Memoirs of a Geisha > Critics

I give it a C+, leaning closer towards a C. Though certain moments were pretty good, I found myself bored several times throughout the movie. The subject of the source material may not have interested me much, but the execution of the material did little to help that. I was not wowed by the visual aspects of the film--nothing awardsworthy--though it was done competently. The score stands out though it sometimes overpowers the scenes. And I thought the dance sequence had embarrassingly bad choreography that demerits the film.

It's sad that this has nearly the same Tomatometer score as something like Fun with Dick and Jane. It has been unfairly lambasted by critics.

Yeah, there's not a whole lot of nuance to the film; I can only remember about one time where any character really demonstrated any type of complex emotion (Gong Li in the rain). And I must say that I thought the 15 minute segment dealing with the Americans and the aftereffects of the war was silly, unnecessary melodrama, whereby her reconnection to the Chairman could have been handled much more skillfully.

But somehow I remained thoroughly entertained by the idealized system's innerworkings and the melodramatic, overt competition between the two. Hatsumomo is over-the-top, and Mameha is so restrained that the screenplay fails to even fully develop her character, but it was all compelling enough - and surprisingly fun to watch - for me to forgive the film for glossing over cultural insight and what I still consider to be a botched decision not to use a Japanese director and actors.

Oscar worthy? No. But certainly nowhere near as bad as I expected.

B+

As for Zhang Ziyi, who scored a SAG nom today...

She's good when she has to cry. She's a good crier. Props.

But the English really takes a toll on her performance. For the most part she pulls it off, but there are some scenes (especially the first one in which she speaks, I believe) where it's so unnatural it sounds akin to just plain bad acting. Even though you know she's trying.

She's good for the most part. But deserving of awards? Nu-uh.

Hm.

I loved her performance. One of the few SAG noms I was happy about.

The English didn't bother me at all...I guess because it sounded natural (well, like... natural...real...not forced english...new to the language, sure, but not like I'd sound if you asked me to repeat something in Chinese) That's pretty much how my roommate talks (though he actually is harder to understand). yknow? Perhaps it would have been better in their native tongues, but none of the voices bugged me.

I also thought the most important part of the film was the stuff with the American's at the end (which, might be why the English worked for me?)... pretty much without that, everything else wouldve been for naught. Sure it's melodrama...the whole film is. But it's also very human (humane?) and handled extremely well.

I thought Ziyi played, perhaps a not incredibly well written character, but nearly to perfection. It's a very classic role - basically Cinderella - and it's not really all that deep or anything (though she managed great range with what she had - especially with the sumo guy...whatever his name)...

So...a hem. I felt all the acting was strong...if anything, the characters just weren't the best written...

But really, I pretty much loved everything in the film...so. :O

I can agree that perhaps the stuff with the Americans was important, but the way with which it was dealt (being placed right after a segment that I believed to be the film's conclusion) was quite aggravating, I thought. It seemed like they were prolonging the film (which was already long enough) just to make it more 'sprawling.'

Again, I liked the movie, just thought it had some glaring problems.

I found this to be a very frustrating film. On the one hand, it is masterfully photographed, the dance scenes are well choreographed (though awkward in some cases), and the film offers more beauty on screen than can be digested in one viewing. The look of the film is that of a masterpiece; there is nothing that suggests anything less than a great film on the surface.

Alas, that's just the surface. The film has two serious problems, one dealing with the story itself, and one with the direction. Regarding the story, I can see how it would work well on paper and in the format of a novel, because a novel allows for everything to be fleshed out. When a story of this kind is adapted to the screen, it changes mediums, and the change must be reflected in a change in the storyline. Let me be blunt: this is something approximating a Cinderella story, playing itself out in the world of prostitution. Yes, I know geishas are not prostitutes. At least, that's what they say. But this is a film where the price that a woman's virginity fetches is cause for celebration. Now, let's do this again: what do we call it when a woman is made to sell her body for cash? I think you receive my meaning.

