Memoirs Of A Geisha Movie
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Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
In 1929 an impoverished nine-year-old named Chiyo from a fishing village is sold to a geisha house in Kyoto's Gion district and subjected to cruel treatment from the owners and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her stunning beauty attracts the vindictive jealousy of Hatsumomo, until she is rescued by and taken under the wing of Hatsumomo's bitter rival, Mameha. Under Mameha's mentorship, Chiyo becomes the geisha named Sayuri, trained in all the artistic and social skills a geisha must master in order to survive in her society. As a renowned geisha she enters a society of wealth, privilege, and political intrigue. As World War II looms Japan and the geisha's world are forever changed by the onslaught of history.
| Suzuka Ohgo | Chiyo |
| Togo Igawa | Tanaka |
| Mako | Sakamoto |
| Samantha Futerman | Satsu |
| Elizabeth Sung | Sakamoto's Wife |
| Thomas Ikeda | Mr. Bekku |
| Li Gong | Hatsumomo |
| Tsai Chin | Auntie |
| Kaori Momoi | Mother |
| Zoe Weizenbaum | Young Pumpkin |
| David Okihiro | Shamisen Teacher |
| Miyako Tachibana | Dance Teacher |
| Kotoko Kawamura | Granny |
| Karl Yune | Koichi |
| Eugenia Yuan | Korin |
| Rob Marshall |
7.00 out of 10 (19841 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Very well done
posted on 28 Aug 2009Before seeing Memoirs of a Geisha, a film directed by Rob Marhsall, I heard of all the controversy surrounding the casting of non-Japanese actors in Japanese roles, especially Chinese actors. However, after seeing the film, I must say this complaint is unfounded because I found the performances compelling and believable. Rob Marhsall does a masterful job with his actors, especially of Ziyi Zhang as Sayuri, Michelle Yeoh as Mameha, Li Gong as Hatsumoto. Not only this, the cinematography by Dion Beebe, the production design by John Myhre, costume design by Colleen Atwood, and composer John Williams' score are all top-notch and exquisite. I can see now why John Williams won his 4th Golden Globe for this score - it really works well in the film and adds the appropriate emotional emphasis. This is a must-see - a 9 out of 10.
A lyrical interpretation of the 'floating world'
posted on 28 Aug 2009This film is very faithful to Golden's book. It is not a Japanese film. It is not from a realistic perspective. Marshall allows Golden's appreciation of the beauty and artistry of the Geisha culture to wash over the viewer like soft rain. You will be moved, you will be visually stimulated and you will marvel at the talents of these stupendous performances by actors known to hundreds of millions of people - they just don't happen to be known to most westerners. You will feel a longing to see cherry blossoms, to drink sake and to visit the old traditional areas of Japan like Hida-Takayama and the Japan sea coast. This film should do a lot to promote both Japan and Asian film in general. I hope so. The stand-out performances are Gong Li as the femme fatale Hatsumomo, Ken Watanabe as The stoic-and-so-Japanese Chairman and Yakusho Koji for his measured performance as Nobu-san. I loved Ziyi Zhang but thought that both Golden in the novel and Marshall in the film got the eye colour all wrong. It was a little distracting due to the fact that it looked so odd - I never really reconciled the gray eye thing in the book though so it could be my problem! Regardless, a beautiful film. Standout scene is Sayuri's dance in a stylised Kabuki delivery that brought back memories of the Kabuki-Za Theatre in Tokyo.There is great attention to detail and authenticity in sensorially rich locations, lush kimono silks and smooth wrists of the young maiko! There is almost a tactile quality to this film. Bathe yourself in its beauty.
Why the bad reviews?
