花木兰电影解析英文.docx

花木兰电影解析英文.docx

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花木兰电影解析英文

花木兰电影解析-英文

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Instructor’sName

August4,20

TheAdaptionofChineseTraditionalLegendMuLan

Abstract

MuLanisalegendstoryfromancientChinabacktoBeiDynasty.TheoriginalstoryistellingagirlcalledMuLan,shedisguisedherselfasamantojointhearmyonbehalfofhersickandoldfather.Asthelegendisinfluentialinhistory,therearelotsofadaptionscametothemarket,andthemostinfluentialoneistheclassicmoviefromWaltDisney.

Thisassaywillbefocusaboutthepointsofviewwhichdifferentfromoriginallegendandthemovie.BythecharacterMuLan,theadaptionversionchangedtheChinesetraditionalwomanfutureintoagirlwhoismorewesternandvividandshehasmorefriendsinmoviethanlegend;ThemoviealsoaddedtheelementoflovewithLiXiang;Also,thedescriptionofwarindetailhasbeenaddedthanoriginal.Thethemeofthemovieportrayedagirlwhoisself-fulfillment,chasingforfreedomandlovewhichtheoriginallegenddidnottellthispart.ThatisthereasonWaltDisney’sculturebackgroundentitledthischange.

Thereare3partsofmyessay:

Theexplorationoftheoriginallegendandtheadaptionmovie,whatarethechangedparts;Theanalysisofwhytheseadaptionhappened;Myunderstandingoftheadaption,whichversionIpreferandwhy.

PartITheChineseLegendMuLan&TheWaltDisneyMuLan

TheoriginallegendstorywaswroteinancientChina.Tosaythebackgroundofthattime,duringthewar,everyfamilyinhercountryneedtocontributeamalepersontojointhearmy.InMuLan’sfamily,thereisonlyamanthere,herfatherwhoisreallysickandold.Sothestorystarts:

“jiji（thesoundofloom）,thereisnosoundoftheloombutonlyheavilysighfromMuLan.Askshewhatisshethinking,shesaidyesterdayIsawthemilitaryconscription.Thereisnobrothersinmyfamily,Ihaveonlyaoldfather.Iamwillingtogoinsteadofmyfather.MuLanboughtallthethingsneedandfarewelltoherparents,jointhewaruntilfewyearslater,themilitarywonthewar,thekingaskedshewhatdoHEwantafterthewar,MuLansaidshedoesn'twantanytrasure,shewantahorseandgetbackhome.Soshegetbackhomeasagirleventually,whichsurpriseallherfriendsbecausenooneknowssheisagirl.”ThisisashortandcompletestoryofMuLaninoriginal.

Themovieadaptedlotsofpartaswellaskeptsomepartsoforiginal.HereIwillpointouttwopartsindifference.

FirstAdaption:

TheoutlineofMuLan.Intheoriginallegend,thereareonly2partofworddescribedwhatMuLanlookslike:

atthebeginningofthelegend,“shesighed.”andshebackhomeshetookofsheclothingandchangeitbacktofemaledresseswithflowersonherhead..YoucantellMuLanisatraditionalChinesegirl,weakandpretty—asigh,isn'tshesoftandneedprotection?

Inthemovie,MuLantalkloudly,laughloudly.Sheisnotaweakandsoftgirlinthemovie.Themoviestartsthesamepointastheoriginal,themotivationisthesame:

shejointthearmyonbehalfofherfather.Butsheisnotagirlwhosuitsheroriginallivingenvironment.Shedoesnotwanttostayinherlittlevalleyfortherestofherlife,shewanttobesomeonewhohaveherownlifeinhand.shealsohadaboyfriendwhichshelovedinsteadofbyarrangement.Thereisnoloverelationshipmentionedinoriginallegend;Thirdpartisaboutthewardescription:

inthelegend,MuLanheardwhenshewasinthewar-sheaboutthepeoplearekillingeachother,shecannothearanythingfromherhome,sheisawayfromhome.Shewasverybravebecauseshewasmissingherhomeandshealsobehavedverygoodtobepromotedasabiggeneralandsheisthankedbythekingbyheroutstandingperformanceinthearmy;Intheadaptionversionofmovie,MuLanwasencouragedbyherboyfriendandsheisasoliderinsteadofageneralbythewarend.Nokinggaveheranywordbyheroutstandingbehaviorduringthewar.Inall,MuLanisasoftandweakinheartgirlintheoriginallegend:

Shemaynothaveherwillingtocontrolherdestinysuchasaloverelationshipbutsheworkshardforgainingreputationandhopingtodosomethinggoodforherparents.TheMuLaninthemovieiscuteandalive,sheiswillingtocontrolherlifeandsheadoresloveandhopetobeloved.Shefollowsherheartinsteadofbeenobediencetoherparentsfortherestofherlife.

