"Above and Beyond" stars Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker and chronicles the story of Paul Tibbets, the man who dropped the bomb on Hiroshima in 1945. The event today, seen with modern eyes, is more unsavory than it was to people who lived in the midst of World War II. I watched the film with a skewed perspective unheard of in the '40s, as I interviewed Hiroshima survivors some years ago and discussed the event and their various health problems with them. Known as the "hibachi," they are human beings like everybody else. But as we all know, in war, human life is cheap, especially as far as warring governments are concerned.
The story as told in "Above and Beyond" is factually correct. The focus is not just on the technical details of outfitting the planes, the training, the secrecy, the testing, etc., but also on Tibbets' personal life. I read Tibbets married in 1953 or 1954, but I did not learn if he had a wife at the time of Hiroshima. In this movie, he had a wife and two small children. The high security of the base, the constant pressure of Tibbets' work, and the weight of the act he was to perform put a strain on his marriage and his relationships with friends. I suspect most of the personal life aspects of the film were heavily fictionalized. First of all, in the movie, the character of Tibbets is deeply conflicted about his assignment. In real life, Tibbets never had a moment of regret. Secondly, one would think a military wife would have understood that if security was so high and her husband was abrupt and tense - and there was a war on - there must be a reason other than "he's changed." Instead, he is accused by her of "playing it too big." She even takes her confusion to one of his bosses, who, instead of saying, "Your husband is working on something important and is under a lot of pressure," gives her no help at all. But that was probably to get her off of the airbase.
Robert Taylor was about 40 when this movie was made. It was a different world then - cigarettes and the lack of an eyelift robbed him of his boyish beauty, but he was still ruggedly handsome and does well in the role. Taylor wasn't a great actor, nor was he a bad one. Like his 20th Century Fox counterpart, Tyrone Power, he suffered at the hands of the critics because of his outrageous good looks, but he was always believable in the right role. Eleanor Parker is lovely and effective as his wife.
The film was obviously meant to show the action of dropping the bomb and to put the character of Tibbets in a sympathetic light. The stars are likable, it's thought provoking, and of some interest. It has, of course, the Robert Alda as Gershwin moment - you know, "I'll write a rhapsody - a Rhapsody in Blue" when Tibbets is asked what he wants to name the plane, and he decides on "Enola Gay." It's for historians to say if in actuality this horrendous event by the Enola Gay shortened the war and saved lives, and they've been arguing about it for years. I can't say. I didn't live through the war; I just interviewed some of its victims.
The story as told in "Above and Beyond" is factually correct. The focus is not just on the technical details of outfitting the planes, the training, the secrecy, the testing, etc., but also on Tibbets' personal life. I read Tibbets married in 1953 or 1954, but I did not learn if he had a wife at the time of Hiroshima. In this movie, he had a wife and two small children. The high security of the base, the constant pressure of Tibbets' work, and the weight of the act he was to perform put a strain on his marriage and his relationships with friends. I suspect most of the personal life aspects of the film were heavily fictionalized. First of all, in the movie, the character of Tibbets is deeply conflicted about his assignment. In real life, Tibbets never had a moment of regret. Secondly, one would think a military wife would have understood that if security was so high and her husband was abrupt and tense - and there was a war on - there must be a reason other than "he's changed." Instead, he is accused by her of "playing it too big." She even takes her confusion to one of his bosses, who, instead of saying, "Your husband is working on something important and is under a lot of pressure," gives her no help at all. But that was probably to get her off of the airbase.
Robert Taylor was about 40 when this movie was made. It was a different world then - cigarettes and the lack of an eyelift robbed him of his boyish beauty, but he was still ruggedly handsome and does well in the role. Taylor wasn't a great actor, nor was he a bad one. Like his 20th Century Fox counterpart, Tyrone Power, he suffered at the hands of the critics because of his outrageous good looks, but he was always believable in the right role. Eleanor Parker is lovely and effective as his wife.
The film was obviously meant to show the action of dropping the bomb and to put the character of Tibbets in a sympathetic light. The stars are likable, it's thought provoking, and of some interest. It has, of course, the Robert Alda as Gershwin moment - you know, "I'll write a rhapsody - a Rhapsody in Blue" when Tibbets is asked what he wants to name the plane, and he decides on "Enola Gay." It's for historians to say if in actuality this horrendous event by the Enola Gay shortened the war and saved lives, and they've been arguing about it for years. I can't say. I didn't live through the war; I just interviewed some of its victims.