Above and Beyond (1953)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Better "Under and Far Below". For the lower point that the human existence can reach.An absolute disgrace is the hymnal to the consequently unrepentant beast, "The Man (enormous euphemism) Who Brought The Doom"* literally. The story refers to actual historical events and persons with publicly available life, but... . The whole and only attempt of the film appears to be, through consecration of the unscrupulous main character, by attributing to him an obviously falsified moral foundation (that of an ethical cogitator, though victimized by an unjust and insatiable war), the justification of the inexcusable monstrosity of Hiroshima's extermination for all its liable participants.After all, trying to be designated as a hero, through the scenario, the protagonist of the historical reality, an intrinsically heinous criminal (350.000 approx. were/are the first victims of his own hands, under orders or not makes no difference), is highly agitating. *Ref.: The Smithsonian's documentary title, on the occasion of the unblessed remorseless monster's death, "The Men(???) Who Brought The Dawn(???)".

Highest rating with Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker giving phenomenal performances, perhaps the best ever in both of their careers.After he has been chosen to test pilot the B-29 bomber, Taylor is so affected by his work in the preparation of dropping the atomic bomb on Japan, that he becomes intolerable to live with and is extremely harsh with all those under his command. He had no choice as the objective of his work obviously had to remain top secret.This is definitely a superior story of the human spirit in triumph.Taylor is aided by an excellent supporting cast headed by Larry Gates, Larry Keating and the recently departed James Whitmore.The emotional pain of Taylor is sincerely etched in his face in an unforgettable performance.

This is a good film, first line actors, William Wellman the Director was a combat pilot from WWI, and the film avoided most of the tiresome triteness of most war films especially those about flying and pilots.Most of the commentaries seem to like the film, but not all agree with the political meaning of the film. Some of the comments mention personal connections with the film, so excuse mine. I was a combat pilot in SAC, and was behind one of the switches that could send off bombs more deadly then a 20K bomb. I served in Japan many years after the War. It was my impression that more young Americans faulted our decision to drop the bomb, than the Japanesse who were the actual targets of the bomb. They, like many Germans were ashamed of their acceptance and participation in the War. Today, the most ardent anti-communists are those who actually lived under communism, unlike many college professors and Hollywood actors, producers and writers.In 1945, the Japanese Military who wanted to continue the war, wanted to fight to the last man. Not unlike Hitler, who could have ended the war, they were willing to expose every man, women and child in their country to death and starvation. Despite years of war (Japan had invaded China in 1931), the Military Junta still had the capacity to inflict horrible casualties on our troops at Okinawa and Iwo Jima, and they were prepared to fight to the death the Allied invasion set for September, 1945.The US did not have enough fissionable material to make three bombs. Of the two that were dropped, one was made of Uranium 235, and the other Plutonium. Some critics said we should have set off a "show" bomb off the coast of Japan. We used one of our bombs on Hiroshima, and despite the evidence, it took another at Nagasaki to convince the leaders of Japan to end the war. Japan could, and should have quit before all the devastation.The former Soviet Union entered this same war on the side of Hitler. They took chunks of land from the Poles,Lithuania,Lativia,Estonia and Finland, and chunks of Eastern Europe while Hitler was conquering Eastern and Central Europe. Hitler and Stalin were like two peas in a pod for two years. Stalin's agents in the US infiltrated our government and media and preached peace-because it was in Stalin's interest to keep us out. When Hitler attacked Stalin, some, but not all of Stalin's agents did a complete flip flop, calling for war against the Nazi's. This propaganda and infiltration continued until the collapse of the Soviet's in 1989. Many documents have been released about the communist reaction to Hiroshima. Unlike this film, which could hardly be considered a propaganda movie, the communists tried to use Hiroshima as a propaganda tool in their fight with the West.Whereas the US pulled out of all its conquered territory, the Soviet's did not. They occupied all of the lands they had taken during the war. History may eventually judge our one moral failure in the War, was allowing our French and British Allies to continue their colonial territories they held before the War. Their rule, however, never approached the Communists tyranny.As the events portrayed in this film fade into history, so will the effects of the propaganda that still seems to affect some who have bought into their arguments. The fact may explain why some people still celebrate the Fall of the Bastille and the French Revolution, without accepting the fact that their revolution replaced the tyranny of a King, with the tyranny of Napolean. After Waterloo, France was defeated, humiliated, and bankrupt. These events are hard cold historical facts, just as Hiroshima, and the facts that existed in 1945 lead to its destruction and deaths of many innocent people.

This movie is the best production of the first A-bomb attack. Though Hollywood produce another shortly after the war and despite the cast, Brian Donlevy, as General Groves, and Robert Walker it was highly fictional.My late uncle served with Colonel Tibbits in the 509th and he said that Robert Taylor captured the colonel exactly. James Witmore is very effective as the security officer whose task is as difficult as Taylor's. The film captures the enormity of the task of developing the A-Bomb in almost total secrecy from the public and the enemy.The grimness of this is clearly shown throughout the movie. There is very little flag-waving in this picture and one does not fail to realize that the bombing was necessary to prevent a greater loss of life if the Japanese homeland was invaded.