Mulan Vs. Everything, Round 1: Touching
So, some of you may have been around for my MULAN II GAHHHHHHHHH rant. It was not well formed and it was just sporadic HATE for that horrible, horrible film. But I've had some time to sit down and think about what it was that I really hated. And let me tell you, it's a lot. But I think tonight we're just going to tackle the main issue:
PHYSICAL CONTACT
See, it seems like a small thing. Unless you've actually been around someone who's not used to physical contact from others. Me, personally, my family is pretty everyone-on-the-couch-in-a-pile, but I understand it when people just don't like other people to touch them. And that's pretty much how I feel Mulan is. Perhaps not by her own personal preference, but by societal standards.
Before I get any further than this, I want to say that yes, Mulan hugs the Emperor, and yes, that would be so ridiculously frowned upon. But this is a Disney movie geared at Westerners, so I think it's safe to assume that this is a moment artistically altered to indicate the excitement and joy of the moment, though I think most of the characters have pretty appropriate responses of shock. In any event, if we can move past this on the grounds that it's artistic license, hooray! ((Not that her doing that on her own merit would ruin this rant. Oh no.
There are only two other instances of hugging in the first only movie. One is with Mushu, and he's kind of in his own special category, anyway. I mean, he's a talking dragon. No, the one I want to focus on is the interaction between Mulan and her father. I was watching the commentary, a) because I'm a commentary whore and b) it is an excellent source of information from the creators themselves. In it, the director Tony Bancroft spoke about the scene with the comb when Mulan decides to leave. They agonized and agonized over it. They were afraid that it would come off as too cold and heartless to a Western audience. But they had an excellent consultation team (unlike certain other Mulan films) and the consultants begged them to keep the exchange distant. The entire creative staff was concerned that if Mulan leaned down to kiss her father, it would harm the integrity of the film. It is my understanding, and I've had several Asian friends (of various backgrounds) tell me that personal contact is usually just not around in most Asian cultures, and I can assume that it would certainly not be present in a historic China setting.
So, Mulan uses the comb to indicate the relationship between her and her father, which I think ended up playing out very well. It strengthens the tension of the decision, and shows some of the misgivings she has about leaving. Perhaps in addition to the cultural boundaries, it shows that she has enough strength and courage to make the decision to leave, but perhaps not quite enough to say goodbye. The main thing it does for me, though, is it makes the scene at the end in the garden so much more impactful.
Allow me to refresh your memory: Mulan has spent the entire movie vying to bring her family honor and in the end, she receives the ultimate honor: the sword of Shan Yu and the crest of the emperor. And her father, in a moment of great emotion, kneels down on his injured leg and hugs Mulan. It is a sincere moment that I think would have been rendered less sincere if this were a family who always hugged. It is a pivotal moment in Mulan's life as well: she realizes, for the first time perhaps, that her father loves her for who she is, not what she does. In fact, all of these emotionally physical interactions come at hallmark moments in her journey. She hugs Mushu after she realizes that she is valid and capable even as a woman, and it is her job and her job alone to warn the army of the reemerging Huns. She hugs the emperor when she has finally succeeded in defeating Shan Yu, and she hugs her father when she realizes that her family loves her for who she is. These are the kind of moments that define a character, and so I think it's only fitting that personal physical contact is reserved for these moments.
Also as a note: Mulan only initiates a hug once, and that's to the Emperor. Her own father has to initiate the hug because she's been so trained not to.
Those defining moments aren't the only time Mulan has physical contact with others, just the moments with the most intimate-type contact. The most memorable non-intimate touch scene that comes to mind is in the song A Girl Worth Fighting For. In it, there is a manly dance line, where they all put their arms over each other shoulders and sing about how the perfect woman is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. And honestly, I'm not sure if Mulan is skeeved out by the song, the touching, or constantly living in fear of being discovered, but that chorus line makes her so uncomfortable. She ends up with a look on her face like "dear god get me out of here and let's pretend this never happened". Totally skeeved out.
The other important non-intimate contact is when Shang is being carried away by the avalanche. But he's being carried away by an avalanche so I don't really think it needs more mention than that. She is a good person and a good soldier and she knows how to do her job. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's the only time she and Shang touch each other in the movie.
SO HERE'S WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO.
Mulan comes from a society where you don't give a good old Midwestern handshake. The rules of society, within the home and outside of the home, are incredibly hands off. On an artistic level, when these conventions are broken, it is because something incredibly important has just happened for the character. Non-intimate physical contact makes Mulan fairly uncomfortable, but she's not so afraid to touch people that she won't lend a helping hand.
IN CAMP this means that if you're a draper, she will freeze and start to shut down. It is a lot of stimulation to deal with. Ty Lee is the only person in camp who Mulan currently accepts as a serial draper, and together they are working on a desensitization program, much to Mulan's chagrin. But she wants to be a good friend and she wants to fit in, so she grits her teeth and takes it like a man...er, sort of. But this has been what...3 months in the making? So! Hugs/manly pat on the shoulder/hand on arm are totally okay! Just...know what you're getting into. She gets awkward and probably kind of embarrassed and words don't come out right.
SO IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR please please please go to 9:00 on this video so you can see a very small example of why Mulan II is the most out of character thing I've seen. DON'T WATCH THE WHOLE THING. Unless, of course, you love pain.
THANKS FOR READING \o/
ETA: Oh Jesus. That's a monster.
