It has been 36 years since Tom Cruise’s high-flying blockbuster Top Gun graced our screens, and its long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick is now playing in theaters. However, when the trailer of the sequel was released three years ago, the Taiwanese flag patch stitched on the bomber jacket that Cruise’s character wore was removed, but has now been restored for the theatrical release of the film.
Last Monday, a test screening of Top Gun: Maverick was held in Taiwan. There was loud cheer and applause from the moviegoers when they spotted the blue-sky-with-white-sun Taiwanese flag back on Cruise’s jacket.
The iconic jacket made its first appearance in the 1986 original, Top Gun. It was made to commemorate the US navy cruiser USS Galveston’s operation in the Far East off Japan and Taiwan from 1963 to 1964. Therefore, on the back of the leather jacket, there were patches of Taiwanese, Japanese, and American flags, along with the United Nations’ emblem.
Photo courtesy of UIP via Liberty Times 照片：UIP提供
Back in 2019, the sequel trailer stirred up a controversy when viewers noticed the Taiwanese flag scrubbed from Cruise’s jacket, while the American and the United Nations’ flags remained intact. This led former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo to urge Hollywood to stop bowing to Chinese censorship in exchange for its market.
Top Gun: Maverick hit Taiwanese movie theaters on Wednesday last week.
(Translated by Rita Wang, Taipei Times)
好萊塢男星湯姆克魯斯主演的電影「捍衛戰士」續集，睽違三十六年回歸，但三年前電影預告首次釋出時，湯姆克魯斯飛行外套上的中華民國國旗一度被消失，沒想到正片竟被保留。
「捍衛戰士：獨行俠」上週一舉辦台灣媒體試片，「阿湯哥」湯姆克魯斯穿著的飛行員夾克上出現青天白日滿地紅「中華民國國旗」時，引起滿堂喝采。
阿湯哥穿著的這件經典外套，在一九八六年電影「捍衛戰士」首集就曾出現，是紀念美軍巡洋艦加爾維斯敦號一九六三到一九六四年遠東巡弋任務，由於行經日本、台灣等國家，繡有中華民國、日本、美國國旗與聯合國旗幟。
不過三年前，續集「捍衛戰士：獨行俠」預告釋出時，阿湯哥外套上的中華民國國旗一度「被消失」，只剩下美國國旗與聯合國旗幟的圖案，引發熱議，前美國國務卿蓬佩奧當時更呼籲好萊塢應挺直腰桿，不要為了票房屈服於中國審查。
「捍衛戰士：獨行俠」已於五月二十五日全台上映。
（中央社）
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