They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the PRC, it’s more like copyright theft:
A few days ago, China Central Television showed footage of what they claimed was an air force training exercise conducted on January 23. From the looks of things, they were actually just playing clips from Top Gun.
The clips in question were reportedly aired during the News Broadcast program on China Central Television, the major state television broadcast company. They supposedly showed a J-10 fighter firing a missile at another aircraft during a practice exercise.
But an internet commenter quickly pointed out that the aircraft the J-10 was shown shooting down was an F-5, an American aircraft, and the very one Tom Cruise guns down in a scene from Top Gun. Comparing frames from the CCTV broadcast (left) and Top Gun (right), well, they’re lookin’ pretty much identical.
Yup. Pretty much.
Can’t wait for the shower scene….
Depends on who’s in it
Wonder if we can get Lex to do Icemans part? 8=)
As I thought – the Chinese are working with the 1st Combat Media Manipulation Wing for The Bringing of Death to Infidels of the Iranian Air Force.
George V.
Now there’s a thought – whoever owns the copyright for Top Gun should sue.
Too bad it wasn’t a twin tailed F-5.
Well as my old drill sarge said, “Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.”
But the Chinese haven’t smoked anything like an F-5 lately, so they have to borrow.
Wrote a bit about this over at my corner at US Navy Jeep….pretty pathetic…..for a country whose heritage and culture speaks so highly about the concept of ” HONOR “, they deonstrate daily that they collectively have no HONOR…..Talk about ” losing face ” – Their damn faces fell off.
CHI-COMS like to talk a good game and have some terrific PR but it always seems to be like the Wizard of Oz …..” Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain….”
Sir, I believe you are a mistaken, they shot down a Mig-28 and now three people have “been that close.”
Long Time Reader, First Time caller,
Active Duty E-2 guy
But was this clip originated by their military, or by their press propagandists?
Granted, the difference is slight at best in Xinhua, but you can see similar things in the US media all the time:
“Important story with no exciting visuals? Why, we’ll just use some ‘stock footage’ to ‘illustrate’ the story. Never mind we’re showing Army pictures while reading a Marine story, or pictures of British troops when talking about US combat actions… it’s all the same, amirite?”
No sense in assuming their reporters are any smarter than ours…
“No sense in assuming their reporters are any smarter than ours…” Thank MAO for small favors.
The gay community really loved the volley ball game…don’t suppose anyone here will volunteer for those scenes….
Are you saying…when the Chinese Air Force shot down the alien mother ship, after infecting the invading aliens with a computer virus…that wasn’t real? Aw, man….
I bought a fake Rolex last time I was in the PRC. Looked a lot like the real thing but it wasn’t. Passing off cheap imitations and of course everyone knows it. It’s big business over there but it never quite measures up.
Well….it was a good movie.