Read Time:2 Minute, 13 Second
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.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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