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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
A great achievement., 4 Mar 2006
By A Customer
This film is mouthwateringly beautiful...Even if you don't pay attention to the plot - the images are just gorgeous to look at. If you do pay attention to the plot, you will find it all the more stunning. Offering great insight into the complex, intriguing world of a geisha's career and personal life, it could almost be considered an educational film. This may sound tacky... but this film is made with all the precision and careful consideration of a geisha's dance. It is simply irresistible! (I'd rather not have to mention this, but in response to one of the previous reviews, i would like to point out that ethnicity is not important in this film. In any film. A good film is a good film whether the actors are Chinese, Japanese, American, African... I'd like to think that whatever conflicts there are between Japan and China, that they could put that behind them a hour or two, and just enjoy a nice movie together.)
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27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
A fantastic portrayal of Arthur Goldens renowned book, 2 May 2006
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden is one of those books I threatened to read for years. I finally got around to it some months ago and was hooked. It was a fantastic story that just sucks you right in so you feel you know the characters intimately. When I hear the book was being turned into a movie I waited with baited breath for its release. And I wasn't disappointed.
The movie sticks to the script of the book fantastically. The acting is superb and the sets were a picture perfect portrayal of what I had in my minds eye when I read the book.
The story is of a peasant girl sold by her parents to a geisha house in Gion. There she is beaten and brutalized by the Madam of the house and the head geisha Hatsumomo. Her true beauty is recognized by Hatsumomo's rival, Mameha, who takes Chiyo under her wing and turns her into a renowned geisha known as Sayuri.
This film is a love-story in one sense and a story of survival and hardship in another. I felt like I was back reading the book and enjoyed every second. Some have criticized the film because the actors weren't Japanese but I don't think this takes away from the film at all. The actors, actresses, performances, sets and costumes are just what I had envisaged when reading the book so I wasn't disappointed. If you enjoyed the book then I'm sure you'll love the film.....I did.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
beauty and serentiy personified, 29 Jun 2006
So it isn't as good as the book - who cares - when you have two of the most beautiful chinese actress' and one of the finest Japanese actors (if not the best) in history; portraying this epic true story of one womans life through hardship and pain to final happiness and true love.
The true effect of the cinematograhy is a little lost in translation from the big screen to the small screen but the pure beauty and serenty of Zhang Ziyi and Michelle Yeoh is breath taking,costumes and makeup are stunning, too.
Ken Watannbe produces a performance both powerful and understated exhibiting how a man of high position and influence can still be full of humility and understanding.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
A beautiful film, 25 Jun 2006
I have to say I haven't read the book to compare the film against, but I found the film to be both beautiful and intriguing to watch. It is fascinating to see the kinds of situations a Geisha would of put into and how they dealt with it, and the training they underwent. It is also interesting to see the hierarchy in the Geisha world, as well as the distinction between geisha and prostitutes. This film is stunning in it's imagery and direction and the story holds you until the end. My girlfriend has read the book and loved the film also.
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24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
Memoirs of a Geisha - a review, 15 Feb 2006
As a big fan of the Arthur golden novel i looked forward to this film with much anticipation and am glad to say that it did not disappoint.Although some of the critical revues were lukewarm to say the least i found this film an underrated gem with all the mystery,grace and beauty of the Geisha brought to life on the cinema screen.The film i guess,at times,does lack dramatic impact but more than makes up for it with superb performances from all concerned,a narrative that stays faithfull to the source novel and some of the most authentic and beautifull scenery and costumes ever captured on film.This is one of the most visually stunning films i have ever seen with the fantastic costumes,makeup,scenery and set design and the attention to detail that is second to none.
Having Chinese women play the lead rolls was another criticism from the movie press but after you have seen all the characters within the context of the story you forget about such minor details and let the film speak for itself.As you probably guessed by now i loved this film and every aspect of it right down to the slightly sentimental but heart lifting ending but can also understand and appreciate the critical comments aimed in it's direction.I think it can be some up by saying that if you are looking for a sweeping historical love story of great elegance and beauty then this film is for you.On the other hand if you are not interested in the historical and cultural aspects and are just looking for some popcorn entertainment then perhaps look elsewhere.
Fantastic stuff though.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
Blues for Sayuri, 13 Jul 2006
All the Japanoiserie aside, the basic story of "Memoirs of a Geisha" is as old as time: girl from the country makes good in the big city, loses it all then regains it by way of her talent, her wit and street smarts.
The story of Chiyo/Sayuri (the amazing Ziyi Zhang) is told by director Rob Marshall ("Chicago") in a stoic, straightforward way with just a little of the magic that the story deserves. Sure there is some magic in Marshall's retelling of the Arthur Golden story particularly the dance sequence in which Sayuri makes her reputation as the foremost Geisha in Osaka: in front of an audience of her peers (Gong Li as an almost demon possessed Hatsumomo), her mentor (Michelle Yeoh as Mameha) and her true love ("The Last Samurai's" Ken Watanabe), Sayuri performs a thrilling, beautifully choreographed and staged dance high on drama and sensuality. If only the entire film were on this other-worldly and elegant level.
