Memoirs of a Geisha (Widescreen Two-Disc Special Edition)

 

 

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As the film begins, young Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) and her sister and sold by their poor parents to be servant girls in a geisha house far away. They are separated, and Chiyo's life is filled with work, punishment, and loneliness, until the day she meets the Chairman (Ken Watanabe). The handsome businessman is kind to the little girl, and from that moment she vows to become a geisha so she can see him again. With the help of her mentor (Michelle Yeoh), she becomes the most celebrated geisha in the city. And then WWII changes everything.

I really enjoyed everything about "Memoirs." The costumes and scenery are simply exquisite, the acting is excellent, and the script is powerful and touching. The story contrasts the harsh life of little Chiyo with the graceful elegance of the geishas, and it's such a visual feast that it was hard to leave the theatre and not see any kimonos. The best scenes were those with Ken Watanabe, whose confidence and charisma are very appealing. All of the actors are very good and I really cared about the characters. Heartily recommended for its story and breathtaking beauty.

Three movies won three Oscars this year and one of those three was "Memoirs of a Geisha." These were for the Art Direction by art director John Myrhe and set decorator Gretchen Rau, Dion Beebe's Cinematography, and Colleen Atwood's Costume Design. Those particular awards should be sufficient to tell you that this is a gorgeous looking film, but once you see it you may well come to the conclusion that the style of the film is its most substantive part. There is great beauty here, to be sure, but not the soul that would make it a great film.

I have not read Arthur Golden's best-selling novel, but I am aware that those who have are not simply complaining that the book is better (a constant complaint applicable to almost all literature adapted to the screen), but saying that the script by Robin Swicord ("Practical Magic") has changed the novel into something inferior. Obviously, I cannot speak to that, but I can comment on why this 2005 film proves to be less than satisfactory taken on its own terms.

Young Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) and her sister are taken from their farming village and sold to a geisha house run by Mother (Kaori Momoi). Chiyo ends up a possible candidate for becoming a geisha, although she has not idea what that means, while her sister, Satsu (Samantha Futerman) is immediately forced to work as a prostitute. The geisha of the house, Hatsuomo (Li Gong), takes exception to the young girl and threatens to crush her. But when she grows up, Chiyo (Ziyi Zhang), begins her training in earnest and is given the geisha name Sayuri, and is taken under the wing of the great geisha Mameha (Michelle Yeoh).

The idea of training a geisha and the life they lived in Japan before World War II is a fascinating idea, but except for a stunning dance in artificial snow that is the highlight of the film, the training and the life ends up taking a back seat to a romantic plotline in the film. As a young girl Chiyo first met the Chairman (Ken Watanabe), and her desire to become a geisha is entirely predicated on her belief that becoming one will bring her closer to the man she loves from afar. Of course, the idea of love is antithetical to the ideals of the geisha, and a clear indication to my mind that Western sensibilities are going into play here. The more Sayuri relies on her heart, the less I am attracted to the tale. It is the denial of love that gives the geisha her pathos, and the example of Hatsuomo early on when she secretly meets with her love makes such indulgences to see quite tawdry.

The Japanese sensibilities matter here because from our Western perspective this is the story of a woman who is sold into slavery to be a high priced courtesan. Such a life is by definition better than dying on the street, but it is not a noble profession, and a woman who cannot give her heart is not allowed to be human. The fact that geishas are not prostitutes is apparently not germane to the story. True, after World War II many Japanese prostitutes presented themselves as Geishas and solidified that idea in the popular mind of Westerners, but a key selling point of "Memoirs of a Geisha" is that it immerses us into a foreign culture and failing to do so accurately is going to be a major mark against the effort for those who recognize the difference. This is a movie that will disappoint you because you have a sense for how fine it could have been if it were telling a more ambitious tale.

I would have liked this movie better if it ended a scene earlier, preferring the somewhat tragic ending of the sick joke that is played on Sayuri to the deus ex machina happy ending, which only serves to conform that this is much more a melodrama than any sort of epic. The fact that the principle women are played by Chinese actresses rather than Japanese has more to do with the recognition of this particular trio of women from "Raise the Red Lantern" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," than from their ethnicity. It is undoubtedly too soon to say that Chinese and Japanese actresses can now be exchanged with the same ease that American and English actresses cross the Pond to find work. Still, it is a beautiful movie and the DVD extras make watching it and gaining some small insights into the world it portrays worth the effort and justify rounding up.

Excellent cinematography, but the story could have been a little more exciting. Why did they use Chinese in the lead roles and not Japanese? The Geishas hair, makeup and costumes are not correct. It shows the practice of selling young girls to the Geisha houses, fortunately that practice ended after WWII. Reputable Geisha houses did not buy girls; very often the position was handed down from mother to daughter.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Visually Lovely, Mildly Entertaining
I bought the movie after reading the book, which was haunting. I have to agree with many of the movie reviews I read - there is a lot to look at in this film, and it is striking... Read more

Published on Mar 1 2010 by Joy W

4.0 out of 5 stars Exotic and Enticing Scenery and Story
Rob Marshall the director engaged the author Arthur Golden to assist in making his book come to life on the screen. It is a visually stunning artistic masterpiece. Read more

Published on Dec 15 2006 by Erika Borsos

5.0 out of 5 stars A gorgeous, moving, must-see film
With so many filmmakers producing films these days, it's a rare joy to sit and watch a work of actual cinematic artistry. Read more

Published on Jun 18 2006 by Daniel Jolley

4.0 out of 5 stars Great film ..Great DVD
I enjoyed the movie ... A interesting look into a life of a geisha.

Published on May 19 2006 by Scotty

2.0 out of 5 stars Film not translate well from book.
We watched the film with great expectations. Without reading the book we thought it would be very difficult to follow. Read more

Published on April 18 2006 by John R. Palmer

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Book, Great Movie
I am a purist in the sense that I love to see books accurately portrayed in movies to the T (think BBC special of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice). Read more

Published on April 16 2006

5.0 out of 5 stars A good adaptation
I've always been skeptical of movies adapted from books and was afraid that Memoirs would end up as another subpar adaptation given the detail in the book but it was very well... Read more

Published on April 10 2006

1.0 out of 5 stars Boring, Flat and Bad
I was unable to comprehend how the producers were able to justify using a Chinese actress to portray a Japanese character, but that's only one of this movie's problems. Read more

Published on April 8 2006

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful
I thought both the book and movie were amazing, though I'm not sure I cared for the poetic license taken with the traditional dress and makeup of the geisha, not that they weren't... Read more

Published on April 3 2006 by Canadian Pagan

1.0 out of 5 stars One of the worst this year
I found this movie to be boring and it did not keep my attention. It was also really long and there didn't seem to be any point to the movie. Read more

Published on April 2 2006

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