There is, of course, the problem of this 13 year old girl falling for a man whose attention she attracts, and who buys her ice cream. I don't know about falling in love at first sight, but I know that thirteen year old girls have been seduced by much older men with motives more beastly than I care to see played out on screen. There is something deeply repulsive about a relationship that has as its centre the love of a young teenage girl (hardly a teenagers, more like a child) for an adult man whom she does not know, and for whom she is willing to dedicate her life, nevermind the high possibility of failure. This girl, being in a vulnerable situation, would, naturally, be on the lookout for a male guardian figure, and I'm sure that this in part forms her attraction towards the Chairman (irrespective of the fact that the script is too shallow to concern itself with such issues). Let us, however, assume that this is a girl crush gone awry. Ok, fair enough. I'll begrudginly go along with that.

But here's more: the Chairman calls on Mahema to take this young girl into her custody, in order to transform her into a geisha. The idiot essentially makes a prostitute out of her, and on top of that, makes her suffer in ignorance for-what? Because his partner loves her? How about approaching Sayuri beforehand? If you know that your partner has just told Mahema that he wants this novice back, and if you care enough for her to have secured the guidance of Mahema for her, you're willing to let things go on, knowing it could wreck any future prospects of you two getting together? There is a lack of courage and reasoning here that is absolutely irritating. On top of all that, it's passed off as romantic. There is nothing romantic about the relationship. On one side, you have a deluded girl who is more obsessed than in love, and on the other, a man who is not willing to take any steps until it is too late.

There is, on the broader level, a serious problem with the flow of the film: you have a very hasty beginning, where we see a father who sells his two daughters. However you put it, the scene is heartbreaking. But the problem is that, because we don't know about the characters beyond the most essential facts (this is Sayuri's mom, this her father, this her sister), our sympathies are limited. I'd like to engage with them in some way, but how can I as a viewer do that if there's nothing for me to work with?

We then move on to the geisha house, where we meet Hatsumoto. I love Gong Li, and would watch a film with her sitting in a chair reading a newspaper. Hell, I think that would be hotter than anything someone like Britney Spears could come up with. This is precisely my problem with Li's casting: at least twice, we are told that she's getting old. Then, the camera gives us a close-up of Gong Li. Ok, so what are we supposed to make of this? Does this mean that she's not attractive anymore? Gong Li, at 40, is one of the most beautiful women in the world. At 50, she will still be one of the most beautiful women in the world. It's impossible for her character to come off as believable. What on earth does a woman this beautiful have to be afraid of? Zhang Ziyi is a great beauty in her own right, but I can't think of any convincing argument where Gong Li would feel threatened by her or anyone else. There is no man, not even a blind one, who would refuse Gong Li. And if he would, then he would not be worth the trouble of consideration. As well, her character's actions are perfectly reasonable: a woman has her needs too; if she wants to fall in love and make out with a man, it's her right. I know that it's considered improper, but all that tells me is that the society is wrong, and that Hatsumoto's fault lies in her being too human. The idea that the world of the geishas would shut its doors to someone like that is depressing. Of course, when she is not a sympathetic woman wanting to have the freedom to love, she is transformed into a shrill hag who sets the house on fire. The sequence is humiliating and cheap: if you want to get rid of Hatsumoto, how about giving her some dignity by having her simply walk out one night, never to return again? You'd achieve your aim without dishonouring her.

I felt throughout the film when watching Gong Li, and Zhang Ziyi later on, that there were two characters here waiting to break out of their shell. I have rarely come across a heroine as boxed in as Sayuri; as admirable a job as Zhang Ziyi did, I never got the feeling that this was more than a broken, depressed woman.

Ok, about the last act, beginning with the war, and moving thereafter: the film's one great appeal is the world it manages to create, that pre-war Japan that has, despite the blatantly obvious Hollywoodization, retained some mystery. The moment that you see American soldiers strolling down the streets, and see a ruined, broken Japan, everything that is associated with the geishas suddenly loses its value in comparison. It's very difficult for me to be romantic about Japan when considering its actions during the war. It is casually remarked that one of the men is charged with crimes against humanity. This footnote in the film corresponds to atrocities committed by the Japanese that made the Nazis blush. Given that the war should be a sobbering up, to see the women being subjected to their prison-like pre-war conditions once again is disheartening. So, we are basically to square one, with the only difference being that the depravity has gained on the decorum. But as far as I'm concerned, the only difference between Sayuri and the harlots dressed in mock-geisha kimonos playing with the American soldiers is that Sayuri thinks that she is of better repute. Nothing subsequently justifies her way of thinking: she is not willing to sleep with the American at first, only to proposition him in order to repulse the man who loves her later on.

