8: Top Gun

This week, we could tell you all about Tony Scott’s 1986 military rollercoaster Top Gun, but then we’d have to kill you. Is this film nothing more than a macho fantasy? Is there a queer subtext — or text? Where is the danger zone, and who built this highway? Content Warnings: militaristic violence, death of a loved one Unanswered Questions: Does Maverick really change in the course of the film, or does the narrative confirm that he right all along? What are the queer dimensions to the film? What do we make of the exaggerated performance of masculinity? Is Charlie’s independence sufficient? What happens to her after the film? Further reading: Roger Ebert on Days of Thunder Top Guns by Ehud Yonay Nothing On Earth Comes Close (Tony Scott, Saab) Flying High With Top Gun (American Cinematographer) Rewrite Man: The Life and Career of Screenwriter Warren Skaaren by Alison Macor Top Gun script draft by Chip Proser Between Men: English Literature and Male Homosocial Desire by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick The Last Star In Hollywood Definitive List Of Tom Cruise Films The Last Star In Hollywood: Production Schedule Thanks for listening! For bonus shows, extra content and more, support The Last Star In Hollywood on Patreon.com/LastStarPod! Join us next time as we get back to some old-fashioned Hollywood prestige – and the film that gets Paul Newman his Academy Award for Best Actor after being nominated for six previous movies – with Martin Scorsese’s 1986 film The Color Of Money.  The Last Star In Hollywood is an independent podcast produced by Elizabeth Rae and Alastair Stephens. Copyright © 2023 The Last Star In Hollywood. All Rights Reserved. ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★