Historical Textual Analysis - Mulan (1998)

First Scene - Reflection

The film Mulan follows a linear narrative which focuses on a young girl who secretly takes her father's position in the war in order to keep him safe. Even though 'Mulan' is a Disney film which primarily targets children/teenagers between the age demographic 2-17year olds, it could be argued that this animation establishes a switch in gender roles. Throughout the film the audience would acknowledge that the female character is alternatively represented as a tomboy which challenges the dominate expectations of women in China during the time. This is conveyed at the beginning of the film after Mulan ruins her meeting with the matchmaker. The medium shot of the female character looking at her reflection in the mirror and gradually wiping off one side of the makeup, is significant in highlighting that she does not fit the ideal type of a women. One could justify that the split of makeup is symbolic is conveying Mulan's internal struggle to be feminine in order to make her family proud of her. On the other hand, a stronger interpretation of this could be that the makeup represent the traditional expectations of women in society to get married to the right suitor. Thus, the makeup could act as a mask for the female character to hide her true identity as being masculine, which establishes the conflict between China’s attitudes on gender roles. As a result, the audience may sympathise with the character through her discontented emotions as in China "an unwed girl will being dishonor to her family as is to be looked down on by many" which is what Mulan has to face.

Significantly, through Mulan’s dialogue she reveals, “Who is that girl I see staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?. Again, this highlights Mulan’s internal conflict of how women should traditionally look and behave which is contrasts with her true characteristics. Thus, it could be argued that the character of Mulan (voice over by Ming-Na Wen) does challenge the traditional female stereotypes, especially China, as her true personality rejects femininity. Notably, the parallel music further emphasises on Mulan distressed emotions as it creates melancholy atmosphere which would increase the audience’s sympathy for the character. Similarly, the transition to the medium shot of Mulan sitting outside on the bench alone and looking upset could highlight that the conflict she is experiencing as she would never fit into her social acceptable gender role. As the film was set in China, it can be argued that the character of Mulan does challenges the cultural boundaries of what is expected and what is not expected of women during the time period. This is because, she does not conform to the traditional norms and values of how females should behave or look in society especially if they are going to get married.

Second scene - Transformation

This scene is significant in showing the female character 'Mulan' subverting the traditional stereotypes of women during the time period in China. Initially, the scene begins with the dramatic parallel music to establish that Mulan is going against society's norms of women fighting in the war as she wants to protect her father. One could justify that this presents an alternative representation of the female character  being fearless as she is aware of the consequences that she must face if she gets caught being a man in disguised. Thus, this conveys that Mulan is challenging China's cultural expectations of women as Mulan is not represented in being passive, instead she is risking her life by impersonating as a male solider. Notably, the medium shot of Mulan chopping off her hair with a sword and changing her outfit to a warrior uniform is significant in establishing that she is challenging the boundaries of gender. This is because the different transitions conveys that the character of Mulan is rejecting her femininity by transforming herself to look like a male. Thus, this also subverts the stereotypical representation of Disney female characters looking glamorous and being dependent on the males, as Mulan is actively willing to battle in the war which establishes a dominate representation of her bravery.

 According to liberal feminists, Mulan's transformation could represent female empowerment as she is going against China's traditional beliefs on the way women should behave. Thus, Mulan's courageous actions could be a reflection on the positive changes of the position of women in contemporary society. This is because, women are now independent, gaining a higher social status compared to men and are going against their female domain. As a result, this link to Levis-Strauss binary opposition concept between Mulan's actions and society's expectations on the role of women during the time period in China, as she is subverting the traditional stereotype through her fearless actions. Furthermore, the low angle of the female character entering the stable to get the hoarse is effective in representing her as being powerful and her physical appearance also presents her looking masculine. Thus, this presents Mulan as a modern female as she is subverting the stereotypes of females looking innocent and glamours. Effectively, the setting and the low key lighting creates eerie atmosphere for the audience and therefore this could reflect Mulan's dramatic decision as she leaves her home.

Additionally, Mulan is similar to my primary text as both of the female characters behave masculine in order fulfill their goals. Both of the females characters are alternatively represented which subverts the traditional female stereotypes through their artful and courageous actions, thus presenting them physically stronger than the male characters. Notably, even though both of the films genres are different the issue on whether the female characters subvert or reinforce the traditional stereotype is clearly established. This issue in society has changed over the years as women are now subverting the female expectations by challenging the boundaries of gender roles. For instance, in contemporary society women are now taking on sports which are stereotypically part of the male domain such as boxing, football and wrestling. Notably, majority of women are no longer financially dependent on their husbands and are putting their career first than marriage. An example of this would be the BBC1 programme 'Apprentice' which highlights that women are equally capable of earning more than males and therefore the concept of gender cannot prevent them from achieving a higher social status to men. Moreover, as Mulan was set in China, the role of women now has drastically changed since the 90's. There has been an rapid increase in divorce rates which establishes that women want to be more independent and rights have to introduced to prevent female oppression. Evidently, this issue is significant amongst both of the film genres as it is still relevant in contemporary society. Thus, the positive representation of both of the female characters is beneficial for the female audience to identify with them and as a result, this may encourage the audience not to be afraid to embrace their masculinity.

















http://sc2220.wikifoundry.com/page/Mulan+Analysis
http://brontebailey.wordpress.com/disney-princesses/mulan/