Flying School: The Lost Masterpiece

Summary

George Smith, a pompous documentarian looking for his ticket to Scorsese-an levels of respectability, hits the jackpot when he finds the original "Top Gun" buried in the bowels of Paramount: a John Cassavetes film made in 1980 and then bought by Sherry Lansing to be remade, and silently buried.

George interviews the "Meg Ryan" of Cassavetes' original "Top Gun," a slightly sentimental and highly unstable actress named Julianne Argerich, who leads us down memory lane and offers insights that only one of Cassavetes' most wannabe friends can provide. But the richest moments of the film are the scenes themselves: the awkward reunion in the hangar on the first day of class, the car chase scene between "Charlie" and "Maverick" where she confesses his love, and the sexy, sweaty all-male volleyball game- every scene richer as originally intended, a small film shot in Cassavetes' back yard with his usual cast, Gena Rowlands (in the role later reprised by Kelly McGillis), Ben Gazzara (in the role later reprised by Tom Cruise) and of course, John Cassavetes himself, talking their emotional demons out.

Crew

DirectorChristopher Touchton
ScreenwriterChristopher Touchton
Director of PhotographyAaron Proctor
Assistant CameraSpencer Goodall
Production CompanyFWD:labs
GafferDrew Valenti
GripAlex Feuer
Make-upCourtney Lane
Assistant DirectorNora Gruber
Production AssistantBetsi Freeman

Talent

JulianneSuzanne Dodd
TDarline Ann Harris
GeorgeDonald Squires
GenaPhoebe Ventouras
BenRoddi Castroreale
SeymoreGary Klavans
PeterMike Pasternak
KatherineGabrielle Conforti

Links

IMDb

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