ABSTRACT
Cinema occupies a prominent role in popular culture, and the influence of Hollywood is particularly prominent across Western society. Hollywood films offer entertainment, education and emotions in abundance. They are, however, also always embedded within their political, ideological and societal contexts. Acknowledging the intimate relationship between war and cinema, this chapter suggests – through a case study of the Hollywood blockbuster Top Gun – that audiovisual readings of films can contribute to an understanding of how military films construct and negotiate military identity. Top Gun enjoyed enormous commercial success, and its pervasive popularity both within and beyond military circles remains undiminished. At the same time, it has been criticised for being too closely associated with the US military, which was directly involved in its making. To understand the film’s narrative power, this chapter places particular emphasis on its soundtrack. By employing the analytic technique of hypothetical substitution – an imagining of an alternative musical element in its place – this chapter demonstrates how pop cultural movies such as Top Gun function not merely as entertainment for the masses, but also as vehicles for professional identity formation within the armed forces.
