But since we're on the subject . . .
I've always loved Chinese culture. But that's only part of the reason I love Mulan.
She risks her life to save her father. That is so cool. At the same time, she has to battle the fact that she is not what society says she should be. Because of this, she cannot bring honor to her family, which is obviously pretty important in Chinese culture. She feels that she doesn't fit in. However, when she goes "against the rules" to save her father's life, she finds the courage and strength to save the emperor and China.
And I love the song "Be a Man" even though I'm a girl. I get into it everytime I watch it. It's too epic.
Shang is probably the most stereotypically masculine "prince" out of the films. Most of the time, he hides his true feelings, even his joy when he is promoted to captain. His relationship with his father is based on respect and admiration but not affection. I wonder if he cried in his tent when he found out about his father's death.
And the other guys in the film are very concerned about masculinity but change and become more tender at the end. Even Yao, the toughest one, sheds a tear. However, Mulan's balance of both stereotypically masculine and stereotypically feminine traits is upheld as ideal and heroic. There's also the message of how men and woman should be treated equally. Mulan summarizes this concept when she tells Shang, "You said you'd trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?" She was saying, "Whether I'm a man or a woman, I deserve respect."
It's also interesting to note that Ching Fu, "least masculine" man in the film, is sexist and believes that Mulan isn't worth anything simply because she's a woman. There's so many layers to the gender portrayals in this film that you can watch it over and over observing them in fascination.
The blossom at the beginning of the film was a symbol of Mulan's growth. She wasn't ready to bloom, and when she did, she was "the most beautiful of all" despite the fact that she wasn't dressed like a bride and decked out in makeup and a fan the way she was. Mulan's inner beauty is the focus of the film,
although I believe that Mulan probably wouldn't mind dressing up like a bride
again. The fact that she didn't feel that she represented the character traits
that were supposed to go along with the outfit were what unsettled her and made
her question herself: If I can't be what society says I should be, then what am I
supposed to be? And can I still be myself and be happy and bring honor to my parents? That's the main thing, mind you. Honor is number one in their culture. Mulan did what she did to save her father's life, but when she got home, the first thing she was concerned about was showing her father that the Fa family had been honored. I love that part with her father and its significance in the film. No matter how much honor and fame she brought to the family, the most important thing for her father was the fact that she was his daughter. That was enough to make him proud of her.
Notes on Mulan 2: Well, first of all the way they animate Shang is sooo soo wrong. He's way handsomer in the first movie and there's so much devotion to making him look ridiculous. It's just so wrong. And the caliber of animation and music is just not as good as the original. The only thing I like about the second movie is the wedding, the fight that Mulan and Shang have about maps, and the part where Mulan screams when she finds out the princesses and the soldiers. Also, there are two things wrong with Mushu in the sequel: he's not voiced by Eddie Murphy and he's completely unlikable. In the first, he gets over himself (somewhat); in the second, he's back where he started and even more selfish than the first time.
Conclusion: Mulan rocks! She's strong and independent but does not lose her femininity.
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