Mulan (2009 film)
Encyclopedia
Mulan, known in Chinese as Hua Mulan, is a 2009 Chinese film starring Zhao Wei
as the titular protagonist
. The director, Jingle Ma
, has explained that this film is vastly different from the 1998 Walt Disney
animated film and adheres more to his imagination. Zhao Wei was cast by Ma as Hua Mulan over actresses Zhang Ziyi
, Michelle Yeoh
, and Liu Yifei
, who were reportedly also considered for the role.
The Russian singer Vitas
also has a role in this film and helped publicize the film by providing a song titled Beneath the Glory for the film score.
, about a young woman who dresses as a man to fight in the war in place of her father. At the start of the film, Mulan lives with her aging father Hua Hu, a former soldier for the Northern Wei
Dynasty. One day, envoys from the emperor arrive, announcing that an army is being mustered to fight off an invasion by the nomadic Rouran
. As her father prepares to again go to war, Mulan, in the middle of the night, takes his armor and his sword and takes his place.
In camp, she meets and befriends several other soldiers, including Xiaohu, a fellow villager who recognizes Mulan but promises to keep her gender a secret. She also meets Wentai, an officer who takes a liking to the young soldier. Mulan's identity is at jeopardy, however, when Mulan admits to stealing a jade pendant owned by another soldier to avoid participating in a strip search. Scheduled for execution, she is only saved when Wentai loosens her binds during a surprise attack by Rouran. Rather than escaping, Mulan proves her bravery when she turns the tide of battle by killing the enemy general. Mulan's exploits are rewarded and she and Wentai are promoted through the ranks of the army, eventually reaching the status of general. Despite their victories, Wentai realizes that Mulan is still too emotionally attached to both himself and to her men, and fakes his death after suffering an ambush by the Rouran. Hiding in the medical tent, Wentai watches as Mulan first falls into deep despair before eventually overcoming her grief to become one of the emperor's finest generals.
After twelve years of fighting, the Rouran is near a breaking point. The foster son of the Rouran Dayan, Mendu nevertheless still thirsts for power and kills his less ambitious father to take the Rouran crown. Gathering an army of 200,000, he invades the Wei heartland once more. In response, Mulan develops a plan that will trap and eventually destroy the invasion, despite the Rouran superiority in men and supplies. She is given command of 20,000 soldiers and wins an early victory before retreat to a canyon. Awaiting support from the commander in chief of the Wei forces, she eventually finds herself betrayed by her superior when no supplies and no support is forthcoming. With an army slowly dying from thirst and wounds, Mulan prepares for a martyr's death when Wentai reveals himself to the Rouran as a prince of Wei, and offers himself in exchange for the safety of Mulan and her soldiers.
As Mulan's soldiers retreat, she disguises herself as a Rouran soldier and sneaks into their camp. Mulan confronts Rouran princess who dreams of peace between the Wei and the Rouran tribes. She convinces the Rouran princess to aid her, and the two and Gude assassinate Mendu and rescue Wentai. Mulan returns to the Wei capital where she at last reveals herself as a woman and not a man. The Wei emperor nevertheless rewards her and announces that his son, Wentai, will marry the Rouran princess to bring peace to the lands. Mulan asks only to return to her native village. Later, Wentai pays a visit to Mulan's village and asks her to elope with him. Mulan, however, convinces Wentai the necessity of sacrificing for their country. Understanding this, Wentai sadly leaves the village.
Zhao Wei
Zhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
as the titular protagonist
Hua Mulan
Hua Mulan is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan . In the poem, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She fought for 12 years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown...
. The director, Jingle Ma
Jingle Ma
Jingle Ma Cho Shing is the Hong Kong-based writer/director of action films such as Tokyo Raiders and Seoul Raiders. He can speak 5 different languages and currently lives in Hong Kong with his 7 children.-Filmography:-External links:* at * *...
, has explained that this film is vastly different from the 1998 Walt Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
animated film and adheres more to his imagination. Zhao Wei was cast by Ma as Hua Mulan over actresses Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi
Zhang Ziyi is a Chinese film actress. Zhang is coined by the media as one of the Four Young Dan actresses in the Film Industry in China, along with Zhao Wei, Xu Jinglei, and Zhou Xun...
, Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh
Michelle Yeoh Choo-Kheng is a Hong Kong-based Malaysian Chinese actress, well known for performing her own stunts in the action films that brought her to fame in the early 1990s....
, and Liu Yifei
Liu Yifei
Liu Yifei is a Chinese actress and singer. Her legal name is Liu Ximeizi. The "茜" is from the German film Sissi .-Early life and education:Born in Tongji Hospital in Hubei, she was originally named An Feng...
, who were reportedly also considered for the role.
The Russian singer Vitas
Vitas
Vitaliy "Vitalik" Vladasovich Grachyov , better known by his stage name Vitas , is a Russian singer-songwriter.Known for his high falsetto voice, he has been given the nickname "Prince of the Dolphin Voice" in China...
also has a role in this film and helped publicize the film by providing a song titled Beneath the Glory for the film score.
Plot
Mulan follows the Chinese folktale of Hua MulanHua Mulan
Hua Mulan is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan . In the poem, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She fought for 12 years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown...
, about a young woman who dresses as a man to fight in the war in place of her father. At the start of the film, Mulan lives with her aging father Hua Hu, a former soldier for the Northern Wei
Northern Wei
The Northern Wei Dynasty , also known as the Tuoba Wei , Later Wei , or Yuan Wei , was a dynasty which ruled northern China from 386 to 534 . It has been described as "part of an era of political turbulence and intense social and cultural change"...
Dynasty. One day, envoys from the emperor arrive, announcing that an army is being mustered to fight off an invasion by the nomadic Rouran
Rouran Khaganate
Rouran , Mongolia name Jujan or Nirun Ruanruan/Ruru , Tan Tan , Juan-Juan or Zhu-Zhuwas the name of a confederation of nomadic tribes on the northern borders of Inner China from the late 4th century until the middle 6th century...
. As her father prepares to again go to war, Mulan, in the middle of the night, takes his armor and his sword and takes his place.
In camp, she meets and befriends several other soldiers, including Xiaohu, a fellow villager who recognizes Mulan but promises to keep her gender a secret. She also meets Wentai, an officer who takes a liking to the young soldier. Mulan's identity is at jeopardy, however, when Mulan admits to stealing a jade pendant owned by another soldier to avoid participating in a strip search. Scheduled for execution, she is only saved when Wentai loosens her binds during a surprise attack by Rouran. Rather than escaping, Mulan proves her bravery when she turns the tide of battle by killing the enemy general. Mulan's exploits are rewarded and she and Wentai are promoted through the ranks of the army, eventually reaching the status of general. Despite their victories, Wentai realizes that Mulan is still too emotionally attached to both himself and to her men, and fakes his death after suffering an ambush by the Rouran. Hiding in the medical tent, Wentai watches as Mulan first falls into deep despair before eventually overcoming her grief to become one of the emperor's finest generals.
After twelve years of fighting, the Rouran is near a breaking point. The foster son of the Rouran Dayan, Mendu nevertheless still thirsts for power and kills his less ambitious father to take the Rouran crown. Gathering an army of 200,000, he invades the Wei heartland once more. In response, Mulan develops a plan that will trap and eventually destroy the invasion, despite the Rouran superiority in men and supplies. She is given command of 20,000 soldiers and wins an early victory before retreat to a canyon. Awaiting support from the commander in chief of the Wei forces, she eventually finds herself betrayed by her superior when no supplies and no support is forthcoming. With an army slowly dying from thirst and wounds, Mulan prepares for a martyr's death when Wentai reveals himself to the Rouran as a prince of Wei, and offers himself in exchange for the safety of Mulan and her soldiers.
As Mulan's soldiers retreat, she disguises herself as a Rouran soldier and sneaks into their camp. Mulan confronts Rouran princess who dreams of peace between the Wei and the Rouran tribes. She convinces the Rouran princess to aid her, and the two and Gude assassinate Mendu and rescue Wentai. Mulan returns to the Wei capital where she at last reveals herself as a woman and not a man. The Wei emperor nevertheless rewards her and announces that his son, Wentai, will marry the Rouran princess to bring peace to the lands. Mulan asks only to return to her native village. Later, Wentai pays a visit to Mulan's village and asks her to elope with him. Mulan, however, convinces Wentai the necessity of sacrificing for their country. Understanding this, Wentai sadly leaves the village.
