Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

I read the book with interest in the past, and this film is not completely faithful to the original version in the book of Arthur Golden. However, it is interesting to see the geishas, their functions in Japanese society and the limit of their intimate relationships. A geisha may have been a servant in her childhood or adolescence, but she may ascend to that position depending on her beauty and the education she received, her art for dancing, singing and even to talk and entertain the demanding patriarchy. Being Geisha is a luck in a society, where the woman is a secondary entity. At least she gets out of poverty and rubs herself into the Japanese aristocratic circle. The film exposes everything clearly with due coherence. Nice to see the performances of experienced actress Michelle Yeoh as well as others as Ziyi Zhang, Suzuka Ogo, Ken Watanabe, Li Gong and Samantha Futerman, an evidence that Rob Marshall looked for experienced Asian actors/actresses, and not only Japanese.

I love it! This is wonderful! I remembered that I watched it when I was a kid! Her dance was extremely beautiful! I would recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in Asian culture! I wanted to buy a DVD of this movie! I would buy it on Amazon now! I wonder many people like this? Actually, this movie was about a woman became famous geisha and everyone know her very well since she hosted many dances. I cried when she became a geisha! She was very popular! But I don't like that woman who tried to hurt that geisha! She worked hard to became a pretty geisha! And these cherry blossom are very pretty than in Washington, D.C. And it makes me want to eat snow cones!

Dull and seemingly interminable. Starts slowly, continues going slowly, thinks of speeding up, but then goes slowly, and eventually ends. All this, and the movie didn't really make a point. It is simply one long drifting story.Plus, the whole movie just seems culturally stereotypical and insensitive. Americans, even senior officers in their army, are brash, boorish louts. Japanese women are submissive to the extreme. And don't get me started on Chinese actors/actresses being cast as Japanese...Performances are OK. The standout is probably Susuka Ohgo as the young Chiyo. American characters are not played well at all.

This is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen - a rags-to-riches story about Nitta Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang), where her childhood life in her fishing-village was depicted and how she was sold to a geisha house in Kyoto's Gion District, eventually becoming one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.Set before and after World War II, Dion Beebe's cinematography captures the brilliance of Japan with its pagoda-style homes and buildings, people-filled courtyards with bridges and streams, and dozens of cherry blossom trees. The people are seen in their culture-rich clothing including the flowing kimono.This movie features, I think, some of most gorgeous actresses from Asia, including Ziyi Zhang and Li Gong. The rivalry between the two were staged breathtakingly; Zhang's Sayuri becomes the new geisha in town whose innocence and beauty surpasses that of Hatsumomo (Li Gong). This sets off Hatsumomo's jealously, and her rage and hatred towards Sayuri was astonishingly depicted. Her coldness combined with her overwhelming beauty made Hatsumomo a stunning villainess.Michelle Yeoh gave a great performance as Mameha, who is a motherly figure to Sayuri and takes her under her wing to make her become a great geisha. All the geisha dances were wonderfully staged; I just wished that Sayuri was given more scenes to show her dance styles and geisha performances.To top if off, the unfolding drama throughout the plot, terrific direction by Rob Marshall and John William's spellbinding music score made this movie an intriguing masterpiece.Grade A-