I'm very sorry that this is all the actresses were able to work with, because the things that Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Michelle Yeoh do with their characters are wonderful. I was disatisfied with them only in that the characters were limited and one-dimensional. I have seen these actresses in other films. The Gong Li of this film is a far cry from that stunning actress in Raise the Red Lanterns, and both Zhang and Yeoh have done much better work elsewhere. Nevertheless, it's obvious that there was a lot of hard work involved, and their efforts are greatly appreciated. The scene where Zhang Ziyi is standing on top of the cliff overlooking the ocean is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I knew that Zhang Ziyi was beautiful, but this is an entirely different kind of beauty. It's almost ethereal.

I guess what I find most frustrating about the film is that it finally allows these actresses to showcase their talents, only to have it all squandered on a mediocre story. I'm not sure if Spielberg would have done a better film, though I have a feeling he could have (though I think he should be more impartial towards Japan, if the man knows anything about WW2 beyond the border of Europe). I find Marshall to be competent on matters relating to dance and song, in other words, anything relating to Broadway, but otherwise incompetent in successfully bringing all the pieces together. My one great hope is that this film will encourage others to mine Asia for more stories and talent and bring them on the screen. If Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, and Michelle Yeoh are any indication, to not do so would, I think, be an irreversible tragedy for all of us.


An unfortunate C/C-

I quite enjoyed it.

A-

Li set the screen on fire.

GONG LI IS 40?!?!!?!?!??!?!!?! SHE LOOKS LIKE SHE'S 20!

I now officially forgive you for not liking GNAGL and Brokeback.

I'm seeing it tomorrow. Let's see if the critics were right. My anticipation is rather low-ish, but I at least hope to see great production values.

I sat up in my seat during most of the film. I felt completely spellbound.

GNAGL, yes. BBM, I gave a B+

I was going to go tonight, but I just found it is no longer playing. On the bright side, I can see Hostel, or Grandma's Boy, or Tristan & Isolde, or Last Holiday, or Rumor Has It, or Fun With Dick and Jane, or Hoodwinked, or Glory Road.....

I want to kill myself. No cinema for me.

I felt like I was watching a bizarro film, taking into account RT. Either I'm way off (doubtful) or critics were playing "let's bury a film for shits and giggles."

Hmm, the theater count hasn't dropped, so it must be still playing in the area, if not the original theater. Hope you can find one convenient enough to give it a shot.

B


This movie is a perfect example when I am torn over rating the movie judging by its shell or its core. The last movie that had me so torn was Hero. I think, overall I could say that I liked the movie. But my enthusiasm goes much more for the movie's production design than the story, the acting or the movie itself.

Memoirs of a Geisha tells the story of Chyo who is sold from her fishing-village home to a geisha house where, renamed as Sayuri (Zhang Ziyi) she undergoes a Geisha training under the wing of Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), Kyoto's greatest geisha. Her main rival is the envious and unhappy geisha Hatsumomo (Gong Li).

First of all, I have to say that the technical department of this movie stunned me. The art direction, the production design of early 20th century Japan is mesmerizing and certainly one of the best of the year. The Oscar nomination will be well-deserved. The same goes for the other technicals as well. Cinematography is great with mostly classic, but well-executed shots. John Williams' score is rightfully praised. It might not be the best of the year, in my opinion, but it comes close and fits the film perfectly. The costumes, the make-up (who could it not make it to the finalists there is a mystery to me!), the sound...it was all pitch-perfect. They re-created Japan of the early-to-mid 20th century with a lot of love to details and that has to be lauded.

