In the tradition of gender-bending movies ranging from “ Yentl” to “Just One of the Guys,” Mulan must find convoluted ways to avoid changing clothes and showering in front of her fellow soldiers, including the handsome Honghui ( Yoson An), with whom she enjoys a verbal and physical spark. Instead, Mulan grabs his sword and rides her horse under cover of darkness, reporting for duty to the stern commander (Yen) with her hair tucked under a cap and her voice slightly lowered. Mulan’s family has no sons, so her father-a wounded warrior himself-must join to maintain honor. When invaders led by the villainous Bori Khan ( Jason Scott Lee) threaten the emperor (Jet Li) years later, the imperial army fans out across China to amass soldiers to protect the palace, gathering one man from each family. Her father (Ma, as warm a presence here as he was in “ The Farewell”) seems proud of his daughter’s plucky nature, but her mother ( Rosalind Chao) reminds her that “a daughter brings honor through marriage.” A meeting with a matchmaker (the veteran Pei-Pei Cheng) that goes comically wrong is one of many indications that a traditionally servile, female path is not in Mulan’s future. We first see the character as a playful, acrobatic young girl (played by Crystal Rao), climbing up and leaping across rooftops in her village to chase a chicken in a bit of foreshadowing of the action to come. The bones of “Mulan” remain familiar, though. As gorgeous as the film is-the work of countless talented women behind the scenes, including cinematographer Mandy Walker and costume designer Bina Daigeler-it’s not quite the same watching it at home, even on a giant TV, even with an enthusiastic, movie-loving kid on the couch next to you.
One particular moment of solidarity and validation caused my heart to get caught in my throat, and it’s one of many instances that made me wish I was watching “Mulan” in a packed theater. Liu’s performance might have been more powerful if she’d been a bit more emotive, but the steeliness and physicality she displays make her a convincing fighter.Ĭaro is a perfect choice to helm this live-action “Mulan,” having made her name nearly two decades ago with another story of a determined girl who dared to buck the patriarchy, 2002’s “ Whale Rider.” Working from a script by Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Elizabeth Martin & Lauren Hynek, Caro interweaves the story’s ancient poetic roots with Easter eggs from the 1998 animated film-although there’s no wacky dragon sidekick, alas-but it’s very much its own artistic endeavor, and is by far the most effective and necessary of all the live-action remakes of Disney’s animated catalog that we’ve seen in recent years.Ĭaro’s take on the tale, as mainstream and family-friendly as it is, also carries the unmistakable spirit of the #MeToo movement: women standing up for themselves and each other and demanding that men hear and believe them. Just as important is the fact that she finds her voice over the course of this journey-a phenomenon specific to this character and this story, but one that couldn’t be more resonant for women of all ages watching all over the world, right now.
Watch as the original singing voice of Mulan, Lea Salonga, silence the bar with the chorus.At the center is the lovely Yifei Liu, who’s called upon to show a great deal of range as Mulan transforms herself from brazen, impetuous rebel to mature, commanding leader. The clip, which has been viewed more than two million times, was captioned: "Broadway icon here.
The 50-year-old sang the track from the 1998 film, Reflection, as well as A Girl Worth Fighting For and Honor To Us All.Īnd it seems she hasn't forgotten any of the words, as she gave patrons the performance of a lifetime after bursting into song.Ī fan called ethan.akler shared a clip to TikTok showing Salonga standing at a piano in a busy bar, as she begins to sing the first verse of Reflection.Īs the song gets underway, background noise and chatter can be heard to disappear as people become engrossed in the song as Salonga hits the high notes. Official " Disney Legend" Lea Salonga provided the singing voice for the animated version of Mulan, as well as Princess Jasmine in Aladdin, released in 1992. The Broadway star who was the original voice of Mulan stunned a crowd into silence as she belted out the film's iconic song.
0 kommentar(er)
