~A text for everybody who waits for the Disney live action Mulan movie that is said to be closer to the poetry about Hua Mulan~
THERE ALREADY IS A MOVIE! Title: Mulan: Rise of a Warrior Year: 2009 Director/Producer: Jingle Ma Land of production: China Warning: Before watching delete your knowledge about the Disney movie because besides the name Mulan and the country there is nearly nothing they have in common.
Cast (just a few I think are important for the plot): Hua Mulan: Zhao Wei
Wentai: Chen Kun
Fei Xiaohu: Jaycee Chan
Mendu: Hu Jun
Rouran Princess: Liu Yuxin
Plot (as spoiler free as possible): The movie sets place somewhere 400-450 A.D. during a time where the ruling Chinese dynasty Wei is under constant attacks of the Rouran tribes. They draft soldiers from all over the country, also Hua Hu who’s a retired soldier. His daughter Mulan is intelligent and skilled in material arts. She knows her father will for sure die if he goes to war, therefore she tricks him, leaves and pretends to be his son to take his place in the army. At first only her best friend Fei Xiaohu, who also was drafted, knows. Because of an incident the battalion’s sub commander Wentai discovers Mulan’s secret but helps her to keep it secret. What follows are 10 (or was it more?) years as commander in the chinese army and trying to defend the dynasty against the Rouran tribes.
10 reasons why you should watch this movie (as spoiler free as possible): 1) Zhao Wei portrays Mulan as the strong female she needed to be in the army but without losing the human side of her. A female strong lead that still needs somebody to lean on sometimes and that is still flawed and doubting.
2) Chen Kun portrays with Wentai a male lead role that isn’t a macho warrior but has his own dead weight to pull and is content with playing Mulan’s shoulder to lean on (secretly) instead of pulling off the protective man. Strong and soft and loyal to death.
3) You follow Mulan through the horrors of war. Killing humans, losing soldiers (and friends) under your command, breaking down to the point of stupor. And handling the ambivalence of being raised a normal woman and being a battalion’s commander.
4) Jaycee Chan as the passionate, loyal and honest (sometimes dorky) best friend. That alone is a valid reason. Fight me!
5) Women although portrayed as chess piece in political issues, in the end becoming the one who hold the power to change the situation. Also other commander’s envy not because Mulan is a woman but because she is successful.
6) Closing in on the original poetry of the folk hero Mulan.
7) Love story as realistic as possible under the given circumstances in the movie and the fact that it is a movie (still need a movie where the love story will have me entranced and weep like this one).
8) Amazing soundtrack!
9) Actual Chinese actors playing Chinese characters. A country making an authentic movie about their own folklore. Isn’t that what you people on tumblr always scream for?
10) Because the story sucks you in and will have you emotional devastated when the movie ends.
So please, before waiting on a Hollywood movie on Mulan, watch the Chinese one. It’s an amazing piece of movie, and even art. I can’t even tell you all I love about it without repeating and making weird noises and failing to function. Is this movie perfect and flawless? No! But it’s still authentic and you see the work and passion behind it. It gives us non-chinese people a better understanding of Mulan. So please, don’t wait for an even more washed movie about Mulan from Hollywood. Watch a Chinese movie about a Chinese folk hero.
octoberspirit 