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Lady General Hua Mu-lan

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Lady General Hua Mulan is a 1963 Chinese movie of the Huangmei Opera genre


Synopsis

Barbarian hordes had invaded and the border towns were overrun. The call went out for able-bodied men to join the army. Hua Mulan returned home from her hunting to find that her frail father had been summoned. Her brother was too young to enlist so she volunteered to take her father's place but her parents rejected the idea. Determined to convince her father, she conspired with her cousin and elder sister. Dressed as a man, she sparred with her father and defeated him. Both astonished and impressed, he gave her his blessings to join the army.

With her cousin accompanying her, she joined the ranks of army recruits and managed to impress the General in the recruits martial trials. In the 12 years of fighting, she rose through the ranks and attained the status of general. Through this period, she became fast friends with the group of recruits she was with and General Li. The war eventually drew to a close with an ambush and capture of the barbarian king. The Commanding General of the army threw a celebratory feast, after which, he drew Mulan aside to discuss a matter with her. He was especially impressed with her abilties and character and wished to bethroth his daughter to Mulan. Unable to refuse him outright for fear of offending him, Mulan dodged the issue by pretending to be feeling weak from her wound received in the last battle.

A few days later, having officially resigned her post, she took leave of her comrades and returned home with her cousin. The Commanding General, however, had not forgotten the proposal and months later, sent General Li with some of her comrades to visit her. They bore wedding gifts as well. When they arrived, they were shocked and astonished to find that their courageous and heroic comrade turned out to be a lady.

General Li agreed to explain to the Commanding General on Mulan's behalf. Before he left, he exchanged bethrothal tokens with Mulan, exhorting her to wait for him.

Sidenote

The story of Hua Mulan is well known. The Disney cartoon version is a recent adaptation to hit the screen but it is twisted out of form due to artistic license.

11th Asian Fim Festival (1964)

  • Best Actress - Ivy Ling Po

Huangmei Opera Dubbings

Cast

  • Hua Mulan - Ivy Ling Po
  • General Li - Chin Han
  • Master Hua - Yang Chi-ching
  • Madam Hua - Chen Yen-yen
  • Commanding General - Ching Miao


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