Mulan; or, Rise of a Legend
Someone once said, go too far from home and you will lose your roots. Kill too many people, and you will forget yourself. If you die in battle, your life will sink into the ground like rain and vanish without a trace. If at that time, you fall in love with someone, hope will blossom again from the earth and embrace life passionately.
Hua Mulan, the courageous woman who joined the ranks of the Imperial Army and saved China from invasion, needs no introduction. The ancient Chinese legend was popularised in the West by the 1998 Disney animation under the same title. In the view of the approaching live-action adaptation (to be premiered on September 4, 2020 on Disney+), I think it is worth to take a look at other popular retelling of Mulan’s story, namely Jingle Ma’s production from the year 2009 with Vicky Zhao in the leading role.
Release Info
Someone once said, go too far from home and you will lose your roots. Kill too many people, and you will forget yourself. If you die in battle, your life will sink into the ground like rain and vanish without a trace. If at that time, you fall in love with someone, hope will blossom again from the earth and embrace life passionately.
Hua Mulan, the courageous woman who joined the ranks of the Imperial Army and saved China from invasion, needs no introduction. The ancient Chinese legend was popularised in the West by the 1998 Disney animation under the same title. In the view of the approaching live-action adaptation (to be premiered on September 4, 2020 on Disney+), I think it is worth to take a look at other popular retelling of Mulan’s story, namely Jingle Ma’s production from the year 2009 with Vicky Zhao in the leading role.
Release Info
Directed by: Jingle Ma Staring: Vicky Zhao, Chen Kun, Hu Jun, Jaycee Chan, Yu Rongguang
Language: Mandarin Original Title: 花木蘭 Runtime: 114 min
Language: Mandarin Original Title: 花木蘭 Runtime: 114 min
Synopsis
China, 450 A.D. The kingdom is under attack from the Rouran tribes. Due to the announcement of a nationwide draft, a retired soldier Hua Hu (Yu Rongguang) is enlisted again. However, he is elderly man struggling with disability. His only daughter Hua Mulan (Vicky Zhao) cannot accept this and she disguises herself as a man, takes her father’s weapon and escapes the household. She joins the army and participates in the confrontations with the Rourans. Her achievements on the battlefield are so outstanding that Mulan even receives the title of the general. However, in the course of the twelve year war, Mulan cannot stand losing her friends in battles. She mourns the love of her life, Wentai (Chen Kun).
China, 450 A.D. The kingdom is under attack from the Rouran tribes. Due to the announcement of a nationwide draft, a retired soldier Hua Hu (Yu Rongguang) is enlisted again. However, he is elderly man struggling with disability. His only daughter Hua Mulan (Vicky Zhao) cannot accept this and she disguises herself as a man, takes her father’s weapon and escapes the household. She joins the army and participates in the confrontations with the Rourans. Her achievements on the battlefield are so outstanding that Mulan even receives the title of the general. However, in the course of the twelve year war, Mulan cannot stand losing her friends in battles. She mourns the love of her life, Wentai (Chen Kun).
Having seen this movie and the 1998 animation back to back, I noticed that people at Disney have taken a lot of liberties with the original story. Jingle Ma’s movie is an attempt to faithfully represent the source of material. In Mulan (2009) there is no place for magic (sorry, Mushu!) and saving the Emperor subplot does not occur at all. Interestingly, two people know Mulan’s secret and they do not give it away. What is more, she becomes a badass general and fights for twelve years (while accepting no reward for her sacrifices)! The legend of Mulan is about the devotion of a single woman to her kingdom.
If you are waiting to check out the Disney's live-action version, try to watch this one as well. Mulan (2009) is a decent historical epic which will make you look at the character of Hua Mulan from a different perspective. I hope that I will also be able to check out the numerous drama adaptations of the legend which were made over the years.
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