Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)

Memoirs of a Geisha was a runaway best-seller in 1997 for author Arthur Golden, and the story seemed like it had all the elements of an fantastic film as well. It had a strong leading character, well developed minor characters, and very compelling plotlines. In addition, Memoirs of a Geisha was a period piece and offered a glimpse into a world seldom explored in Hollywood -- factors that Oscar voters have historically embraced. In other words, everyone knew that Memoirs of a Geisha would someday be a movie, but no one could have predicted that it would take so long.

Apparently, the movie rights were purchased soon after the novel's release, yet the finished film didn't see the light of day until eight years later. Several different directors -- including Steven Spielberg -- were attached to the project, but backed out along the way. Similarly a lot of different actresses were considered for the lead part of Chiyo/Sayuri. But things kept falling apart, so the project lingered in Hollywood limbo for years and years. Meanwhile, fans of the book (myself included) could do nothing but wait patiently and hope that everything worked out.

Well, the movie finally did get made, and it opened in the United States on December 11, 2005. I was surprised to see that the movie didn't get very good reviews from the critics. Most of the famous critics were only lukewarm in their praise of Memoirs of a Geisha while others absolutely panned it. I was determined to see it, though, and wouldn't let the reviews stop me this time.

The movie opens with a scene of two young girls being taken from their beds by their father and handed over to a stranger in the dead of night. The two girls are a young Chiyo, then just 10 years old, and her older sister Satsu. They learn that they've been sold by their father, who can no longer afford to care for them since their mother became terminally ill, and will be taken far away from their fishing village to become servants in a geisha house.

Upon their arrival, the girls are immediately separated and sent to live in different houses. Chiyo goes to work for Mrs. Nitta (played by Kaori Momoi), the "mother" of the geisha house. There is another servant girl, named Pumpkin, who is close to Chiyo's age and provides companionship during this time. Mrs. Nitta's is also home to a geisha named Hatsumomo (Li Gong), who is one of the most famous geisha in the area. In fact, Hatsumomo appears to be the only geisha in Mrs. Nitta's house that earns money, so everyone's livelihood depends on her success.

Hatsumomo knows this, and takes full advantage of it. She treats everyone with disrespect and seems to go out of her way to make Chiyo's life miserable. They often clash, and Chiyo, being nothing but a servant girl, always comes away with the short end of the stick.

One day, when Chiyo is feeling particularly down because she missed a chance to rendezvous with her sister and run away, a kindly man known simply as "the Chairman" (Ken Watanabe) notices her on the street and stops to buy her a flavored ice treat and give her some money wrapped in a handkerchief. Chiyo notices that the Chairman is distinctive and has two geisha with him. She immediately takes strength from that bit of kindness showed to her and resolves to do everything she can to become a geisha and be part of the Chairman's world.

From that point forward, Memoirs of a Geisha deals with Chiyo's training and eventual rise to the position of one of the most favored geisha in all of Kyoto. And it deals with the love that Chiyo harbors for the Chairman and the way her love endures despite the many obstacles thrown in her way.

Overall, I thought the film was very good and didn't deserve to be panned by critics and audiences. First of all, there were many truly wonderful performances in this film. Ziyi Zhang was excellent as the grown-up version of Chiyo/Sayuri. I know there was a lot of commotion about the filmmakers' decision to hire a Chinese actress to play the lead role, but I didn't care at all. I thought Zhang did a great job and I wasn't concerned about her ethnicity at all. Ken Watanabe was also fantastic, as expected. He's a Hollywood veteran and well known to American audiences, so I didn't expect anything less from him.

But I was pleasantly surprised to see a few of the supporting actresses really steal the show. In particular, Li Gong as Hatsumomo was superb! She was riveting in all her scenes and spewed forth so much hatred, venom, and jealousy towards Chiyo that it was amazing. And Michelle Yeoh also gave a very strong performance as Mameha, the geisha who eventually undertakes Chiyo's training. You will not be disappointed by the acting in this movie!

A second thing I liked about Memoirs of a Geisha is that it was filmed beautifully. The sets and the kimonos used throughout the production are stunning and really made it feel as though the viewer were being taken into a different world. The movie won three technical Oscars, and it's easy to see why. The movie is just wonderful to look at.

If I had to tell you about something I didn't like in Memoirs of a Geisha, it would be the fact that the beginning of the movie took so long. The film spends 41 minutes (yes, I was watching the clock) on Chiyo's childhood, which was pretty boring. The only thing that prevented me from falling asleep during that time was the presence of Li Gong on the screen. Otherwise, there was really nothing worth watching at that time. I know that it was necessary to show a bit of Chiyo's childhood in order to establish some background for the audience, set up her meeting with the Chairman, and show how deeply Hatsumomo's hatred ran, but if 10 or 15 minutes could have been shaved off the beginning and devoted to showing more scenes of Chiyo/Sayuri and the Chairman later on, that would have made a big difference.

Even with the overly long beginning, I still liked Memoirs of a Geisha. The story is as powerful on the screen as it is in Golden's original novel, and I highly recommend this movie to anyone that wants to see something vastly different from the usual Hollywood fare. Don't be scared off by what the critics had to say about Memoirs of a Geisha. It's actually a very good movie!