Above and Beyond (2015)

A documentary about the formation of the Israeli Air Force in time to defend the fledgling nation as it declared independence.Starting with two Piper Cubs flown in across the Mediterranean on overload fuel tanks for 11 hours to create supply aircraft.In California C-46 and Constellations were purchased and smuggled out of America across the Atlantic by a circuitous route to create a transport command.Luftwaffe Me 109's were cobbled together with parts obtained through Czechoslovakia and assembled in Tel Aviv and flown straight into combat without any flight testing. The irony of flying in Luftwaffe equipment was not lost on many of the volunteer Jewish American pilots many who had less than 30 mins cockpit familiarization before flying into combat.The first combat ground attack by just four Me 109's stopped the Egyptian Army in its tracks as it started its invasion of Israel.3 smuggled B-17's were used to bomb Cairo with the US commercial pilots bluffing their way into Egypt pretending to be TWA flights.Ultimately the Israelis obtained Spitfires which led to the only known Spitfre/Spitfire combats with the Egyptian Air Force Spits.With commentary by pilots who flew and with contemporary footage and photography. An interesting testament to the pilots who turned the tide in Israel's favor.

At 90 minutes this film crams the 1948 war of survival or as the world called it Jew /Palestine Arab"Civil War"into a coherent timeline to set the stage for the story of Israelis birth of its own Air Force in a riveting tale as told in interviews with serving pilots as well as films from that time.I learned a LOT as well as I was again fascinated by this thrilling story of struggle and perseverance.A must see for History buffs. The story of How cargo airplanes were bought in the US as surplus for 5 thousand dollars is spellbinding. The first fighters were patch work ME 109's from Checksolvokia which were dissembled and flown into Israel in those cargo planes,and on and on. The story of the air raid in Cairo was also new to me.

"Above and Beyond" is a documentary from Nancy Spielberg, Steven's sister. Additionally, it was written and directed by women--making this film rather unusual. Sad that we don't see more like this.The movie is about a period seldom talked about--the formation of Israel and its statehood in 1948. At that time, most of the Arab world seemed ready to destroy the country and Israel had few resources other than folks eager to create a new nation. They had nothing in the way of military--and the lack of an air force was particularly worrisome. This film is about this first air force-- mostly made up of foreigners (mostly Americans) using surplus WWII airplanes.Fortunately for this film, many of the old pilots were alive to participate in the production--rather amazing considering how long ago these events occurred. In addition to this and some great production values and an interesting story, it's well worth seeing.

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.