花木兰电影解析-英文.doc

Instructors Name三月 15, 20The Adaption of Chinese Traditional Legend MuLan Abstract MuLan is a legend story from ancient China back to Bei Dynasty. The original story is telling a girl called Mu Lan, she disguised herself as a man to join the army on behalf of her sick and old father. As the legend is influential in history, there are lots of adaptions came to the market, and the most influential one is the classic movie from Walt Disney. This assay will be focus about the points of view which different from original legend and the movie. By the character Mu Lan, the adaption version changed the Chinese traditional woman future into a girl who is more western and vivid and she has more friends in movie than legend ; The movie also added the element of love with Li Xiang; Also, the description of war in detail has been added than original. The theme of the movie portrayed a girl who is self-fulfillment, chasing for freedom and love which the original legend did not tell this part. That is the reason Walt Disneys culture background entitled this change. There are 3 parts of my essay :The exploration of the original legend and the adaption movie, what are the changed parts ; The analysis of why these adaption happened; My understanding of the adaption, which version I prefer and why. Part I The Chinese Legend Mu Lan & The Walt Disney Mu Lan The original legend story was wrote in ancient China. To say the background of that time, during the war, every family in her country need to contribute a male person to join the army. In Mu Lans family, there is only a man there, her father who is really sick and old. So the story starts :“jiji (the sound of loom), there is no sound of the loom but only heavily sigh from Mu Lan. Ask she what is she thinking, she said yesterday I saw the military conscription. There is no brothers in my family ,I have only a old father. I am willing to go instead of my father. Mu Lan bought all the things need and farewell to her parents, join the war until few years later, the military won the war, the king asked she what do HE want after the war, Mu Lan said she doesnt want any trasure, she want a horse and get back home. So she get back home as a girl eventually, which surprise all her friends because no one knows she is a girl.” This is a short and complete story of Mu Lan in original. The movie adapted lots of part as well as kept some parts of original. Here I will point out two parts in difference . First Adaption :The outline of Mu Lan. In the original legend, there are only 2 part of word described what Mu Lan looks like: at the beginning of the legend, “she sighed.” and she back home she took of she clothing and change it back to female dresses with flowers on her head. You can tell Mu Lan is a traditional Chinese girl, weak and pretty a sigh, isnt she soft and need protection? In the movie, Mu Lan talk loudly, laugh loudly. She is not a weak and soft girl in the movie. The movie starts the same point as the original, the motivation is the same : she joint the army on behalf of her father. But she is not a girl who suits her original living environment. She does not want to stay in her little valley for the rest of her life, she want to be some one who have her own life in hand. she also had a boyfriend which she loved instead of by arrangement. There is no love relationship mentioned in original legend; Third part is about the war description : in the legend, Mu Lan heard when she was in the war-she about the people are killing each other, she can not hear anything from her home, she is away from home. She was very brave because she was missing her home and she also behaved very good to be promoted as a big general and she is thanked by the king by her outstanding performance in the army; In the adaption version of movie, Mu Lan was encouraged by her boyfriend and she is a solider instead of a general by the war end. No king gave her any word by her outstanding behavior during the war. In all , Mu Lan is a soft and weak in heart girl in the original legend:She may not have her willing to control her destiny such as a love relationship but she works hard for gaining reputation and hoping to do something good for her parents. The Mu Lan in the movie is cute and alive, she is willing to control her life and she adores love and hope to be loved. She follows her heart instead of been obedience to her parents for the rest of her life. Second Adaption: The Core Storyline. The original legend is telling a story that a daughter tried to join the army on behalf of her father. The motivation of Mu Lan is to be a dutiful daughter to her father and nothing else matters.“If it not because of her father, Mu Lan herself doesnt have any motivation of join the army, in spite of try to be equal with men”. She is doing housework home and satisfy her life; During the time she was in army, she is always missing her parents; so all these can be said Mu Lan is a dutiful girl and she is not willing to take big challenge for fitful her own willings. That is why after the war, she doesnt want anything from the king, high titles , career, money, she just wants go home and doing her obligation. The movie is somehow different of why Mu Lan goes to army. Mu Lan was arranged by their parents to see someone and prepare for a arranged marriage which she doesnt like it at all. So her motivation is more about herself. She is girl full of self-fulfillment, so when the woman matchmaker complained about Mu Lan is not a bride who can honor her family, Mu Lan tried to look inside herself and find the value in her heart. Once there is a chance for her (her father need to join army by the call of duty) So the real motivation for Mu Lan, original is for her family duty, the adaption is for herself. When it comes to the war, Mu Lan was found she is a girl, she said she want to prove herself. Mu Lan here in adaption version is a girl with American Dream.Part II The analysis of the adaption Assume that the background changed, if Mu Lans father is not requested to join the army, the adapted Mu Lan may also try to find other opportunities to prove herself. Help her father to join the army is just one of those opportunities: she used her dog to feed her chicken, write the “should be” on her arm when she arranged to see the matchmaker,she is not traditional Mu Lan. Disney used this feature to describe Mu Lan to cater to mainstream of US value : Individualism.This value is the opposite of collectivism.Individualism deem the person in society is independent. So everyone have their independent ideas, rights and freedom. So the personal value is the most important part than obligations. From the legend , the man priority is the mainstream value in traditional China but movie changed it.In the legend, Mu Lan is using the loom at home we can tell she is kind of girl who will not stand out her family and change the tradition. But the adaption version of Mu Lan , she is not obey what other people told her should to, she should be quiet when she was in the bride test, she said loudly “I am here.” When her father was sent to army, her traditional female mother said nothing at the house gate but crying. Mu Lan rushed out and drag her fathers hand and did not allow her to go. The reason caused these adaption is because the culture difference between Chinese and American. The value difference is the core. In China, the value of collectivism is the most important part in society, in long run of history, the agriculture is the economic base, so the collectivism could help people survive in the society, the unit is family. The family organization influent most the Chinese family, so do the duties to the parents is the most important part. The right of succession is by family blood, male to female, older to young, so this succession tradition influenced womens position and the limit of people will be influenced by their economic position. To be different, the American was influenced by individualism. The American Dream saying that no matter your background, who you are, if you have a dream you should reach and grab it by yourself. This value is developed by Renaissance world view, the Declaration of Independence also mentioned that people are born fair, the rights are all equals to people. American people raise up their children by a individual person and respect their personality; their child who is over 18 years old should try to raise up themselves instead of living together; when you become adult , you dont have to share your money your parents. The original Mu Lan is try to praise Chinese traditions so do the adaption version, that is why the difference come.Part III My Understanding A tradition story and a movie are two symbols. Legend is using the words, so the audience will use their imagination to image their own version of hamlet. For Mu Lan, it is a short story, i.e. there are only 30 words to describe the detail of the war, but the movie put two more characters and used more than 10 mins to draw how a brave girl Mu Lan is. That is to say, movie has to be adapted. Personally I love more the adaption movie. I have to the the way with visual and real words will attract me more than ancient Chinese words. The description of Mu Lan, a lovely girl compare with the one from the legend, she is alive and I can really image who she is instead of legend Mu