Format testing
Live Action Film
Director: Bu Wancang 卜萬蒼
LINKS TO THE FILM
- English subtitles
- Chinese subtitles
- No subtitles: This clip is briefly discussed in How To Read Chinese Drama, p. 161.
INFORMATION
- Name: Mulan Joins the Army (Mulan congjun, Ch. 木蘭從軍)
- Year: 1939
- Director: Bu Wancang/Richard Poh 卜萬蒼 (1903–1974)
- Producer: Hwa Cheng Studio (Huacheng zhipianchang 華成製片廠)
- Actors: Chen Yunshang 陳雲裳 (1919-, starring Hua Mulan), Mei Xi 梅熹 (1911-1983, starring Liu Yuandu)
- Music: Yan Gongshang 嚴工上 (1874-1953), Ouyang Yuqian 歐陽予倩 (1889-1962)
- Language: Chinese Mandarin
- Duration: 89 minutes
VIDEO CLIPS
Mulan's father asks Mulan's mother to take out his military armor
For the transformation scene, Mulan persuades her parents to allow her to go to the battlefield in place of her father. She promises that she will not regret it no matter how much hardship she has to face. Mulan's father is glad and thus asks Mulan’s mother to take out his military armor.
Click for Translation Notes
| Chinese Subtitles | CTC Translation | Christopher Rea’s Subtitles |
| 木兰父：好，妈妈，去把我的军衣拿来，让她穿起来试试。 | Mulan’s father: Good, Mulan’s mother, please take my military armor out and let Mulan try it on. | Mother, bring out my army uniform, and let her try it on. |
| 木兰母：我才不去呢。 | Mulan’s mother: I’m not going. | I’m not going to do that. |
| 木兰父：那么我去。 | Mulan’s father: Ok, I’m going to take that out. | Then I’ll go. |
Mulan dresses up with her father's military armor and play a set of routines with a spear
The scene is cut to another shot (19:50-20:06): Mulan has already dressed up with her father’s military armor and starts to play a set of routines with a spear (qiangfa 槍法).
Mulan plays a set of routines with a sword
The shot is cut to another shot (20:06-20:46): Mulan starts to play a set of routines with a sword.
Mulan changes her voice
Click for Translation Notes
| Chinese Subtitles | CTC Translation | Christopher Rea’s Subtitles | |
| 木兰：爸爸，您看怎么样？ | Mulan (jauntily asks): Father, what do you think? | Dad, what do you think? | |
| 木兰父：你看起来倒很像一个小伙子。可是你的嗓音…… | Mulan’s father: You do look like a young man now, but your voice… | You do look like a young man, dressed like that. But your voice… | |
| / | Mulan’s mother (laughs out loud) | / | |
| 木兰父：好了睡吧，明天再说。 | Mulan’s father: Well, we should go to sleep and let’s talk about it tomorrow. | Alright. To bed with you. Worry about that in the morning. | |
| 木兰：呃…… | Mulan (shakes and touches her throat, tries to lower her voice): Er…Er… | / | |
| 木兰： 要把一生报家国 不妨短剑断离情 杀！ | It cuts to Mulan’s bedroom, and we see Mulan through her window. She is reciting poems in deep voice when we hear the rooster crows (suggests Mulan has been practicing her new voice for a whole night without going to sleep). Then she happily shouts “Kill…” in a deep voice. It cuts back to Mulan’s parents who are standing in the living room. | (poem reciting) I wish to devote my life to my country I shall face the blade, cut off from my loved ones KILL! | |
| 木兰：花老将军、花老夫人，小将有事禀报。 | Mulan: General Hua and Madam Hua, I have something to report. | Commander Hua and Madame Hua! Your subordinate has something to report! | |
| 木兰父：啊，谁啊？请进来。 | Mulan’s father: Ah, who is it? Please come in. | Who is it? Please come in. | |
| 木兰：小将花木兰，参见花老将军、花老夫人。 | Mulan (wears armor and helmet, comes in and bows): I am young solider Huan Mulan and pay my respect to General Hua and Madam Hua. | Junior officer Hua Mulan request an audience with the senior commanding officer! | |
| / | Mulan’s parents are laughing | Ha ha ha ha! | |
| 木兰：妈妈爸爸，我的嗓音像不像一个男人？ | Mulan: Mother, father, does my voice sound like a man? | Mom, dad, don’t I sound like a man now? | |
| 木兰父：哈哈哈，像得很。 | Mulan’s father: Hahaha (strokes his beard) it really does. | Very much so. | |
| 木兰母：像倒是像了，可是我，总是舍不得。 | Mulan’s mother: It sounds like a man, but I don’t want you to leave me. | Yes, maybe you do. But I still can’t bear for you to go. | |
Mulan's transformation
The transformation of Mulan from a young girl into a male warrior is accomplished with the help of change of dress and voice. At the end of the movie, Mulan returns to her hometown, acccompanied by Liu Yuandu. The director uses a superimposition, an editing technique showing two images on the same film strip, to let audience see how Mulan changes from her military armor and helmet back into her feminine attire and hairstyle.
Mulan introduces Liu Yuandu to her mother
Click for Translation Notes
| Chinese Subtitles | CTC Translation | Christopher Rea’s Subtitles |
| 木兰母：你瞧，真不知道有多少人来做媒。你看这么多的帖子，怎么办？ | Mulan’s mother (comes in and holds bunch of matchmaking letters): Look, I don’t know how many people would like to make a match. Here are so many invitation letters. What should we do? | Look at this! I don’t know how many marriage proposals we’ve received. What do you think we should do about all these? |
| 木兰：我已经定了。 | Mulan: I have already decided. | I’ve already made my choice. |
| 木兰母：定了？什么样的人？ | Mulan’s mother: Decided? Who is him? | You have? What kind of man is he? |
| 木兰：妈，您先听听他的声音，看行不行。（向窗外，用低沉的声音）刘元度！ | Mulan: Mother, you can hear his voice first and see whether it works (lowers her voice) Liu Yuandu! | Mom, just listen to his voice first and tell me what you think. Liu Yuandu! |
| 刘元度：到！ | Liu Yuandu: Yes! | Present! |
| 木兰：您听怎么样？ | Mulan: How is his voice? | How does he sound? |
| 木兰母：洪亮得很。 | Mulan’s mother: It’s very powerful. | Bold! |
| 木兰：我带您去看看他的模样。看使得使不得？ | Mulan: Let me show you his appearance, and you can decide whether it works. | Just wait until you see him! I’ll take you. |
| 木兰母：慢一点，我经不起你这一拉。 | Mulan’s mother: Slow down. I cannot stand your pull. | Hey, no need to pull! |
| 木兰：好，妈，孩儿知道了。（携母出，用女声喊）元度。（向其母）就是他。 | Mulan: Ok, mother, I understand (comes back out with her mother, and uses her normal voice) Yuandu (to her mother) It’s him. | Yes, mother. Your daughter obeys. Yuandu! He’s the one. |
| Liu Yuandu turns back and looks at Mulan with surprise. | ||
| 木兰：各位请随便。 | Mulan: Please enjoy yourselves. | At ease, gentlemen! |
| Mulan’s comrades are all shocked when they find out Mulan is a girl. Mulan runs away. | ||