posted on 28 Aug 2009I watched the film a couple of hours ago and had been looking forward to it for a few months now. But after reading reviews and comments about the film the other day I was a bit concerned that the film was going to be a disappointing flop. I'm glad to say that the reviews, in my opinion were completely wrong. I can understand that you might be disappointed if you looked at the cast and thought "Yay a cool martial arts flick" and then found it to be a drama with no fight scenes what so ever, but knowing what it was going to be like I was gob smacked. The film looks breath-taking and even though my main concern was that they were speaking English and not Japanese after five minutes of getting into the film you can forgive and forget that. As for the actors themselves, allot of people have been complaining about the fact that they are Chinese, but this like the language is easily forgotten as you become immersed in the fantastic storyline and scenery. I thought the acting was great and you get to see a side to Zhang Ziyi's acting that she doesn't really show in previous films, Michelle Yeoh's portrayal of Mameha was awesome and she plays the strong, in control woman figure that she's played so well before, Ken Watanabe as the chairman was a great choice and gave a very good performance and Gong Li was very impressive in her role of Hatsumomo. I was particularly impressed with the young girl, Suzuka Ohgo who played the young Chiyo. She not only looked very convincing as Zhang's younger self, but her acting was fantastic.If you wanted to see this film but have been but off by the critics and bad reviews, ignore them. Go watch it and form your own opinion. I loved it and think it's going to be tough to beat this as my own personal film of the year. It was refreshing and breath-taking; I hope you feel the same way! = ) msmuse101
Is it Just Me
posted on 27 Aug 2009Once again I get to review a film from an amazing novel that I knew nothing about until this film was released. I must say that everything from the story to the visuals are beautiful especially Japan's cherry blossoms and other obvious colorful scenery. One of the few problems I had with the movie was that it wasn't in its original Japanese language with English subtitles.
I have become one of those people that appreciate a foreign film especially Asian cinema much more when it is in its original language. It starts to become a little unrealistic when everyone is speaking English in Japan and you can tell that they don't speak it everyday plus there's the fact that they're in Japan. It would only be right to show some appreciation to a culture and story of this kind by letting them speak their language.
Maybe it's just me or there is something that I didn't know about the production but I just rented this movie and knew nothing of the novel. The story is very interesting because you finally get some insight on those Japanese masks with the white makeup and red lips. You get the real story of the secret life and you find out that those masks have nothing on the true geisha.
It does get a little surprising to see how it was done in those days and shocking how a geisha held power but didn't hold it all in the same. Memoirs Of A Geisha is truly a beautiful film and story as well. The acting was good but what's funny is that Suzuka Ohgo (Young Chiyo) and Zoe Weizenbaum (Young Pumpkin) do a far better job than Ziyi Zhang and Youki Kudoh. I can't give a review as someone who read the book and I know how it hurts when the film is weak compared to the book but as a regular viewer it is definitely something you cannot miss out on.
Beautiful ending to a flawed movie
posted on 27 Aug 2009I was leaning towards giving it only three stars because it has certain weaknesses. But then I saw the ending, and it was a beautiful one. It always makes me happy to see love onscreen.
The side story of a jealous rival geisha constantly hurting our hero was annoying. There really wasn't any reason for it.
Another part of the story I found annoying was the lack of communication between the main characters. Our hero was giving one man all the signals that she was interested, but she in fact was interested in a different man, who she wasn't communicating with at all.
I don't like having to witness problems that make no sense to me.
But then came that surprise ending, so warm and affectionate. That was nice.
Great Expectations - Awful Disappointment
posted on 26 Aug 2009**I think there are only "spoilers" if you have read the book.** The novel was on my list to read from the moment it came out in 1997, and planned on buying it at Christmas, so I could read it and see the film. I didn't need to buy it because I received it as a gift, thankfully. I read it in two days, and last night I had the opportunity to see the film. The book was so wonderfully written, and I had heard great things about the movie, so I had great expectations going into the theatre. I was fairly disappointed coming out of there. At the end of the movie, I sat in my seat, jaw dropped, stunned, and terribly disappointed.Through the course of the film, I started feeling bad about choosing that movie to see with my friend because I felt that it moved really slow, and I actually found myself bored at times. My friend hadn't read the book, so I was afraid she was even more bored than I was. There were major parts of the book left out, and there were some things that were changed from the book. I know, I know, it's to be expected, but some of the things that were changed and left out were crucial to the story.Unfortunately, I left the theatre feeling cheated. I sat through the whole two and a half hours of that movie, and I didn't even get the ending, which was the whole point of the story. I was glad that I saw the twilight show and didn't pay a full ticket price to see it. If they had used the ending of the book to end the film, it may have been worth it. But they didn't. They cut out the end of the book and left you hanging. Even my friend was disappointed with the ending because she felt like there should have been something more. I told her to read the book.Aside from the slowness, the bad ending, deleting key parts of the story, etc, I thought the music, the casting, and the artistic points of the movie were wonderful.If you haven't read the book, you may find it boring. If you have read the book, you may find it boring and very disappointing. I thought it was beautiful, but it could have been so much more. Sitting through the changes and long, slow movement would have been justified if we had the book's ending.
