This is not as crazy as it sounds
Two much-anticipated blockbuster films scheduled for spring release delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Two tales of personal valor with protagonists called to duty to serve their country, protecting the innocent and weak, overcoming their fear to reveal their true selves, trained for self-discipline, teamwork and self-reliance, who put themselves at great risk to face down evil, winning the admiration of their compatriots and love of their chance partners, then finding redemption in survival and a slow fade back to obscurity.
One woman. One man. Two legends. One choice in the damned poll.
Bond. James Bond
James who, you say? Oh, that James Bond. I thought you meant James Bond the ornithologist.
When I wrote the first one in 1953, I wanted Bond to be an extremely dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened; I wanted him to be a blunt instrument ... when I was casting around for a name for my protagonist I thought by God, [James Bond] is the dullest name I ever heard.
In fiction, just as real life, things don’t always go quite as planned. The character Ian Fleming created for the first Bond book published in 1953, Casino Royale, was conceived as composite of American singer Hoagy Carmichael and Fleming himself, ordinary in appearance and habits, living an extraordinary life in perilous times.
Fleming, an intelligence officer in the British Royal Navy during WWII, was itching to write a spy novel drawing on the personal experiences of himself, his brother and friends, and in the early stages of the Cold War, he found the perfect milieu in a Europe then actually infested with spies and intrigue.
It occupied his time as a diversion from real life in the count-down to marriage with his then pregnant fiancé Ann Charteris Fleming, the widow of a friend fictionalized in Bond novels. Against the advice of an ex-girlfriend, he published it under his real name and from there, the Bond character took on a life of it’s own.
Relatively few people today read the James Bond novels and short stories, so the image and legend of his character in the popular imagination was set by Sean Connery’s portrayal of Bond in the 1962 film production of Dr. No.
The image of Ursula Andress emerging from the ocean under the leering gaze of Connery was a compelling one, and his characterization was so strong that it actually prompted Fleming to write a back-story for Bond to fit the image of Connery, a robust and brooding Scotsman, in the novel You Only Live Twice, which followed the film release of Dr. No. Andress, herself, would set a benchmark for “Bond Girls” that would give an opportunity for numerous actresses to inhabit personas of strong, smart and sexy women often equal to Bond himself. And with memorable names, of course.
Following Fleming’s death in 1964, a series of other writers tackled the Bond character, evolving a modern legend over a few years that might otherwise have taken decades.
Bond the film character, would not fare as well post-Connery, struggling through middle age portrayed by a series of actors who never quite clicked until Daniel Craig brought him back to life staring in the 2006 production of Casino Royale, looping back to the first Bond novel in a re-start.
Craig made Bond a more human and complex character than Connery could ever have pulled off in the 1960s, going so far as to quit Her Majesty’s Service in Skyfall (2012) before redeeming himself just as Dame Judi Dench as M got knocked-off in an homage to Straw Dogs.
With Craig, the Bond series departed from the cartoonish villains parodied in the Austin Powers films to focus on more believable contemporary threats including the rise of non-state actors employing terrorism motivated by grievances against the system, and a slightly over the hill Bond himself wresting with these questions.
The next Bond film, the much anticipated and now delayed No Time To Die, will be Craig’s last.
Thus, our beloved character and legend is again at a crossroads.
No time for introspection, folks.
“History isn’t kind to men who play God.” Indeed. “Stay in your lane.” Unlikely.
Mulan. Hua Mulan
Mu who, you say? 花木蘭。Oh, that Mulan, legendary female warrior from the Northern and Southern Dynasties Period. Silly me.
Mulan, a character some believe to be based on an actual person or persons, was celebrated in Northern Wei folk songs and codified in the 11th Century narrative poem, The Ballad of Hua Mulan.
[A literal translation of the poem is here, a faithful interpretive translation here and lyrical translation here. In my opinion the second is closest in mood and spirit to the Chinese.]
