Review of Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) by Kristen B — 27 Oct 2010

Memoirs of a Geisha is simply outstanding. It entices from start to finish with it's elegance and beautiful scenery. Everything from the acting to the costumes to the props were just fabulous. In the seemingly perfect world of a Geisha, she must "paint her face to hide her face" and can only strive towards her dream in her secret world. The book was amazing, and to see it brought to life though the movie was magical.

The movie centers around the main character Chiyo. She is forced to leave her home a young girl of nine years old to be a slave in Gion, Japan in the 1920s. She begins working to become a Geisha after the owner of the Geisha House sees her beauty. But Chiyo quickly becomes a victim of the vicious Geisha Hatsumomo when Hatsumomo forces her to ruin an expensive Kimono. Chiyo is then told she would be a slave for the rest of her life to pay off the debts she has made and could never become a Geisha.

She helplessly drifts from day to day until she meets the man that changes her life; the Chairman. His kindness gives her courage and she vows to become a Geisha one day to be with the Chairman again. With the help of Mameha, the popular Geisha who discovers Chiyo's beauty and natural charisma, Chiyo is transformed into Sayuri; the most popular Geisha in all of Gion.

Rob Marshall took on a controversial project when he transformed the book to a movie. It was to be suspected that a Japanese woman would play the Japanese leading role. That was not the case with this movie, but honestly, it couldn't have been done better by anyone one other than the leading ladies; Ziyi Zhang (Sayuri), Gong Li (Hatsumomo), and Michelle Yeoh (Mameha). The controversy is that they are all Chinese. But the emotion that was put into their characters made up for the fact that they were not Japanese. Whether it be the seething, destructive wrath of Hatsumomo or the innocent, determined Sayuri, each characters personality shined to the point where there was no Gong Li, only Hatsumomo and there was only Sayuri, not Ziyi Zhang.

The parts of the leading men where given to Ken Watanabe who played the Chairman. The other leading man is the Chairman's associate and close friend, Nobu, played by Koji Yakusho. He desires Sayuri's affection but believes she doesn't love him because of a terrible facial scar, when really, she is in love with the Chairman.

The movie did a wonderful job of sticking to the book, which not many directors take the liberty of doing. Scenes from the book were cut from the movie for obvious time-constraint reasons. I was satisfied with the length of the movie and kept me watching from start to finish without pause.

One of the best things in the movie was the scenery, music, and costumes. The lush colors of the beautiful Kimono made this movie unforgettable. Notably, the movie won 3 awards for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume design. And for good reason! The music is as elegant as the characters and the costumes they wear. Soft strings music plays for each character to convey the airy tone of the movie. John Williams made this soundtrack to convey the beauty and mystery of the secret world of Geisha.

This movie is, overall, a love story. The production was beautiful but the movie isn't for everyone. Personally, it is one that I watch again and again. I love the feelings that you get, the hopelessness, the conflict, love, hate, regret, and in the end, a complete sense of resolution. It grabs your heart and make you realize that outer beauty is deceptive, but real beauty is the determination to move forward and not be afraid to pursue your dreams.