Cast
- Zhao WeiZhao WeiZhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao...
as Hua MulanHua MulanHua Mulan is a legendary figure from ancient China who was originally described in a Chinese poem known as the Ballad of Mulan . In the poem, Hua Mulan takes her aged father's place in the army. She fought for 12 years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward and retired to her hometown...
- Xu JiaoXu JiaoXu Jiao is a newcomer actress from China, who is most notable for her comedic performance in the film CJ7. Despite being a girl she played a boy in the film.-Films:*CJ7 as Dicky Chow*Mulan as Young Hua Mulan...
as young Hua Mulan
- Xu Jiao
- Chen Kun as Wentai
- Hu JunHu JunHu Jun is a Chinese actor of Manchu ethnicity. He is known for his dramatic roles in various films and television series.-Filmography:-External links:***** - Official recognition fan site...
as Mendu - Jaycee ChanJaycee ChanJaycee Chan Jo-Ming is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 2004, he released his first Mandarin CD album in Hong Kong. He is currently based in Taiwan to continue his music career.-Biography:...
as Fei Xiaohu - Nicky Lee as Hu Kui
- Liu Yu Xin as the Rouran princess
- Yu RongguangYu RongguangYu Rongguang is a Chinese actor and martial artist who started his career in Hong Kong. He is best known for the title role in Iron Monkey along with Donnie Yen as well as being featured in films such as The East Is Red, My Father Is a Hero, Musa.Yu is also known for appearing in roles for films...
as Hua Hu - VitasVitasVitaliy "Vitalik" Vladasovich Grachyov , better known by his stage name Vitas , is a Russian singer-songwriter.Known for his high falsetto voice, he has been given the nickname "Prince of the Dolphin Voice" in China...
as Gude - Sun Zhou as the Wei emperor
Reception
After its release in Asia, Mulan gained average box office ratings and reviews. However, critics gave Zhao Wei's performance favorable reviews. Chinese media especially said that this was the best performance of Zhao's career. On the film's opening day Beijing Screen, the Chinese government honors Mulan: In 2011, Mulan honored the 9th Henan province governmental award - movie category of Achieving Five Top Project Prize- "Zhao's strong performance made the role is full of vitality." – Asia WeeklyYazhou ZhoukanYazhou Zhoukan , literally as "Asia Weekly", is the only Chinese language international affairs newsweekly which has been published for over 20 years...
- "Thankfully, Ma doesn't make a wrong casting choice for his lead actress. Mulan is anchored by a strong performance by Vicki Zhao Wei, the wide-eyed expressive star vividly portraying her character's sorrow, anguish, fear and terror." – movieXclusive.com (Singapore)
- "Zhao Wei done perfectly from the ancient poem to motion picture." – People's DailyPeople's DailyThe People's Daily is a daily newspaper in the People's Republic of China. The paper is an organ of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China , published worldwide with a circulation of 3 to 4 million. In addition to its main Chinese-language edition, it has editions in English,...
(China) - "The plot unsurprisingly revolves almost entirely around Hua Mulan and her development, and so Ma is fortunate to have a genuine star in Vicki Zhao, who effectively carries the film on her more than capable shoulders, turning in a performance that strikes just the right balance between tough and vulnerable. Although the premise of her being mistaken for a man isn't particularly convincing, especially since she never makes much effort to hide her obvious femininity, she does manage to make her character convincing, not playing her as a straight warrior." – BeyondHollywood.com (U.S.)
