Jenna's April post

Mulan - the Cross-Dressing Extraordinaire

Back when I first saw the movie about 20 consecutive times, bought the soundtrack, memorized the lyrics, and yanked the DVD from a store shelf, Mulan was a truly enjoyable movie. Mulan was noble, pretty, and kicked “Hun-ny buns”; Mushu was Eddie Murphy trapped in the body of a tiny dragon, and Shang…personally I hold him in highest esteem in regards to male Disney characters. The bad guys lost, the good guys won, Shang the adorable idiot develops a bit of a stutter when he falls for Mulan and of course, you just know that he “would like to stay forever.”

However, Disney has always had a problem with identifying with the “other” and, in order for the story to work with Western audiences, Mulan is pitted against the vile misogynistic forces of ancient China that seek to limit and demean all women. The film does this in many ways, including the use of humor. Humor plays a more subversive role as well, commentating on modern American culture along with the backwards Chinese culture.

To comment upon the misogynistic and oppressive Chinese culture, the film humorously castrates the men by portraying them as awkward, unhygienic Neanderthals that have little character development other than their realization that women have more purpose on earth than to look pretty, worship men, and cook. (Spoiler alert! In the sequel, Chien-Po, Ling, and Yao all hook up with – oh my! – imperial princesses that are incidentally cute, love the lowly soldiers, and like food. But as a consolation prize, while the women revert to being lotus blossoms, they at least get to choose their men and escape from their Chinese arranged marriages. Fight that backwards system! But I diverge.) To poke even more fun at the bumbling and misled soldiers, they arranged the whole delusional sequence into a song and dance routine in “A Girl Worth Fighting For,” that even the little kids in the audience can learn and enjoy on their own. Amusing, I know. I’ve thought it to be fitting that the song abruptly ends mid-lyric when Shang’s army stumbles across the desolate village and completely demolished Chinese army. Anybody else see their ideological and idiotic fantasies of perfect women come grinding to a halt and exploding like an A.C.M.E. rocket when the men are finally confronted with cruel reality?

Most importantly, however, is that they realize the truth only after Mulan, their trusted comrade, is revealed to be a woman. The perception of what defines a man and woman are jousted around, most bluntly by Mulan’s attempted portrayal of manly soldier, but also by Chi Fu, the emperor’s counsel, and the village matchmaker. Mulan makes a fool of herself by engaging in poorly coordinated pantomimes of manly behavior, but the laughing soldiers in turn are also made fun of, because she is simply mimicking them, albeit poorly. Chi Fu screams like a woman, talks with a lisp and the other characters have the impression that “the only girl who’d love him is his mother.” Nevertheless, the womanized Chi Fu is the actual enemy, not Shan Yu, since he represents Chinese law and custom. He is only made fun of when in an equal position among the men, but the moment Mulan is forcibly unveiled as a woman, Chi Fu violently berates her, calling her “treacherous snake.” The humor is gone, and the power-play between genders visible once more. On the other hand, there is the masculine matchmaker who unconsciously draws an ink mustache on herself and manages to light her backside on fire. Laughter abounds, but the overbearing and scrutinizing Dragon Lady persona is likewise being demeaned. The strong-willed and righteous Mulan is welcomed, but one step over the line and persecution awaits.

Alas! Alack! China is saved by a bunch of cross-dressing soldiers parading around the Forbidden City with fruit down their fronts, led by a girl who takes down the Minotaur-like Shan Yu with a fan, guardian spirit, lucky cricket, and about fifty fireworks! Ha ha ha! What fun! And now back to reality, boy what a good movie.

The antics of Mulan’s sidekick-trio along with the spectacular firework finale enhanced with little bitty Hun parts, not to mention Mushu’s key role in Mulan’s victory, allows for the obligatory happy ending but in such a way that realistically, it could never happen. The humor and Disney charm are used to mislead the audience, thus fulfilling the goal of creating a proud and westernized heroine without actually supporting the feasibility of a woman such as Mulan existing.

I realize that this post has so far had little to anything to do with the literature we have read. However, humor is apparent in many of the works, though not as blatantly as in Disney movies. Humor, irony, and satire – or even the little things that are only funny in your own head – are perceived as such for a reason, be it to disguise, disarm, make a commentary, deconstruct, or just to break the monotony.

(I first heard this from Kevin and may have butchered it. Apologies!)

There was an Asian man dying in the desert, when a genie appeared before him.

“Young man, I will grant you three wishes!” said the genie.

The man rasped, “I want water, a lot of water everywhere!”

“And your second wish?” the genie questioned.

The man answered, “I want women, tons of them!”

“And the third wish?” the genie chuckled.

The man thought, then his face brightened. “I want to be white!”

“Your wish is my command!” replied the genie, and the man was promptly turned into a women’s restroom toilet.