ETA2: This is where you need to go to see the horrid proposal scene. Click on videos, then the left Mulan II clip. The other one works just as well, but this is more concise.
PHYSICAL CONTACT
See, it seems like a small thing. Unless you've actually been around someone who's not used to physical contact from others. Me, personally, my family is pretty everyone-on-the-couch-in-a-pile, but I understand it when people just don't like other people to touch them. And that's pretty much how I feel Mulan is. Perhaps not by her own personal preference, but by societal standards.
Before I get any further than this, I want to say that yes, Mulan hugs the Emperor, and yes, that would be so ridiculously frowned upon. But this is a Disney movie geared at Westerners, so I think it's safe to assume that this is a moment artistically altered to indicate the excitement and joy of the moment, though I think most of the characters have pretty appropriate responses of shock. In any event, if we can move past this on the grounds that it's artistic license, hooray! ((Not that her doing that on her own merit would ruin this rant. Oh no.
There are only two other instances of hugging in the first only movie. One is with Mushu, and he's kind of in his own special category, anyway. I mean, he's a talking dragon. No, the one I want to focus on is the interaction between Mulan and her father. I was watching the commentary, a) because I'm a commentary whore and b) it is an excellent source of information from the creators themselves. In it, the director Tony Bancroft spoke about the scene with the comb when Mulan decides to leave. They agonized and agonized over it. They were afraid that it would come off as too cold and heartless to a Western audience. But they had an excellent consultation team (unlike certain other Mulan films) and the consultants begged them to keep the exchange distant. The entire creative staff was concerned that if Mulan leaned down to kiss her father, it would harm the integrity of the film. It is my understanding, and I've had several Asian friends (of various backgrounds) tell me that personal contact is usually just not around in most Asian cultures, and I can assume that it would certainly not be present in a historic China setting.
So, Mulan uses the comb to indicate the relationship between her and her father, which I think ended up playing out very well. It strengthens the tension of the decision, and shows some of the misgivings she has about leaving. Perhaps in addition to the cultural boundaries, it shows that she has enough strength and courage to make the decision to leave, but perhaps not quite enough to say goodbye. The main thing it does for me, though, is it makes the scene at the end in the garden so much more impactful.
Allow me to refresh your memory: Mulan has spent the entire movie vying to bring her family honor and in the end, she receives the ultimate honor: the sword of Shan Yu and the crest of the emperor. And her father, in a moment of great emotion, kneels down on his injured leg and hugs Mulan. It is a sincere moment that I think would have been rendered less sincere if this were a family who always hugged. It is a pivotal moment in Mulan's life as well: she realizes, for the first time perhaps, that her father loves her for who she is, not what she does. In fact, all of these emotionally physical interactions come at hallmark moments in her journey. She hugs Mushu after she realizes that she is valid and capable even as a woman, and it is her job and her job alone to warn the army of the reemerging Huns. She hugs the emperor when she has finally succeeded in defeating Shan Yu, and she hugs her father when she realizes that her family loves her for who she is. These are the kind of moments that define a character, and so I think it's only fitting that personal physical contact is reserved for these moments.
Also as a note: Mulan only initiates a hug once, and that's to the Emperor. Her own father has to initiate the hug because she's been so trained not to.
Those defining moments aren't the only time Mulan has physical contact with others, just the moments with the most intimate-type contact. The most memorable non-intimate touch scene that comes to mind is in the song A Girl Worth Fighting For. In it, there is a manly dance line, where they all put their arms over each other shoulders and sing about how the perfect woman is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. And honestly, I'm not sure if Mulan is skeeved out by the song, the touching, or constantly living in fear of being discovered, but that chorus line makes her so uncomfortable. She ends up with a look on her face like "dear god get me out of here and let's pretend this never happened". Totally skeeved out.
The other important non-intimate contact is when Shang is being carried away by the avalanche. But he's being carried away by an avalanche so I don't really think it needs more mention than that. She is a good person and a good soldier and she knows how to do her job. And correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's the only time she and Shang touch each other in the movie.
SO HERE'S WHAT IT BOILS DOWN TO.
Mulan comes from a society where you don't give a good old Midwestern handshake. The rules of society, within the home and outside of the home, are incredibly hands off. On an artistic level, when these conventions are broken, it is because something incredibly important has just happened for the character. Non-intimate physical contact makes Mulan fairly uncomfortable, but she's not so afraid to touch people that she won't lend a helping hand.
IN CAMP this means that if you're a draper, she will freeze and start to shut down. It is a lot of stimulation to deal with. Ty Lee is the only person in camp who Mulan currently accepts as a serial draper, and together they are working on a desensitization program, much to Mulan's chagrin. But she wants to be a good friend and she wants to fit in, so she grits her teeth and takes it like a man...er, sort of. But this has been what...3 months in the making? So! Hugs/manly pat on the shoulder/hand on arm are totally okay! Just...know what you're getting into. She gets awkward and probably kind of embarrassed and words don't come out right.
SO IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR please please please go to 9:00 on this video so you can see a very small example of why Mulan II is the most out of character thing I've seen. DON'T WATCH THE WHOLE THING. Unless, of course, you love pain.
THANKS FOR READING \o/
ETA: Oh Jesus. That's a monster.
ETA2: This is where you need to go to see the horrid proposal scene. Click on videos, then the left Mulan II clip. The other one works just as well, but this is more concise.