- "When I watched some her scenes in Mulan images of Richard Gere in Chicago flashed before my eyes. That aside, there is no question of acting skills– in particular of her ability to persuade us of her character's ambivalence about fighting, killing, and leading her army to a likely death, which is really what the movie is all about, or should have been except that the love story angle keeps nudging past for those in the audience who feel a war movie doesn't hold enough drama without it." – DVDbeaver.com
- "For me though the movie is worth seeking out and importing for one main reason, and her name is Vicki Zhao Wei. She's a fantastic actress as adept at comedy as she is action, and between that talent and her big, beautiful eyes she's capable of conveying loss and sadness with real emotion and power. And she's gorgeous too which is never a bad thing. Which is why it pains me to say that she’s also the movie's biggest weakness…" – Rob Hunter,Film School Rejects
- "Vicki Zhao alone makes the film worth seeing given her performance, both the energy factor and releasing emotions." – JapanCinema.com
- "Vicki Zhao, however, is the first choice. The Chinese star from Red Cliff and Painted SkinPainted Skin (2008 film)Painted Skin is a 2008 supernatural fantasy film directed by Gordon Chan, starring Donnie Yen, Chen Kun, Zhou Xun, Zhao Wei, Betty Sun and Qi Yuwu....
is as feminine as fierce, gentle yet powerful. She embodies "Mulan" and even has the right age, unlike other stars who wanted the part. Zhao alone makes the film worth seeing, with a performance that oozes both energy and emotions. " – Molodezhnaja.ch (Switzerland; translated)
Awards and nominations
| Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Name | Outcome |
| 10th Changchun Film Festival Changchun Film Festival The Changchun Film Festival is a biennial international film festival held in the Chinese city of Changchun. Ostensibly international, its award for best film, the Golden Deer has nevertheless primarily been awarded to Chinese and other East Asia-region films... |
Best Actress | Zhao Wei Zhao Wei Zhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao... |
|
| 21st Golden Melody Awards | Best Producer for a Single Melody | Li Shih Song, Yee Kar Yeung | |
| 29th Hong Kong Film Awards 29th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony for the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards took place on 18 April 2010 . Here are the nominees listed taken from the official website.Wang Po Chieh's original nomination for the Best New Performer was withdrawn after he was confirmed to be an actor in the 2008 Taiwan film Winds of September... |
Best Actress Hong Kong Film Award for Best Actress The Hong Kong Film Award for Best actress is an annual Hong Kong industry award presented to an actress for the best performance by an actress in a leading role.-Records:-1980s:*1982 Kara Hui - My Young Auntie as Cheng Tai-Nan... |
Zhao Wei Zhao Wei Zhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao... |
rowspan=2 |
| Best Original Film Song | Li Shih Song, Yee Kar Yeung and Stefanie Sun Stefanie Sun Stefanie Sun was born Sng Ee Tze on 23 July 1978, and known to fans as 13姐 , is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. She has sold over 30 million copies of her albums during the span of her career thus far. She does the majority of her recording, and conducts most of her publicity events, in Taiwan,... |
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| 30th Hundred Flowers Awards 30th Hundred Flowers Awards The 30th Hundred Flowers Awards was a ceremony held on October 16, 2010 in Jianyin, Jiangsu province. The nominees were announced on September 22.-Best Film:-Best Director:-Best Actor:-Best Actress:-Best Supporting Actor:... |
Best Picture | -Runner Up | |
| Best Actress Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress The Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress was first awarded by the China Film Association in 1962.-Records:-2010s:-2000s:-1990s:-1980s:-1960s:... |
Zhao Wei Zhao Wei Zhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao... |
||
| Best Supporting Actor Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actor The Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actor was first awarded by the China Film Association in 1962.-Records:-2010s:-2000s:-1960s:-References:... |
Jaycee Chan Jaycee Chan Jaycee Chan Jo-Ming is a Hong Kong actor and singer. In 2004, he released his first Mandarin CD album in Hong Kong. He is currently based in Taiwan to continue his music career.-Biography:... |
||
| 19th Shanghai Film Critics Awards Shanghai Film Critics Awards Shanghai Film Critics Awards are given annually to honor excellence in national cinema by an organization of film reviewers from Shanghai Film Critics Association and Shang Film Museum. This event is the only critics' awards in mainland China. The first annual held in 1991. From 1991 to 1993, they... |
Best Actress Shanghai Film Critics Award for Best Actress -Winners List:-External links:*****... |
Zhao Wei Zhao Wei Zhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao... |
|
| Vietnam DAN Movie Awards | Favorite Chinese Movie | rowspan=4 | |
| Favorite Chinese Actress | Zhao Wei Zhao Wei Zhao Wei is a mainland Chinese film actress and pop singer. Audiences sometimes refer to her by her English name, Vicki Zhao... |
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