I was recently on a flight to Hong Kong and in the airline’s collection of Chinese movies, ‘Mulan’ was available. I was curious, obviously because I have known and loved the Disney version for years. It was nominated for a 2010 Best Film award in Hong Kong, and after watching it I can see why. It was an extraordinary film. While I have always loved the Disney’s Mulan, and as I got older, came to appreciate the accuracy with which they tried to convey the original poem, something about it has always bothered me. I did not know what exactly though, until I had watched this adaption of Mulan.
There is something in the Chinese culture in its portrayal of romance that cannot be adapted – and certainly not by an American company, with its need for a happy ending and a final message of ‘good will conquer evil, the guy gets the girl and everyone is a hero’. That does not happen in the Chinese adaption, although the story still comes from the same source material. It is set during the reign of Emperor Xiaowen, wherein the tribe of Rouran has declared war on the nation of Wei. Mulan disguises herself as a man and joins the fight for Wei, in place of her elderly and sick father. The key difference in this adaption though is in how and when she is discovered. At the time she first enlists, her friend from her home village, Tiger, realises who she is right away, but swears to keep her secret. Fellow soldier Wentai discovers her secret not much later, one night when she is bathing and she fights with him in an attempt to keep her from discovering her. In the resulting tussle he can of course feel that she is not a man, and so discretely sets out to discover who this woman is.
It’s not long before Wentai’s suspicions are confirmed. Mulan is set to be severely punished for an unrelated crime, but an unexpected enemy attack sees Wentai rescuing her from certain death at the hands of the attackers. Though she is told to flee, she does not, and actually kills the Commander of the attacking army, altering the battle moral for the enemy and effectively enabling their victory. Her superiors and Wentai are so impressed with her bravery and fighting skills that they promote her, along with Wentai. This continues throughout the next few years, with Mulan and Wentai consistently winning their battles with strength and strategy. Wentai notices however, that Mulan is weakened by her soft heart; her love and compassion for her fellow soldiers impairs her judgement in times of battle. So when Wentai is injured in battle, he takes the opportunity to fake his death, effectively cutting Mulan from her greatest friend in the army. After the resulting depression Mulan falls into, in an attempt to ‘cure’ her, Tiger declares rather abruptly that she must become a better General to protect the remaining soldiers.
It works, and Mulan becomes one of the most renown and feared Generals of the Emperors Army. Wentai continues to watch from the sidelines, pretending to be a regular soldier. At the same time, Rouran’s leadership has passed to the son, who is a ruthless Commander, having killed his father to obtain this leadership. By this point however, everyone else is desperate for a peaceful outcome. In the final battle, Mulan suggests a strategy that will ensure certain victory for the Wei army, defeating the 200,000 strong Rouran army with just 20,000 men of her own. It relies on a supporting General however, who is a coward and betrays her. The army holds out for as long as they can, but in the end they are starving, sick and already dying. So Mulan proposes a martyrs death to her soldiers, which they proudly support. This is when Wentai reveals himself to be a Prince of Wei and exchanges his life for that of the battalion. The trade is accepted by the Rouran leader and they leave with Wentai as their prisoner.
Mulan, now aware that he is still alive, goes to rescue him, alone. She finds and manages to come to an agreement with the Princess of Rouran. They both want peace, and so the Princess will marry Wentai to bring about that peace between the two nations. Even though Mulan is in love with Wentai, she encourages this as a way to stop the fighting. Then she can go back to nursing her father in her village. Their plan works, and when she is brought before the Emperor, he does not punish her for concealing her gender. At the same time, it is announced that Wentai will marry the Princess of Rouran and to form an alliance with the two nations. It is clear that Wentai does not wish to marry her, even though it will bring peace, but he agrees to after some persuasion from Mulan.
This ending is what really struck me, above all else. At the very end, the Prince comes to visit Mulan in her village, and asks that she elope with him. However, she tells him that he must do his duty and return to his betrothed. After all the fighting they had done, this would bring the peace that had craved for so long, therefore they would have to bear the sacrifice. To me, this signifies the Chinese moral of the day – sacrifice yourself if it will mean the prosperity of others. Even though it is very clear they both love each other deeply, Wentai sadly leaves the village to return to the palace. There is no intimacy between the two; no romance is obscenely displayed across the screen. Instead, there are small moments, lingering stares and the promise between the two of them to protect her identity. When she is gravely wounded and suffering a high fever, Wentai risks his own health to cut into his wrist and allow his blood to keep her hydrated. He gives himself over to the enemy to save not just all of his troops, but her life in particular. This transcends beyond romance into something more, something more subtle yet at the same time dynamic. The two actors do an outstanding job of conveying the relationship and companionship of the two Generals. This can also be said for the rest of the cast, all of the soldiers in Mulan’s battalion have distinct personalities, and you become attached to each of these very well developed and loveable characters.
While it may be said that in today’s world, the romantic in all of us craves for the onscreen lovers to have their happy ending, I am still very pleased with this not-quite-happy-ending. It is more realistic, in my opinion. For this reason, I give Mulan a Cool Plus. I guarantee that you will find something you like about this movie, whether it is the main characters or supporting cast, the cinematography or the plot itself.
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