So much less than it could have been
posted on 24 Aug 2009I was quite impressed with the costuming, the sets and scenery. The story was also quite entertaining. There were a few things that very much detracted from the authenticity of the movie. First, I had expected a Japanese tone to the movie...that is, Japanese language and Japanese actors. I realize now this is just an American (Hollywood) movie and the casting and poetic license taken by Mr. Marshall spoiled it. Although the Chinese ladies did a good job in acting their parts, none of them could capture the Japanese heart (psyche). If you go see the movie, I think you'd best expect only the Hollywood version of a story like this.
Where's Jerry Lewis when we need him?
posted on 22 Aug 2009All kidding aside, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA is a lush and, one would suppose, fairly expensive adaptation of a popular novel about a Japanese waif who grows up to become a legendary geisha before World War II comes along to ruin everything. The waif's impoverished parents sell her to a middleman who in turn sells her to a geisha house, where she is trained in the art of the geisha. But this overly inquisitive, mischievous and often rebellious sprite runs afoul of the house mother and almost ends up a scullery maid before being "rescued" by a former geisha who bets the house mother she can turn the girl into a great geisha. Much craziness ensues, and the girl grows into a beautiful young woman who becomes in great demand as a geisha. Obviously, this is NOT a movie for men. For women, it may prove spellbinding. Or not, depending on the female. MEMOIRS is a stark and unapologetic melodrama, set in a foreign land (even though it was shot in Hollywood) that comes to an improbable although predictable conclusion (someone had to be financing the young lady's education, and who better than the man she has loved since childhood?). Director Rob Marshall, whose only known film prior to this was CHICAGO, uses a cast made up of American, Chinese, Korean and Japanese actors. To an Asian, seeing non-Japanesee actors in many of the roles, including the leads, may prove jarring. To all others, it won't matter a lick. It's the melodrama that matters, brudder. And there's plenty of it here. The only name that might be familiar to American audiences is Michelle Yeoh, as the young geisha's (apparent) benefactress. But keep a close eye on the actress who plays Pumpkin. She undergoes the most dramatic transformation of all.
An oriental love story
posted on 22 Aug 2009Having read the book by Arthur Golden before watching this movie, I have to admit it left me with somewhat of an empty stomach in the end. Golden's novel has a dual intent: teaching, by explaining every step a girl goes through before she becomes a geisha and entertaining, by adding a love-story plot with a nice romantic happy ending.To my personal disappointment, the movie mostly emphasizes on that second part. Many of the interesting details of the process to becoming a geisha have been left out. I am thinking of moments at the geisha school, the details about kimonos and hair, the importance of the debt a geisha has towards the Okiya, etc.Some adjustments were also made to adapt it to the big screen, like e.g. the Nobu character, whom in the book has only one arm and is disfigured all over his body. In the movie only his face shows some discolored spots. Even the diary that Chiyo keeps about her hidden love (the president) and the other people from the Okiya, which was in fact the true reason for the fight with Hatsumomo, was left out. And the fact that in the movie it is the president that saves Sayuri from the war (and not Nobu like in the novel) also made me raise my eyebrows.But I suppose turning over 450 pages into a 2 hour movie and still keep a large audience entertained isn't an easy task to accomplish. Memoirs of a Geisha is most certainly not a bad movie, on the contrary. The acting is very strong and the casting tremendous (although most actresses are Chinese and not Japanese). This movie asked for beautiful woman, and with Ziyi Zhang as Chiyo/Sayuri and Li Gong as Hatsumomo (who from my eyes looked even more beautiful than her adversary) this was more than accomplished. The images really take you back to the Gion of the 40's. They give you a true feeling of what was going on at the time and how it all changed because of the war.So I could conclude in saying that this is a movie you have to see if you are interested in a nice but strong oriental love story. If however you want to learn about geisha's, then I would advice you to read the Arthur Golden novel, which contains much more details. But it was a very enjoyable movie nonetheless.
Don't watch this on DVD, you won't get the same cinematic effect!
posted on 18 Aug 2009Wow, the artistry, music and colour were just extraordinary! What a beautifully made film! The combination of languages was well scripted,and aside from the rare question mark over what an actor had said, the story was still smooth and mesmerising. It highlights the exquisite colour as well as the rigid formalities of the Japanese culture, and the music was also amazing! It's a great cinematic production! And since I have to pad this comment out to a minimum of 10 lines, then let me also say that I thought the casting was very very good. I don't really know what else to say without giving anything away, except to say finally that I really enjoyed it! (there, 11 lines!)