SecondAdaption:

TheCoreStoryline.Theoriginallegendistellingastorythatadaughtertriedtojointhearmyonbehalfofherfather.ThemotivationofMuLanistobeadutifuldaughtertoherfatherandnothingelsematters.“Ifitnotbecauseofherfather,MuLanherselfdoesn'thaveanymotivationofjointhearmy,inspiteoftrytobeequalwithmen”.Sheisdoinghouseworkhomeandsatisfyherlife;Duringthetimeshewasinarmy,sheisalwaysmissingherparents;soallthesecanbesaidMuLanisadutifulgirlandsheisnotwillingtotakebigchallengeforfitfulherownwillings.Thatiswhyafterthewar,shedoesn'twantanythingfromtheking,hightitles,career,money,shejustwantsgohomeanddoingherobligation.ThemovieissomehowdifferentofwhyMuLangoestoarmy.MuLanwasarrangedbytheirparentstoseesomeoneandprepareforaarrangedmarriagewhichshedoesn'tlikeitatall.Sohermotivationismoreaboutherself.Sheisgirlfullofself-fulfillment,sowhenthewomanmatchmakercomplainedaboutMuLanisnotabridewhocanhonorherfamily,MuLantriedtolookinsideherselfandfindthevalueinherheart.Oncethereisachanceforher（herfatherneedtojoinarmybythecallofduty）SotherealmotivationforMuLan,originalisforherfamilyduty,theadaptionisforherself.Whenitcomestothewar,MuLanwasfoundsheisagirl,shesaidshewanttoproveherself.MuLanhereinadaptionversionisagirlwithAmericanDream.

PartIITheanalysisoftheadaption

Assumethatthebackgroundchanged,ifMuLan’sfatherisnotrequestedtojointhearmy,theadaptedMuLanmayalsotrytofindotheropportunitiestoproveherself.Helpherfathertojointhearmyisjustoneofthoseopportunities:

sheusedherdogtofeedherchicken,writethe“shouldbe”onherarmwhenshearrangedtoseethematchmaker,sheisnottraditionalMuLan.DisneyusedthisfeaturetodescribeMuLantocatertomainstreamofUSvalue:

Individualism.Thisvalueistheoppositeofcollectivism.Individualismdeemthepersoninsocietyisindependent.Soeveryonehavetheirindependentideas,rightsandfreedom.Sothepersonalvalueisthemostimportantpartthanobligations.

Fromthelegend,themanpriorityisthemainstreamvalueintraditionalChinabutmoviechangedit.Inthelegend,MuLanisusingtheloomathomewecantellsheiskindofgirlwhowillnotstandoutherfamilyandchangethetradition.ButtheadaptionversionofMuLan,sheisnotobeywhatotherpeopletoldhershouldto,sheshouldbequietwhenshewasinthebridetest,shesaidloudly“Iamhere.”Whenherfatherwassenttoarmy,hertraditionalfemalemothersaidnothingatthehousegatebutcrying.MuLanrushedoutanddragherfather’shandanddidnotallowhertogo.

ThereasoncausedtheseadaptionisbecausetheculturedifferencebetweenChineseandAmerican.Thevaluedifferenceisthecore.InChina,thevalueofcollectivismisthemostimportantpartinsociety,inlongrunofhistory,theagricultureistheeconomicbase,sothecollectivismcouldhelppeoplesurviveinthesociety,theunitisfamily.ThefamilyorganizationinfluentmosttheChinesefamily,sodothedutiestotheparentsisthemostimportantpart.Therightofsuccessionisbyfamilyblood,maletofemale,oldertoyoung,sothissuccessiontraditioninfluencedwomen’spositionandthelimitofpeoplewillbeinfluencedbytheireconomicposition.

Tobedifferent,theAmericanwasinfluencedbyindividualism.TheAmericanDreamsayingthatnomatteryourbackground,whoyouare,ifyouhaveadreamyoushouldreachandgrabitbyyourself.ThisvalueisdevelopedbyRenaissanceworldview,theDeclarationofIndependencealsomentionedthatpeoplearebornfair,therightsareallequalstopeople.Americanpeopleraiseuptheirchildrenbyaindividualpersonandrespecttheirpersonality;theirchildwhoisover18yearsoldshouldtrytoraiseupthemselvesinsteadoflivingtogether;whenyoubecomeadult,youdon'thavetoshareyourmoneyyourparents.TheoriginalMuLanistrytopraiseChinesetraditionssodotheadaptionversion,thatiswhythedifferencecome.

PartIIIMyUnderstanding

Atraditionstoryandamoviearetwosymbols.Legendisusingthewords,sotheaudiencewillusetheirimaginationtoimagetheirownversionofhamlet.ForMuLan,itisashortstory,i.e.thereareonly30wordstodescribethedetailofthewar,butthemovieputtwomorecharactersandusedmorethan10minstodrawhowabravegirlMuLanis.Thatistosay,moviehastobeadapted.

PersonallyIlovemoretheadaptionmovie.IhavetothethewaywithvisualandrealwordswillattractmemorethanancientChinesewords.ThedescriptionofMuLan,alovelygirlcomparewiththeonefromthelegend,sheisaliveandIcanreallyimagewhosheisinsteadoflegendMuLanbecausesheistoocontrolherself.ThereasonIthinkisbecausethevalueinsidemeisthatIbuyinAmericanDreaminsteadofbornduties.Ithinkmostoftheaudiencewholovethismoviemorethanthelegendisbecauseofthat.WaltDisneyissellingthismovietomostlywesterncountriessotheymustknowthevalueinpeople’smindswhichcancreatethesympatheticresponsetotheaudiencewhichIthinkiss