[Lee Jong-gil's Film Reading] The Fading of the Autonomous Female Image

Movie 'Mulan' Focuses on Active and Healthy Women
Fails to Capture the Essence of the 22-Year-Old Animated Original

Movie 'Mulan' still cut

※ This article contains many potential spoilers for the movie.

The live-action version of "Mulan" is a highly controversial film, even setting aside external issues such as lead actress Liu Yifei's criticism of the Hong Kong democracy protesters and filming in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It severely diminishes the independent female image portrayed in the original 1998 animated film. In its rush to depict an active and healthy woman, it fails to grasp the essence.

The focus is misplaced from the very depiction of young Mulan. She is a troublemaker who chases chickens and turns the neighborhood into a disaster zone. Director Niki Caro points to two things: an energetic personality and an extraordinary spirit. The animation did not capture the latter, instead portraying her as an ordinary woman. Thanks to that, the arduous journey she undertakes easily gained empathy.

Mulan cuts her long hair and enlists in the army under the name "Ping" in place of her elderly father. She suffers many hardships due to lacking the stamina and strength of men. However, she grows into a brave soldier by demonstrating exceptional will and wisdom. Even Captain Shang, who initially did not acknowledge her, comes to accept her as a comrade.

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The live-action version omits this development. It only depicts Mulan as someone who painstakingly hides her extraordinary martial arts skills. To avoid being discovered as a woman, she volunteers for night watch and pretends to struggle equally in training that the men find tough. It does not address social discrimination faced by women but only highlights difficulties experienced by a superhuman.

Mulan reveals her true self when she encounters the witch Xian Lang (Gong Li), who also possesses extraordinary abilities like her. She throws off her armor and charges into the battlefield as a woman. However, the armor secretly brought along is her father's. The night before leaving home, she secretly watches her father training. Seeing him clutch his injured leg, she believes he would not survive if he went to battle. The armor she wears with affection ultimately symbolizes her love for her father and, more broadly, her family. By portraying this as a constraint of a male-centered society, Mulan's identity becomes ambiguous.

The live-action film lacks any lines suggesting the necessity of an independent woman. Although it seems to follow the animation's story, the expression is clumsy throughout. A representative example is the scene where Mulan detects the Huns' (the live-action version's Rouran tribe) infiltration of the imperial palace and insists to Captain Shang (General Teng in the live-action) that they must prepare for an ambush. In the animation, Mulan personally persuades Captain Shang, who belatedly realizes her identity.

"They are alive. They are nearby." "This is not a place for you. Go back." "Shang, I saw it with my own eyes. Please believe me." "Why should I?" "Why would I come back? You said you trust Ping. Mulan is the same person."

Movie 'Mulan' Still Cut

In the live-action version, Mulan's comrade Honghui appeals on her behalf. "You believe Jun (Mulan's alias in the live-action), so why can't you believe Mulan?" Director Caro might argue that many men already recognize women's independence. However, Honghui also discovers Mulan's identity late. It is unreasonable to say he acts for her without any hesitation or conflict.

The female ideal Mulan pursues would not be welcomed in modern society either, as she is absorbed into the existing social system. She subdues Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee) with astonishing martial arts and submits to the Emperor (Li Lianjie). Appointed as a royal guard officer, she becomes an enforcer protecting the existing system. She has no intention of rescuing women suffering from oppression and discrimination. Instead, she congratulates her younger sister, who is about to marry through male-centered matchmaking, and tries to conform to traditional customs.

The animation released 22 years ago is much more progressive than the live-action version. The Emperor, whose life was saved by Mulan's efforts, bows in gratitude. Mulan refuses to become a royal advisor. Yet, she does not completely turn her back. She receives a seal and a sword as gifts and embraces the Emperor warmly. Watching Mulan leave to reunite with her family, the Emperor tells Captain Shang, "The flower that blooms after overcoming adversity is the most beautiful flower. Even after a thousand years, there will be no woman like her."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.