Top Gun and the D.O.D

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“Top Gun” and the D.O.D The Department of Defense has guidelines to ensure that the movies they support show the military in a positive light. Hollywood needs military support to cut costs and create a more accurate depiction of war. The movie “Top Gun” was no exception. This film takes the viewer into the world of Navy F-14 pilots. Thanks to support from the department of defense, “Top Gun” has spectacular scenes and seems very realistic to the audience. Although the movie glorifies life in the U.S. navy and makes being a fighter pilot very appealing, it doesn’t follow all of the department of defense guidelines and in some instances it breaks the rules. This essay examines the guidelines created by the department of defense and shows how the movie “Top Gun” followed and broke these rules. In the documentary “Hollywood and the War Machine”, the relationship between the military and filmmakers is put under the microscope. Guidelines created by the pentagon are set in place to make the U.S. military seem like a benevolent force for good. Military officials edit film content in order to create a “reasonable realistic portrayal” of life in the U.S. military. These officials want films to show comradery, heroism, sacrifice and loyalty and want filmmakers to exclude scenes of corruption, drug use, disobedience and arguments between military personnel. “Top Gun” shows a positive portrayal of he U.S. military despite not following all of the guidelines set by the department of defense. There are several scenes throughout the film “Top Gun” that illustrated the friendship and comradery in the U.S. navy. The film shows pilots singing, “You lost that loving feeling” together in the bar, playing beach volleyball, and celebrating together after the final battle. The film shows sacrifice when “Goose”, a devoted family man, dies during a training exercise when his
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