Mulan is the story of a dutiful eldest daughter from a family without a son of age abandoning her arranged marriage to take the place of her crippled father, a veteran warrior, when a conscription order from the Emperor obligates each family to provide one able male to raise an army to defend the kingdom from northern invaders (which coincides with the Northern Wei period).
Mulan, a brave and able horsewoman, leaves her village posing as a man — a fictional brother Hua Jun — and joins the army, training to become a skillful and valorous solder, eventually becoming the leader of her own corps. After 12 years of service she gains favor with the Emperor, and granted a wish, requests only a horse to return to her village and family, donning her old clothes and reveling the secret she is a woman to the surprise of her comrades.
Mulan proved to be a durable legend and inspiring character that was reinterpreted many times over the centuries, particularly celebrated in the Ming and Qing Dynasties that idolized her as a great beauty of those periods.
To this day, The Ballad of Hua Mulan is taught as a classic in Chinese schools and she continues to be a role model for young ladies, including my daughter.
But as with James Bond, legends have a life of their own and in Mulan’s case, her enthronement as a Disney Princess in the 1998 animated musical adventure of that name changed the popular narrative. In the Disney retelling, a singing dragon (voiced by Eddie Murphy), a charming love interest, and a cute puppy dog proxy for her fictional sibling help to flesh out the story and musical numbers, but to Disney’s credit they did not “white face” Mulan, and portray her as a capable, independent Chinese woman.
With a memorable theme song “Reflection” by then-newcomer (and ex- Mouseketeer) Christina Aguilera (voiced in the soundtrack by Lea Salonga) and an excellent cast of voice actors for multiple language versions (see Wiki), Mulan was an International hit, even in China, where there was some criticism about the story changes. A generation of Xers and their Millennial kids learned it from this:
When plans for a live-action remake materialized at Disney in 2010, the studio struggled though several iterations of story, director and casting, the project languishing until Australian director Niki Caro signed on and reframed it as a historical narrative action-adventure film, not a musical. In doing so, Caro drove the story back to the original source and tried to strike a balance between the traditional and the modern telling. When news of her changes leaked out, there was intense criticism on the internet for removing some of the Disney created characters, and through re-writes, proxies bridging the versions were created and updated to fit contemporary norms, verses the 6th Century.
Also controversial was the search for an actress to play Mulan. Caro auditioned nearly 1,000 prospects before settling on Chinese actress Liu Yifei [ 刘亦菲 ], aka Crystal Liu, aka “Sister Fairy” (for her delicate, ethereal beauty). Some doubted Liu could take the role of a man due to her icy beauty and reserved personality (at 32, she still lives with her mother and 60+ cats in the shelter they run for strays). Caro steadfastly defend the choice.
Caro assembled an impressive cast including some alumni of the animated version, with Chinese cinema luminaries such as Jet Li, Gong Li (as Xian Lang, the evil shape-shifting witch/antagonist), Tzi Ma (as her father), Jason Scott Lee and Donnie Yen in staring roles.
Once again, a loop back to original material for inspiration seems to be the magic fairy dust.
“When they find out who you are, they will show you no mercy” We’ll see about that.
Edit: After original publication this story, a Mandarin version of Reflection sung by Liu Yifei was released in China to promote the release of Mulan. I hope you enjoy this, it gives us a few clues about how they portray Mulan’s internal struggle that is the essence of the story in short clips keyed to the lyrics. Fans note: the song is featured as theme music in the soundtrack, but not sung.
Aguilera’s original recording still astounds; hard to believe that voice and nuanced phrasing from a 19 year old girl, but the more you listen, the better it gets.
In this annus horribilis of COVID-19, as we face an epic battle in real terms, we also find our heroes from the ranks of people who heed the call of duty and risk themselves for the good of society.
Ordinary in appearance and habits, living an extraordinary life in perilous times, our heroes are a bit frayed too.
Perhaps it’s fortunate these films were delayed so people otherwise occupied saving our necks might find some time later this year for a break from the hardship to enjoy a little entertainment.
Everyone loves a hero, let’s show ours a little love too.
Loyal • Brave • True - They honor us all.
Thanks for reading.