Dir. Rob Marshall, US, 2005, 145 mins, some subtitles
Cast: Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Li Gong, Ken Watanabe
Oriental charm gets another sparkling finish in the big screen adaptation of Arthur Golden’s novel. Newly feted king of cinematic gloss Rob Marshall - director of that vaudeville art deco indulgence Chicago – gives the exotic world of the Geisha a dose of wide-eyed wonder. Following the tragic tale of trainee Geisha Sayuri (Zhang) as she battles rape, abandonment and rivalry Marshall invests heavily in the notion that the bigger the palette the greater the vision.
Young Sayuri is sold and exported by her family to a lucrative but misogynistic harem where she is raised as a servant girl until Geisha superstar Mameha (Yeoh) rescues her from the brutal clutches of waspish rival Hatsumomo and trains her in the art of the Geisha. Essentially confidante, lover, entertainer and spectacle the Geisha is a one woman wonder. Having trained rigorously, Sayuri enters society vowing to serve and win the love of the noble Chairman (Watanabe). Hatsumomo of course intends to shame Sayuri in public rendering her life obsolete. As such the film stays faithful to Golden’s novel but adds its own plethora of visual grace.
The beauty of the film lies purely in the detail and the studios seeming refusal to step outside of the box brazenly marked “orientalism” serves only to scuttle the movie. This is shameful exhibitionism masquerading as fine art. The cream of Asian actors perform eloquently in a language not their own and are effortlessly stunning but the scenery and acting too often blend into one and the same. While the Japan at the turn of the nineteenth century would seem to be beautiful, Memoirs attempts to tell a personal tale of tragedy amounts to little more than a collage of Hokusai and Hiroshige prints. The elegance and style of the world Sayuri inhabits is wonderfully rendered but it all feels sickly sweet and painfully idealistic in a world post Lost In Translation and Harajuku.
The soul of the film is saved by the array of talent on display. Out of the battle garb and into the dancing shoes, Ziyi Zhang is once again dangerously stunning. Given the role of Sayuri she is at once tender but resolute. In one breathtaking scene she dances on 8 inch platforms in an intoxicating dark blue light as snow softly falls on her whiter than white cheek. Li Gong as superbitch Hatsumomo is a vicious but heartfelt pantomime temptress. Thankfully, it is left to Michelle Yeoh as the mature but glowing Mameha to guide not only Sayuri but the heart of the film. She stands alone amidst a tale that despite its cultural origins can only be read as pointedly misogynistic and degrading. The female figure is left vulnerable to the power of the male gaze as the story slowly wraps tightly around a premise whereby female autonomy is incomprehensible and male authority absolute.
Like a gluttonous soup that’s oh so more-ish Memoirs invites you in without pretension but a whole heap of naivety. This is a wonderful story orchestrated brilliantly but the ethics – both in terms of gender and race – are blatantly dubious.
Craig Driver
Discuss this film here
Buena Vista Home Entertainment have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of Memoirs of a Geisha for 5th June 2006. Based on the novel by Arthur Golden and brought to the screen by director Rob Marshall (Chicago) Memoirs of a Geisha tells the exquisite life story of accomplished geisha Sayuri, played by BAFTA nominee Ziyi Zhang (Hero), and her pursuit of true love.
Features include:
- Rob Marshall and John DeLuca Audio Commentary
- Sayuri's Journey: From the Novel to the Screen
- Geisha Bootcamp
- The Look of a Geisha
- A Geisha's Dance
- The World of the Geisha
- Photo Gallery - Behind the Scenes
- Photo Gallery - Costume Illustrations
- Photo Gallery - The Recipes of Chef Nobu
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