The production design and costumes are, though: "Memoirs" is eye-poppingly beautiful to behold. Every detail of the Osaka landscape is amazingly perfect particularly since this film was primarily shot on a US studio lot in Southern California. Amazing.
There has been much talk about non-Japanese playing these roles and the fact that all the actors speak in a Japanese inflected English but I found nothing amiss in either case: all of the actors, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Malaysian perform admirably and several even more so.
Ziyi Zhang is a revelation here. Her Sayuri is a flesh and blood creation, a dreamer, a girl and a woman with a dream and the talent to back it up: she succeeds through hard work and a desire to rise above her meager beginnings. Zhang, at least in the movies that have been released here, has heretofore played warriors but in "Memoirs" she plays a multi-faceted woman with a deep well of unrequited love and unfulfilled sexuality and she is truly memorable.
"Memoirs of a Geisha" should have been better. As it is, it is too long and the 3rd act is problematic: dull scenes alternate with scenes of high drama. But nothing can diminish the luminous, incandescent power of Ziyi Zhang's Sayuri and because of this "Memoirs" succeeds despite rather than because of itself.
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22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
fantastic Movie, 7 Nov 2006
This movie was fantastic.
Sauri played by Ziyi Zhang played the character so well. She was the ideal Sayuri. The young Chiyo was also fantastic. Her leaning against the red railings and crying and the chairman coming over to make her feel better was shown so well. This was the turning point of chiyo's life.
Everyone sayuri met she left a mark on their life. The releationship between mameha and Sayuri is shown really well.
This is one of those movies that you can watch again and again and never get bored.
THe look and the costumes were fantastic and were all part of the individual character.
Do expect differences from the book as this story is shown from the directors eye and he shows the art of the Geisha's so well. Each aspect of the story is great. I love this and recommend it to everyone that loves and admires the japanese culture.
The extra footage is also great, as you are able to look behind the scenes and the making of the costumes.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
Visually spectacular but without the intensity of the book., 29 Jul 2006
The Academy got it about right when they awarded Oscars for Cinematography and Costume, but not acting. This film is a visual feast from the cluttered Geisha suburb of Gion, through Mahema's exquisite apartment, to the cherry blossom on the Baron's estate. However, the intensity and emotion of the book is largely lost - there just isn't time to build up the characterisation of the main players, and almost every character becomes more one-dimesional than their paper equivalent.
You don't get to experience the prolonged suffering of Chiyo, separated from her parents and sister and sold to be trained as a Geisha. Nor do you get a sense of rival geisha's Hatsumomo's relentless persecution of Chiyo. Nor how long and arduous the schooling to become a Geisha really is. Nor the heroines long struggle to be noticed by the Chairman after their initial brief encounter on the bridge. And certainly not her revulsion at the prospect of having Nobu as a patron. These scenes are all included of course, but they're rushed and you don't feel them as keenly as you do when reading the book.
But all of this is understandable, isn't it? - how do you cram a novel as rich and expansive as Memoirs of a Geisha into a film that runs for just over two hours? You can't. The actors and actresses though talented, simply don't have time to do justice to the piece, a task made harder by the struggle with English some of them experienced, which means some of the emphasis in sections of dialogue is lost or misplaced.
Positives? The bonus scenes - details on costume and make-up and even japanese recipes, make this a nice package. Style over subtance you might think. Yet despite this I still give it four stars. How could you not with a film so visually perfect.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Beautiful and moving., 16 Feb 2007
This is an incredibe story of a child sold by her family and taken to the city to become a Geisha. It becomes a love story and sweeps you into a forgotten world where women were trained to be walking works of art.
It is beautiful to look at and the main characters are very well cast, especially Gong Li as the fiery Hatsumomo and Michelle Yeoh as the heronine's mentor and teacher Mameha.
The only reason I've given it four instead of five stars was that at times I couldn't understand what was being said, the english was very broken and I had to rewind a few scenes to hear them clearly, but otherwise it was just about perfect.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
i love the chairmannnn!, 14 Nov 2006
I am giving this 5 stars for the terrific impression the chairman gave me, he was just how I imagined him in the book. I love the way the director brings in the correct music at the correct times, and the costumes and make up are fantastic! If you have read the book, which I did, you feel like you're imagination has been taken away, but I thought this was done REALLY well. The book is one of my favourites and I don't usually watch any film which I have read the book to and enjoy it. I definitely think you should buy this, but you need to have a good understanding of the background of a geisha because it would of just left me confused otherwise. A fabulous DVD!
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