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I have a paperback copy of Memoirs of a Geisha on my bookshelf. I’ve been meaning to read it for years—ever since one of my husband’s friends recommended it to me. But I just never got around to it. Now that I’ve seen the movie, though, I might just have to find the time…
Geisha is the story of a young girl named Chiyo (Sazuka Ohgo) who’s sold to a geisha house when her mother becomes sick. At just nine years old, she’s separated from her parents and her sister, destined to become a geisha—even though she doesn’t know what a geisha is.
Determined to escape the house, Chiyo gets into plenty of trouble—and her escape attempts cost the house’s owner a great deal of money. As a punishment, Chiyo is taken out of geisha school and forced to work as a servant. But a chance meeting with a distinguished businessman known as The Chairman (Ken Watanabe) makes her determined to become a geisha—to become a part of The Chairman’s world.
As a teenager, Chiyo (now played by Ziyi Zhang) is taken in by a popular geisha named Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), who teaches her the ways of the geisha, determined to make Chiyo the most famous geisha ever.
Chiyo (as a geisha, known as Sayuri) succeeds—but not long before World War II begins, changing the life of a geisha forever.
Geisha was not without its share of controversy when it was released—the main concern being that director Rob Marshall had chosen three Chinese actresses to play Japanese roles. Here, I must plead ignorance. My travels have yet to take me to Asia, and thus the differences were lost on me. While I was aware that the actresses weren’t actually Japanese, I found their performances to be spectacular—well deserving of critical acclaim.
If you don’t come into this movie trying to pick at the subtle inconsistencies, you’ll find it to be absolutely stunning. The imagery is rich and breathtaking—and the subtle details are remarkable. I couldn’t get enough of the beautiful costumes and the enchanting dance scenes. And the relationships between the girls were played out extremely well.
Even though the movie was well over two hours long—and it isn’t a fast-paced action film—I never felt bored. On the contrary, I was so caught up in the story that I felt it ended just a bit too abruptly.
If you shied away from seeing this movie in the theater, be sure to pick up a copy of this unforgettable film DVD.
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