Review of Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) by Maggie S — 27 Oct 2009

It's hard for me to tell if I'm rating this so highly because I loved the book SO much or if the movie was really that good. As far as movie versions go, this one was an outstanding adaptation. The film-makers didn't mess around with trying to throw new twists at us to make the movie version unique...they just told the story as it was, thankfully. There may have been a few deviances, but for the most part, there was nothing huge and noticeable that would have agitated me.

The women in this movie are so extraordinarily beautiful that I'm now pissed off that I wasn't born Asian...errr Chinese - wait? Weren't these women supposed to be Japanese? Ah hell, this movie is made with Americans in mind and we're all stupid to nationalities right? Despite this controversial and almost insulting slight to very capable Japanese actresses, the acting is still top rate and perfectly cast from the child actors to the bit parts. Gong Li is a formidable villain in a role that had to be tough to play, though her steely glares worked better than some of her cheesy lines. Ziyi Zhang's soft voice, gracefulness, and expressive eyes makes Chiyo/Sayuri come to life on screen seamlessly from the pages of the novel. Suzuka Ohgo as young Chiyo is phenomenal and entirely believable. I still don't know how to feel about them not using Japanese actresses in a film that is supposed to be taking place in Japan. I heard a critic say there was no chemistry between The Chairman (Ken Watanbe) & Sayuri. I'm calling B.S. on this one...it was a very realistic portrayal of chemistry, in my opinion - subtle, not hey-look-we're-in-love but realistic. The movie version didn't stress exactly WHY they couldn't be together which probably baffled those that read the book. The movie didn't flesh out Nobu's character enough to make it hit home that they shared a tight friendship and Nobu took a shine to Sayuri openly, which The Chairman didn't want to disrespect. They don't even begin to touch on this and how much they are BOTH betraying Nobu in the end. Very poorly done in this area and it was an important device in the plot. I also wish they would have shown more of a reaction from the Chairman during the hot springs scene after Sayuri recounts her 'truth or lie' story. That moment was really awkward...and I wish the screen adaptation had fleshed out the following years of the romance to present day, which could have been done in an extra 5-10 minutes of running time while cutting out some of the more unnecessary footage.

I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more explanation in the voice-overs about what was going on in the story. I almost feel like it's a movie only to be watched if you have read the book. Otherwise, it's going to be really hard to follow and understand what is happening. Some of the critics harshly criticized the fact that the movie was done in English with Japanese accents and not in Japanese with English subtitles...How about NO!!! I'm sorry, but doing a movie in a foreign language and then using English subtitles is the biggest hack way to try to make your movies seem like some art house masterpiece and the snobbery oozes so thickly that most of us aren't buying it. It was a book written in English, not a Japanese import. I think the English with Japanese accents worked perfectly. However, they could have thrown a little more Japanese dialogue in to make the film feel more authentic. They also made Pumpkin's wartime character a little TOO over the top...the book didn't quite portray the streets of Japan as being rife with bawdy soldiers and Pumpkin suddenly transformed into Little Miss Rockabilly. It just didn't work. They should have spent more time on making Nobu appear like Beast from Beauty and the Beast and less time with Pumpkin playing war-time pin-up. The shunning of Nobu's fragile heart was what should really have hit home...the heartbreaking love triangle didn't show through near as clearly as it should.

Other than these few criticisms, it's actually a great screen adaptation to one of my favorite books of all time. The best thing about it is that it didn't resort to tacky Hollywood plot devices of completely unnecessary gratuitous sex. It's probably one of the classiest Hollywood movies I've seen in a long time in dealing with the subject. I was cringing about how they would portray a few racier scenes from the book - and was relieved to see that they didn't. They either scaled it back or cut the scene just in time.