"Mulan Ci" is a well-known literary work in China. It has long been associated with the image of a heroine. The female revolutionary Qiu Jin also quoted her allusions into the poem, "Who Saying that women are not as good as sons and men?” and “women don’t let beards and eyebrows” have become the longest words used by Chinese parents to inspire their daughters. It can be seen that the Chinese admire Hua Mulan’s heroic deeds very much. What’s interesting is that Hua Mulan did not continue in China. The symbolic meaning of fighting against the Huns has become the most classical feminism.
We don’t need to study the differences between the Chinese text and this most American Hollywood G-rated film. It’s not difficult to see that the director just took the mantle of a Chinese story to present their usual gift to children around the world-enjoy a happy movie. The process, I think, even the most educated old gentleman will not feel sorry for this cartoon. It is so cute, kids like it, so what else can it do? It's really not for people who are getting older.
Therefore, what I am concerned about is the success of cartoons in reproducing classic Chinese stories. Although it is only a market success, from the perspective of selling Chinese charm, the Americans did open a window for us-how do we go How about expressing my collection and being liked by others? Do you use an old Chinese face to talk about Hua Mulan, Yang Jiajiang, and Yue Fei Huo Yuanjia? Impossible, this is an era of shallow reading, just to make everyone happy, so we saw that at the end of the movie "Mulan", the Americans gave us a more Chinese ending. The emperor said to Li Xiang, "Such a good girl is not found everywhere." Li Xiang also enlightened him and came to Hua's house to return the hat. The most amazing thing is Mulan: Can you stay for dinner? Here, you can understand it as another flattery of Hollywood's expectations for the children, and of course it can also be seen as the Americans who have completely overwhelmed the happy ending in China. In the original text, it was only written that Mulan’s former friends came to visit Hua’s house, not to mention that there are men who have a secret affection for Mulan. Here, we need to look at the special care for Mulan in the movie. The most sensitive one is Arranged a bathing episode. On the one hand, it paved the way for the general goalkeeper to believe that Mulan was a woman. On the other hand, it also welcomed the small audience's initial understanding and interest in the relationship between the sexes. Of course, the scene is naturally well-dissolved, humorous and not lacking in "interesting". On the other hand, our text can't find any clues in this respect. How can anyone understand it without a gimmick? Therefore, a big advantage of Hollywood is that it has truly "feminized" Mulan. Both children and older audiences around the world feel cordial and pleasant. It can be seen that emotional drama is an indispensable part of Hollywood in the United States. It reflects the American attitude towards humanity: everyone is full of emotions—whether she is a hero or not, and the Chinese are very serious when they meet a hero, and they always want to make him tall, big, and all-encompassing. Nong, finally weathered into an ancient symbol in the long river of history, not lively, this is the reason why our national hero will be promoted in the hands of the Americans. I think it’s normal for a man to like Mulan. If there are any hints in "Mulan Ci", the price will not drop. Perhaps, our Chinese audiences today will be able to criticize the movie with confidence after watching the movie. Li Xiang in the animation is indeed not as handsome as described in the book.
In addition, we can see that the film also boldly added interesting characters to the original work. This is certainly not the fault of "Mulan Ci", but we can see that Xiaolong and Xiao Cricket still won a lot of money, starting from the movie "The Lion King" This kind of gag character has become the most distinctive element in Disney animation. This time it’s "moving the knife" in the Chinese classics. Of course, Disney has come to grips with his hands. Sometimes it has become the most important role in promoting the storyline and making laughs. See After the movie, you still believe that there are no such two guys, but if you think of this movie, you will first think of the little dragon accompanied by Chen Peisi. This is the advantage of giving the classics to Disney. There are all kinds of them. To explain an ancient story, they have built a world of Mulan that is completely different from China. Perhaps this version is more famous than ours, or perhaps, our children knew it before they read "Mulan Ci". Mulan has a boyfriend, and a little dragon and little cricket are her pets. This is Disney. Do you mean it is good or hate it? It's really tough.
Of course, we can see that even the little dragons and little crickets are actually the products of the Americans’ respect and “understanding” of Chinese culture. The little dragons are the messengers of the ancestors of the Hua family. Respect for the ancestors is the first and most profound thing that China gave to the world. The impression of dragon is the most Chinese symbol, so even Chinese audiences can pay for it, not to mention the little cricket in the cage! He is used to pray for blessings, which embodies the Chinese people’s awe of the heavens and the earth. Although they are completely deconstructed by the Americans, there is no lack of "Chinese flavor" in the end. In addition, such as the blind date of Mulan, the respect of the matchmaker and Mulan’s father to the gods, etc. They all have strong Chinese characteristics, and, I can say, the techniques are no worse than Chinese real-life costume dramas, or even better.
"Mulan Ci" and the movie "Mulan" can be regarded as two interpretations of the same event. The Chinese have their own narrative methods of tactful and wandering, and Americans also have the direct and simple style of cowboy, whichever you like. The real Mulan is only in your own heart.
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