Love story with beautiful historic Japanese town sets as a backdrop
posted on 18 Aug 2009A young girl, from a poor fishing village family in pre-WWII Japan, is sold to a geisha house. Groomed to be a geisha, the course of her life is immediately swept into the uncontrollable currents of daily circumstances. One day. a young, politically powerful man befriends the young girl on a bridge. That fateful meeting changes her life forever. His respect for geishas as intimate companions demonstrates to her that a geisha is her path up the social ladder of the powerful, influential and well-connected. This revelation gives her new meaning in life for which she would be eternally grateful and, like a ship in rough seas to a solid beacon on land, deeply drawn to that stranger forever. In the turbulent world of staged advances and mock flirtation that can warm the hearts of clients, and break the hearts of others, there existed one genuine bond for one geisha and one man.
excellent..breathtaking!!!!
posted on 17 Aug 2009this movie was a great experience....im a 25 yr old guy too....film should win many oscars...got some mixed reviews but i dont see why....go see it ....tells story of a young japanese girl who is sold into slavery and later becomes a geisha .... i was struck with awe at the beauty of this film..it is a feast for the eyes and also the ears as John Williams' score is amazing...with violin solos by Itzak Perlman and YoYo Ma...terrific....the movie isnt even slow and boring...it is engrossing as can be ...totally interesting..im gonna go buy the book..im still amazed at this movie....takes u right into the culture of the japanese and the ways of the geishas
a wonderful movie like a poem
posted on 15 Aug 2009this is a beautiful nostalgic movie, wonderfully casted, directed and filmed. what you could expect a movie that could catch lot of important moments from a thick book? you might have to spend couple of days and nights to finish the book, but a movie adapted and transcribed from the book could only be produced within say, under 2 hours, 3 hours at most? so what and why do you have to complaint and compare a short movie to a long novel, saying it's not good enough? if giving a opportunity of lifetime, presuming and pretending you were already a movie director, could you make it better than this one? so would you please be more generous to give a kinder review for this one and all the other movies adapted from novels?
Wondrous, but a little unsatisfactory
posted on 14 Aug 2009Memoirs of a Geisha is a beautiful movie which boasts the best visual satisfaction any movie can desire. Ron Marshall, being the director of acclaimed musical, Chicago, definitely brings that extravagant and lavish air in this movie.Costume design was great, and cinematography was just astounding, the best cinematography I've ever seen(especially the temple scene). The choreography of the snow dance scene definitely left me in awe.The thing that I was a little uncomfortable with in the movie, was the acting. Gong Li stole the spotlight from Zhang Zi Yi. Her seductive allure emanates throughout the movie, although she is the antagonist. I found it hard to digest Zhang Zi Yi's character, because I felt that she portrayed a confused character rather than one with a strong conviction.The movie is great, but definitely, it seems to be a little bit boring nearing to the end.
Not As Good As The Novel
posted on 09 Aug 2009The story of a young Japanese girl, Chiyo , sold by her father (along with her sister)to a man who takes her to a geisha house. She gets picked, her sister does not. Chiyo is tormented by the queen geisha, Hatsumomo, who cavorts with strange young men and walks around with her hair hanging down all the time. In the book, Chiyo learned to give as good as she got with Hatsumomo, but that doesn't happen in the film. The Chinese actors speak English with at times, almost unintelligible accents, so a lot of the dialogue is missed. Plus, a lot is not explained - for instance when Chiyo's (now Sayuri)mentor says she has an important appointment that she can't break, and Hatsumomo makes a sarcastic remark to her about "taking care of a nuisance" that means she is going to get an abortion. The significance of the red ribbon in the hairdo (virgin) is not explained. And geishas paint their lips smaller, and as far as I recall, don't wear false eyelashes.
I would say that the book portrayed more heartbreaking realism (betrayal by her father, loss of her sister, and torture at the geisha house)than this film did. Something about the whole thing just kind of fell flat.
