Memoirs Of A Geisha

This movie is something that I wanted to see ever since I learned of its inception. For one thing, it is a celebrated novel (especially loved by Madonna!) written by Arthur Golden in 1997. The book spent two years in the best-seller list of The New York Times (selling 4 million copies in U.S. alone) and was translated in 32 languages. Being mostly a movie enthusiast, Memoirs of a Geisha is, of course, a book that I have not read. However, knowing that it would finally be adapted to the screen gave me excitement. Finally, I'd get to know what the hugely popular book is all about.

The second thing that thrilled me to wanting to see this film is because it would be directed by Rob Marshall. Rob could be very well remembered with his adaptation of the play Chicago to the big screen in 2002. It was a movie that I immensely enjoyed! I was excited to see the wonders that Rob could with this book.

Third reason is that it'd be played by an almost-all Asian cast headed by Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh. It is a rarity that we find an American movie with mostly Asian cast.

After two months of its US release, Memoirs Of A Geisha was finally shown here. However, for some reason, I wasn't able to see it. When I finally had time to do so, the not-so-good reviews about it stopped me from watching it on screen. Reading them was quite a disappointment for me because I had higher expectations for this film -- especially when I learned that Ziyi didn't make it to the Oscar's Best Actress category and the movie was not listed for the Best Picture.

Anyway, not basing my knowledge on the book itself, I'd say that this film adaptation wasn't all that bad as they say it was. From a film junkie's point of view, this one is satisfying enough. It has all the basic elements -- two sisters separated by poverty (one was thrown into the world of prostitution while the other became a slave that would later be train into a geisha), the transformation of the slave girl to the beauteous geisha, the rivalry between the the old and the new geishas, and the quest for love and freedom.

However universal themes they may be, the problem in the film lies that in the fact that the emotions and the struggles failed to transcend themselves onto the audience. The audience remained just a mere spectator of what the characters are going through. But still, we were enthralled to its beauty that seemingly became feast for the eyes. It was like witnessing a catterpillar turned into a cocoon then into a butterfly as it slowly fades into into its surrounding. Fading into the surrounding is what happens after seeing the film -- it was not unforgettable but definitely not that forgettable either.

I do not have a problem with Chinese actors playing Japanese characters. I seemed to get what Sandra Oh is driving at when she said that if an Irish actor could play any European character unquestionably, Asian actors could do the same. However, being a Filipino, I could also relate to the sense of ethnicity of it all. Sandra, though, needs to understand that every Asian country is striving to be known all over the world. It certainly won't help if every people from different Asian countries would be described as one especially that there is a strong history of war and violence against one another. Not to mention that Asians looked differently from each other unlike Caucasians or Westerners. I may be wrong but I don't think Sandra understands it being born and raised in Canada.

Anyway, another problem I had with the film is how contradictory geisha's descriptions are in the film. They were regarded as beauty and talent yet behind of it all, they could be considered as high-class prostitutes. How could this world be aspired by many and loved by those in it when it is an unescapable trap? Because of this, we were not enlightened as to who geishas really were. A controversy about this surfaced when the book was released. A retired geisha, to whom the book was based upon, was infuriated when the author described geishas as high-class prostitutes when they really were not. They were professional artists who entertained guests with their art of dancing, conversation skills, hostessing, etc. (Read more about them here.) However, some people describe them as otherwise. Whatever the truth is, this movie certainly did not do anything but add fire to the rumors.

Was Rob Marshall a disappointment, too? Yes, because he failed to do wonders with the book the way he did with Chicago, the play. I guess, people had expected so much from him and pressured him into doing something marvelous once more. No, because he still was able to do some magic with it. It was a glorious feast that is a worthwhile entertainment - enough to satisfy one's craving but not leaving one full of it. Although, it'd be better not to want some more...