Memoirs of a Geisha

For the finale of “Zhang Ziyi Month,” I will be talking about “Memoirs of a Geisha,” released in 2006.

The basic story is that Sayuri (Zhang Ziyi) remembers how she was sold into slavery and misery when she was a kid, trained by her mentor Mameha (Michelle Yeoh) into a famous geisha, and persistent against both her enemy Hatsumomos (Gong Li) betrayal and changes of war by her.

Angie Errigo stated in her review, “Among the 1,001 things we learn in Rob Marshall’s vividly instructive movie is that ‘geisha’ actually means artist, these select women having been schooled in music, dance and witty conversation.” Don’t forget selling cobblestone streets in eight-inch platform shoes without tripping over their expensive kimonos. They still manage to arise from this demanding movie as stylish prostitutes, personalities and desires heartlessly blocked.

Errigo noted, “Arthur Golden’s phenomenal bestseller of life and longing in a geisha house at the end of a golden era (the 1930s) was inevitably destined for a high-toned screen adaptation, and Steven Spielberg was long set to direct before competing projects took him off. So the assignment went to Marshall, hot off Chicago and benefitting from a big-time production (from a picture-perfect geisha district constructed in California to Yo-Yo Ma cello solos). Meanwhile, chick-lit screenwriter Swicord negotiates the contemplative text by providing Sayuri with a sorrowful narration to chronicle women behaving badly to one other.”

Errigo referenced, “If geishas used to be the supermodels of Japan, Zhang’s head-turning Sayuri is Giselle, Yeoh’s cool, ultra-professional Mameha is Tyra and Gong’s fragile, volatile diva Hatsumomo is Naomi. There’s a definite catwalk-cum-Chicago sequence when Sayuri performs a strangely avant-garde dance number at the auction for her virginity — white-faced, spotlit, hair-tossing.” Every actress in here is magnificent, including greedy house “Mother” Kaori Momoi and young Suzuka Ohgo as Chiyo, turned into Sayuri after a Little Orphan Annie childhood with just one happy memory (having Ken Watanabe’s kindly Chairman character buy her ice) to inspire her entire career and keep a shining ray of hope.

Could you say it’s just the audience, or is anyone else perplexed by the fact that casing Chinese actresses – really beautiful and successful which is undeniable – as iconic Japanese women? There’s probably no difference. (Errigo mentioned, “Rumour has it Lost’s Yunjin Kim turned down a role because she is, hello, Korean.) This is typical Hollywood, where they think we will not notice or care. It’s pulling teeth for them to cast beautiful and successful Japanese actresses.

Along with the life-changing interference of World War II, blink and you’ll miss it. Errigo said, “It’s a carefully apolitical inclusion there solely to explain the arrival of gum-chewing Yanks who have trouble grasping Japanese culture.” Oh, the irony.

My final thoughts are that this is a beautiful, colorful and perfectly-acted cultural mixture, but it’s never so moving more than it should be.

Now my only complaint with this movie is that unlike the previous movies that I have talked about, they were all in the original language, but I watched them with subtitles rather than dubbing. That’s only because I prefer it that way and not having to hear the dubbing, which isn’t in-sync all the time. This movie wasn’t in the same area. Instead, everyone was speaking English, which made me think why they did that? I don’t mean to sound insulting in any way, but I thought that maybe they would have everyone speak their native language to one another. However, for it to be spoken entirely in English by everyone (and not being dubbed over) is actually a good thing. This proves that English is being spoken all over the world. See this movie when you can.

Well that ends “Zhang Ziyi Month.” I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I have, and I will see you all next month.