The movie itself, however, is a mixed bag to me. I never got rid of the feeling that it could have been so much more than it was, but I could never really put my finger on what exactly went wrong there. My first and foremost problem with this movie was the it, at no point, managed to emotionally engage me and find myself attached to any character. I could feel little compassion for any character in the flick and was at no point emotionally involved in the happenings. Might be the screenplay's fault, might be the director's fault... The acting was all-decent, but I was far from impressed. Zhang Ziyi does her job well, but is not Oscar-worthy, in my opinion. Gong Li provides one of the movies most interesting characters, but her acting isn't outstanding either. I did like the scene, though, when she is caught with that one guy and told that she will never see hi again. Even Ken Watanabe failed to impress me in the movie. The underappreciated acting highlight of the film, in my eyes, was Kudoh Youki as Pumpkin. She did a great job and had an interesting character to boot as well.

Despite a running time close to 2 1/2 hours, I never found myself bored, but not much engaged either. I think the movie started out with giving a very nice insight into the mysterious world of geishas, but right in the middle of it, it abruptly cut it short. The impact of WWII on Japan was shown well and I loved the one single line that makes areference to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Probably the best line in the entire film. Other than that, it was all rather average and I did not feel that the final scene with Ziyi and Watanabe was done as well as it should have been.

To put it in a nuthshell, this movie is beautiful on the outside, but rather hollow in its core. A missed opportunity if you ask me. I definitely don't agree with it aving such a low rating at RT, but I can see why many critics gave it borderline good/bad reviews.

B

It's a solid film, but I can see why it wasn't received well. The movie isn't refined enough, there's plenty points in the movie where the general storyline is too rough and it's hard to tell where the movie is going really. If it was less loose, more straightforward, I think it would've gotten much more acclaim.

Gong Li is amazing by the way. Favorite character of the piece by far.

Memoirs of a Geisha could easily be one of the most frustrating films ever to be made. On one hand, it is the most beautifully photographed film ever to be made. However, its emphasis on the beautiful sets and scenery has come at the expense of the story itself. The pacing, the characters and the direction are all uninspiring.

You can notice these problems very early on. For instance, at the beginning when our central character, nine year-old Sayuri, mother dies, she & her sister are then sold by her father. The scene tries to start off rather emotional, but how can a scene like that work when you've only seen the opening credits. The film improves a little when Sayuri is brought to a geisha house. Her mistreatment by Mother (Kaori Moimoi) and Mother's most profitable geisha, Hatsumomo (Gong Li), is difficult to watch. Some of the best scenes consist of the young girl learns what it takes to be a geisha. Anyone fascinated by Japanese culture will be really captivated by all this. However once the 9 year old falls in love with the 40 year-old Chairman (Ken Watanabe), things go haywire, pretty quickly. Just days after being beaten with a stick by the evil Mother, she finds it in herself to become the best Geisha in all of Osaka, only if she gets to see the Chairman again. 4 years later, and what do you know? Her dreams come true. Rival Geisha-pimp Mamhea (Michelle Yeoh) gives Mother an offer to turn Sayuri into a geisha. From here she gets to undergo a Cinderella transformation, which is actually quite interesting. But once World War II hits, you will be fighting to stay awake, as the film turns into a chick-flick by the numbers.

Like an economics tute at University, you really have to listen hard. All Asian actors bar Michelle Yeoh, are difficult to understand. The movie should have been in Japanese with subtitles, therefore some scenes wouldn't have been so cringe worthy. I never read the book, so I can't tell you if it remained true to the bestseller, but apparently the ending is much more Hollywood-esque. Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh and Ken Watanabe try the hardest to put some life into the script, but it is Gong Li that steals the show. She plays Hatsumomo with such terrifying intensity.

Memoirs is definitely one of the best looking film in recent times, however, with inept storytelling, this is much more like a Discovery documentary than a work of art.

D+

There is a decent documentary that came out awhile ago. I believe it's called Secret Life of Geisha. I've also done some reading in the past, to fulfill my own curiosity about this element of Japanese culture, but I've never read the Arthur Golden novel Memoirs of a Geisha, which this film is based on.

