Review of Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) by Thomas W — 20 Jan 2012

Yes, the majority of the cast is Chinese instead of Japanese...and that is a bit irritating. Even so, this is a very gripping story, and the attention to detail in recreating pre-World War II Japan was very intricate.

I was very impressed, overall, with everyone's performances, even if I had to suspend disbelief in a few areas when watchying a Chinese madame try and pass for a Japanese geisha. At once a piece on the brutal lessons learned when coming of age to a sad and awful tale of a loss of innocence before an impossible love story, this was a great movie that does far more than deliver on a mere premise of romance - it is a harsh film, and does not recoil from the reality of strict social observances.