Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) - Movie Review
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Having passed through the hands of several directors, from Spike Jonze to Steven Spielberg, Rob Marshall ("Chicago") took the reigns. The movie, full of beautiful sets and scenery, clearly has its eyes on Oscar gold. Every scene seems set up to capture the top prize - and seemingly that seems to be the issue many critics are having with it. "A beautiful bore," says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Gorgeous to look at--but that's about it," says E! Online. The Boston Globe says, "Its commercial compromises cripple it as a movie." But what the hell do they know? The film is beautiful, yes, and Marshall definitely had commercial interests in mind when creating the film, but are those necessarily flaws? "Memoirs of a Geisha" is one of the most engaging films this year; whether that engagement comes from the story or the visuals alone, it really doesn't matter.
"Geisha" takes a look at the life of Sayuri, from the day she is sold by her family to a geisha house and through the years of training, social climbing and war. Sayuri's one goal in life is to win the affection of Chairmen (Ken Watanabe), a man who helped her as a child. But as she grows into a magnificent geisha, she finds herself drifting farther and farther from the man she loves, and events in her life all but cripple her chances of being with him.
Zhang Ziyi, the absolutely beautiful young woman from such films as "House of Flying Daggers" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" - who is also my future wife when I become rich, learn martial arts and win her love in a fight-to-the-death competition - stars, and does a terrific job in the lead. Her sheer beauty and expression-filled eyes make her the perfect choice, even if she is Chinese (apparently some Chinese have pronounced both her and co-star Michelle Yeoh as traitors for acting as Japanese women in this movie, though I don't really understand since American-made films such as this one often use Asian people in a general sense). Yeoh, who had a really cool fight with Ziyi in "Crouching Tiger," also delivers a fine performance, as does Kaori Momoi as Mother. Watanabe is unfortunately given a rather small role that doesn't give him much to work with.
The story, despite what some more prestigious critics say, is never boring. The characters well-written and the film engaging from beginning to end, "Geisha" is one of the most captivating films of the year. It doesn't set any new benchmarks nor gives us anything we haven't seen before, but it gives the popular book a proper tribute.
The third act does lose its momentum a bit when the war starts, but Marshall is able to regain the pace near the end. The ending is also a bit fluffy, but if anything it is only being faithful to the book.
"Memoirs of a Geisha" doesn't necessarily take things to the next level, but it does a stupendous job of bringing the book to life. Beautiful and well-done, "Memoirs of a Geisha" is one of the best movies of the year.
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Anonymous says:
January 9, 2006"Memoirs of a Geisha" is not a great film but a very fine film. Yet you would never know it from reading many of the reviewers and alleged movie critics, who seem so fixated on the notion that "the movie is gorgeous to look at but superficial" that they fail to see the forest for the trees or for that matter the main point of the story. Superficiality of geisha culture is part of the whole point for godsakes. It is a hard, cruel world gilded over with a patina of artifice. In one sense the geisha world is admirable, because the goal of each geisha woman is to become a work of art, adept in the art of conversation, the art of tea ceremony, the art of dancing etc. They are not to be confused with mere prostitutes, but are more the equivalent of the trophy wives of the rich and aimless--kept women. The movie does a superb job of capturing this world of artifice, but what the critics fail to see is that the movie is also adept at capturing a world of pain, especially the one inhabited by the main character, Sayura, who is superbly and beautifully acted by Zhang Ziyi. The movie is about her search for some humanity in the cold, brutal world she inhabits, and about how a little common human decency can go a long way in such a world. It's a great theme and one that many movie critics, who are even dumber than I thought (and all need brain retreads), completely miss. To show how dumb the critics are, there was one critic who put it on his ten WORST movies of the year list--yeah, you read me right--the WORST movies!!!! This guy is so clueless that even a brain retread would not help him. He needs a wholesale brain transplant or, short of that, to be put out to pasture. One of the many things a film like "Geisha" should teach us is to ignore the critics. Instead, go see it! Maybe not as good as "Walk the Line" (which is a mtter of opinion on my part) but damn good nonetheless and a damn sight better than a movie about a lovesick rampaging giant gorilla!