Disney developed the story of "Mulan in the Army" into a three-act play, each centered on a representative scene.
The first scene takes place in the family. As a daughter, Mulan, because she does not conform to the traditional female role of marrying a married woman, further develops the idea of violating the social rules - and instead assumes the responsibility of a son. Here, the motive of filial piety and righteousness in the ancient text of "Mulan Ci" is "to serve the father" and "join the army", is quietly replaced by a modern spirit of "Nala run away".
In this scene, there is an impressively decisive moment for Mulan's transformation of identity, when Mulan draws her sword, the blade reflecting her face, and then she uses the sword to break her hair and put on a man's attire. This passage containing the theme song "Reflection", emotionally speaking, is actually a picture of inner externalization mixed with perseverance and pain. The perseverance lies in Mulan's courageous choice to embark on a journey of self-breakthrough; but the pain lies in the fact that she has to give up her female identity as the price and premise.
The second act shows Mulan's experience in the army, including recruit training and fighting on the battlefield. Entering the military camp means that Mulan wants to become a masculine man, and the strength of bravery often belongs to the full manifestation of masculinity. And through practice, Mulan became stronger and stronger than before, and was promoted to a qualified soldier.
However, when Mulan was discovered to be a woman, she was immediately expelled by her compatriots. At this time, Mulan's previous contribution to repelling the enemy was nothing but pale. The reason is that the progress made by the individual is still unable to override the gender differentiation and opposition in the gender order.
Act III The army arrives at the palace, and Mulan, who has regained her femininity, saves the emperor with supreme power, thereby "solving the hidden crisis in a masculine system". So in the award ceremony where everyone saluted, the climax of the film came. Mulan finally gained the recognition, empowerment and even love of men, and her maverick was regarded as a role model for women.
However, what cannot be avoided at the end is how to deal with the issue of Mulan's identity as a woman. The rescue operation, which was originally witnessed in public, seems to have provided Mulan with an opportunity to intervene in the public domain and manage institutional affairs. But whether it is an off-screen reality or an imaginative expression, in the end, Mulan should stay in the situation where she changes into women's clothes, returns to the patriarchal family, and maintains a stable life.
This presentation may be due to the limitations of a certain era. After all, more than one or two plots in the animation look outdated. For example, the jokes made by men and women cross-dressing each other are full of vulgar and twisted stereotypes; Mulan is good at winning with the help of ingenuity and ingenuity.
However, in the past 20 years since the end of the last century, the social atmosphere has undergone continuous evolution. Seeing that the live-action movie is devoted to action scenes and making Mulan a heroine, I know that this "remake" will not be a repeat of the same old tune.
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