But it's not totally terrible.
a beautiful story, but needs more depth
posted on 06 Aug 2009Sold into servitude, Chiyo is sold to the Geisha house owned by Mother. This house is home to one of the most popular Geisha; Hatsumomo. Chiyo starts to be trained as a Geisha, much to Hatsumomo dislike. Hatsumomo makes Chiyo ruin a valuable Kimono, forcing mother to make Chiyo a slave to pay her debt. At the age of fifteen, Chiyo is taken by Mameha, who wants to train Chiyo to become a Geisha. Mameha turns Chiyo into Sayuri, the most veered Geisha of all. Hatsumomo starts her fight to discredit and ruin Sayuri, to stop her from becoming a full Geisha. When she was a young girl, Sayuri has been infatuated with The General, though she could never be with him, which goes against what a Geisha is.Memoirs of a Geisha is an captivating story into a woman's life, who becomes the most popular Geisha of all. The colour of the Memoirs is so deep and lush, enhanced by Dion Beebe's cinematography. The landscapes and settings are so detailed and breathtaking, as well as the beautiful kimono's worn by all the Geishas. The score of Memoirs has such a haunting and mysterious ambiance, adding that layer of mystery, which is what a Geisha is.For all its highs and beauty, there is something awry with Memoirs of a Geisha. While this looks into the life of a Geisha, we don't get a real in-depth look. The wonderful visuals gloss over a lot of the story, as we don't see into the entire life of a Geisha, as they are meant to be these mysterious people, and the mystery behind them is lost here. The three leads; Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh are Chinese actresses, while this is set in Japan. All three give wonderful performances in their roles, Zhang Ziyi brings such beauty and fragility to Suyari. Gong Li is captivating as the maniacal Hatsumomo. Mechelle Yeoh is so graceful as Mameha.Memoirs has been filtered through western eyes, and it does show. There is a real miss in authenticity. The English language seems so out of place; with Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li at times looking uncomfortable with English. We don't get a real look into the Japanese culture, which is so deep and rich, but Rob Marshal misses it. His direction at times to didactic, not letting the story come out naturally. Some of the dramatic parts verge on mellow dramatic, yet are evenly balanced by some absolutely engaging shots. Sayuri's dance in the snow covered stage is so spellbinding.With a mixed state of affairs, Memoirs of a Geisha is eastern culture for the main stream audience who dislike subtitles. This is a wonderful story of a woman's life, but it could have been raised to be a masterpiece if wasn't taken from a western perspective.
Style AND substance
posted on 04 Aug 2009Lavish cinematography means 'Memoirs of a Geisha' is never anything less than visually beautiful, and it's hard to think of how any other movie could beat it to an Oscar in this department come March next year. However, the true merit of the film lies in the fact that its sumptuous style does not outweigh substance, something particularly thankful given that such an imbalance was so unfortunately true of House of Flying Daggers, the last major release to star Ziyi Zhang. Instead, the truly enchanting performance of 12-year old Suzaka Oghu, who plays the young Sayuri for the first half hour, ensures attention is captured within her character's story for the rest of the drama. This allows the script to remain pleasingly understated, and also means the unlikely nature of the romance can be overlooked.The hibernation that the story withdraws into during the wartime years could so easily have been damaging, but in the event the portrayal of how the post-war influx of American troops corrupted Japan's ancient traditions is just as excellent as the rest of the film.
If I Could give it more than a 10... *Possible Spoilers*
posted on 02 Aug 2009I have a very strong interest in Japanese culture as a Vietnamese person. I find this movie very interesting and breath taking. The whole point of telling a story of a particular person always catches my attention. The thing I love about this movie is the artistic this movie has to offer. The make up is so seductive and gorgeous. The Kimonos has a breath taking appearance and shows pride to the person that wears them. The dance that they do is so artistic and beautiful and always takes to my attention. To me the best part is this movie starts out really sad and depressing but ends in happiness and hope. This movie is so emotional it made me cry when I watched it and I am not a very emotional person. This movie makes me want to see what happens next and each and every scene. The drama in this movie is so great it makes me feel like I am in the character's shoes! It also makes me want to learn more about Japanese cultures and ways of life. I hope this review is helpful to you and I hope you enjoy this movie because this is to me the best Japanese movie ever made ever since The Last Samurai
Nothing but glitz that plays to the mythifying of the East
posted on 31 Aug 2009As a Canadian-Asian, I witness in this film nothing but pure glitz and glamour, yet another media project that does not help the viewer understand the complex world of Japan, but instead plays up the eroticism that many Westerners have invented in their perception of the Orient.
This film plays to many stereotypes. There are made up Asian women, who are childish and naively seductive, complete with accents. There are the bawdy Americans, who only want to take advantage of the beautiful Asian women. And there are the ever present cherry blossoms.
The problem is not the content, but the execution.