speak about the movie itself, but rather about the difficulties of getting it produced. Yes, it helped that she was Steven Spielberg's sister, but that alone would not have been sufficient to get this movie completed. It took talent and determination, and that's what she had.

I doubt that this film will go into general distribution, so you'll have to see it at a film festival to view it on a large screen. The good news is that it will work very well on a small screen. I recommend it.

At first blush, this documentary film presents as a Jewish story in a specific historical context. It is a remarkable story in that light. However, Above and Beyond reaches much further into the human psyche than any one demographic, community, or time period. The film uses first-person accounts to illustrate how the power of belief in a cause and trust in one's compatriots can motivate the most audacious resourcefulness and beat seemingly insurmountable odds.

Our thanks to Nancy Spielberg for capturing interviews with several of the daring pilots who rescued a fledgling country from impending oblivion. Their accounts are inspired, humorous, and highly accessible. Highly recommended for age groups 10 years old through adult.

Above and Beyond is the first documentary that I've seen that blends a terrific true story with state of the art computer generated imagery (CGI). I'm sure that the Spielberg Family dumped a huge amount of money into the project and it shows; the airplane footage appeared so authentic you believed that it was contemporary footage, filmed out of the cockpits of the planes back in 1948. Think of the first 30 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan." I found this so appealing as I have always been turned off by the "dramatic recreations" that are so common in today's lesser war story documentaries. But the imagery would have been nothing without a great true story and this one could only be called a true modern day miracle. And so surprising and ironic.. particularly the pedigree of the airplanes that turned back the invading Arab armies. Anyone interested in the 20th Century warfare would greatly enjoy. For although it is a documentary, it ranks up with the best war movies that have ever been produced.

What is life? If you have no soul are you then a machine? These Americans knew the hopelessness and the tenacity of the Israelis. They did what they felt must be done. The Arabs outnumbered the Israelis but this was going to be our last stop. Thank G-D for the Americans that helped. Much more can be done with we as opposed to I. Is living doing what you believe in? A heard about this movie through a temple that I usually go to. I saw this film in Westchester, only one movie theater was screening it at the time, it should have been everywhere. I recommend Above and Beyond to anyone who is interested in history and documentaries.This is one of my favorite movies of all time, go see it!

"I believe that peace with the Palestinians is most urgent - urgent than ever before. It is necessary. It is crucial. It is possible. A delay may worsen its chances. Israel and the Palestinians are, in my judgment, ripe today to restart the peace process." Shimon Peres

For all the fictional heroes Hollywood cranks out, nothing can compare with Above and Beyond, a documentary about the origin of the Israeli Air Force in 1948 and the Jewish perspective about the splitting of Palestine. Regardless of where your sympathies lie, Arab or Jew, after watching this fascinating documentary, you'll have to agree the 600,000 Jews fighting millions of Arabs is pretty heroic stuff.

The conflict begins with the United Nations' resolution to split Palestine and the British decision to vacate. The Jewish people are aware they're vulnerable as Arabs prepare to take over the precious land. Enter mostly volunteer Jewish-American former WWII pilots ready to fly whatever planes they can muster to help the Jews ward off the imminent Arabic takeover.

While this may sound like a set up for the usual ego-talking-head doc, Above and Beyond (a title that works well for sacrifices and heroism) is a sincere testimonial from actual Jewish and other pilots who risked their lives for underdogs. Archival footage of the Jewish planes (four at the beginning, woefully inadequate and impotent), lend the authenticity, while the comments from the pilots give the doc the humanity it needs to show the war a conflict that won't easily be settled by any number of warplanes and ammo.

The first-person commentary by the pilots and others like Shimon Peres makes the Jewish bias (e.g., Palestinian refugees are barely noticed) palatable by displaying a sincere love of nation as opposed to violent chauvinism. The nights spent carousing before battle are sweet rather than crass, just boys and girls having a good time before death takes over. In other words, this doc splendidly displays the best of mankind regardless of nationalism or base ambition.

If you're put off by the obvious biases of documentarians like Michael Moore, then see Above and Beyond because the bias is benign. While I'm thinking of it, Steven Spielberg's sister, Nancy, is a producer—the provenance of this film is solid. If nothing else, you'll understand why Arabs and Israelis fight even today for the land they struggled for over 60 years ago.