I say that, because I feel like I have a decent understanding of the role of the geisha in Japanese culture (at least, pre-war culture) and where I think this film is lacking. I actually ended up watching the film 2 and 1/2 times, because I wanted to confirm a few things about it, and because it's an interesting but ultimate failure.

The first thing that bothered me about the film is that Marshall (or Golden, or the screenwriter, or whomever) correctly tells us that a geisha is not the same as a courtesan or a prostitute. However they then go on to talk about "the cave and the eel" and play sexual politics for the remainder of the film. You don't see much of the late entertaining sessions or men viewing them as "artists". The women in the film are almost always viewed as objects of sexuality and in this way the film actually re-enforces the idea that the geisha is just an "expensive escort/prostitute". This happens all before the idea of geisha is changed forever by the war (when the American occupation created more of a culture of "gee-sha" outright prostitution). This, however, was only interesting to me because I knew more about it going in.

I just didn't feel like the movie provided enough history or enough contrast with Japanese culture. I never felt like things were sufficiently explained and the idea that these are essentially mistresses is not strongly enforced.

At the helm of this ship is good sport, Ziyi Zhang, who plays Sayuri. Her character has no depth, and like a ping-pong ball she bounces around depending on what all the other cast members want from her. We know she wants to be with The Chairman but she doesn't really do anything to get closer to him except continually sabotage her potential matches. All of this comes a bit undone at the very end of the movie, in the most seemingly romantic (and convenient moment) by Sayuri narrating that "well... we can't be with them anyway, because we are not their wives, we're just geisha".

I say "good sport" because here's where the language problems come into the picture. Yes, the English is a problem here. NOT because the fact that it is in English, but because I'm rarely convinced in the film that the lead actress, the otherwise excellent Ziyi understands the language enough that she feels comfortable emoting in a foreign language. The contrast between the people in the film that can speak English (Yeoh and somewhat Li) and the people that struggle with it (Watanabe and Ziyi) is, in my opinion, vast. If you are going to film a film in English, where all the characters are supposed to be speaking the same language, do NOT film it in broken English.

Is it pretty? The costumes were okay... if we're comparing it to other movies in the same time period and vein, I think The Last Samurai was much more lush and ambitious (even with the kimono). Is the cinematography okay? Yeah, it's good. But there's nothing exceptionally amazing or daring about it. It's rather generic when compared to the better films of 2005. I mean, this is the same guy who shot Collateral, which had 10 times the cinematography of this film.

The best thing about the film is Gong Li. Really the only time the film comes alive is when she is on screen. She's a little "Capt. Jack Sparrow" in this movie. She looks continuously strung-out and on the verge of kicking the crap out of everyone. She gives the film that little bit of bitchy Dynasty Linda Evans vs. Joan Collins like vibe. You can't wait til her and Sayuri kick the crap out of each other, then it does, then it's over. Bleh.

But anyway... there you go.

I really don't get the film's Best Cinematography win. I could name so many 2005 films with better cinematography (Jarhead, The Constant Gardener, King Kong, March of the Penguins, Harry Potter, The New World...)

Me either. The cinematography was nice (don't get me wrong) and handled well, but it's like taking a picture of a flower. No matter what angle you shoot it from, it's going to look at least decent. Is the cinematography helped by the fact that one is filming beautiful women dressed in pretty clothing?

Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li couldnt look more beautiful!!. It was a little to slow for my taste but the story was very interesting so i pretty much enjoyde it!
had to put some subtitles on, cuz i didnt understand a word they said hehe

A-

Technically great and visually stunning, but I felt a little uncomfortable when it was all said and done because one of the main plot points was selling Sayuri's virginity to the highest bidder! I did think by the time the movie reaches the end it does become a satisfying love story. As someone else said, Zhang Ziyi is a good crier, but she wasn't award worthy. Gong Li sizzles on screen, but I thought her performance was too one-dimensional. I thought the score was great. Didn't it win an Oscar?

My grade: B. Disappointing but certainly not terrible.

A-

My 5th favorite movie of 2005. Loved pretty much everything about it, no complaints really.

B+

The visuals were absolutely amazing and the story itself was quite involving. And Gong Li was excellent. It's quite underrated.