Set
in a mysterious and exotic world which still casts a potent spell today, the story
begins in the years before World War II, when a Japanese child is torn from her
penniless family to work as a skullery maid to a geisha. Despite a treacherous
rival who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha
Sayuri (Ziyi Zhang). Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful
men of her day, but is haunted by a secret love for the one man (Ken Watanabe)
who is out of her reach.
Based
on the internationally acclaimed novel by Arthur Golden. Memoirs of a Geisha is
like taking a look through a peep hole into a world much larger and more fantastic
and beautiful than anything you could ever imagine. The world of the Geisha is
so alien to the west, that it seems as fictional as Narnia - a dreamscape filled
with a grace and beauty refined by centuries. In it's unadulterated pre-war purity
it was a world of rare and exotic music and dance and of course a kind of love
just as alien to the west. To some extent the War and subsequent American occupation
compromised and cheapened the world of the Geisha.
The
movie is also a fantastic tale about how the strength and determination of the
human spirit, has the power to transform lives and conquer adversity. It is hard
not to fall in love with the world that the Geisha inhabited as well as the story
of the inspiring metamorphosis of the most famous of their kind -Sayuri. As the
story of young Chiyo proceeds, director Rob Marshall (Chicago) skillfully develops
this film of personal triumph and unrequited love. The life of a Geisha is rife
with conflict and Chiyo (played wonderfully as a child by Suzuka Ohgo) must contend
with a rival so tenaciously bitter that it's hard to imagine how she persisted.
In Memoirs of a Geisha the inspiration for Chiyo's dogged determination to overcome
such staggering adversity is love. A love as innocent and compelling as Chiyo
herself.
The object
of this intense and inexorable desire is a man she knows only as the Chairman.
Played beautifully by Ken Watanabe (The Last Emporer) The Chairman shows the blossoming
young beauty much kindness and from the time she first sets eyes on the man she
is hopelessly smitten, yet as her destiny lies within the loveless confines of
the Geisha life, the desperate depth of her doomed love is well developed over
time by Marshall.
As
a window character, who does the most to enighten the audience as to the historical
siginificance and traditions of the Geisha, Michelle Yeoh does a great job as
Mameha, the more experienced, kinder mentor Geisha. As she guides Sayuri, Chiyo's
adopted Geisha name, through the process, we learn a lot about what their life
was like. The discipline, their place in society, the goals they worked towards
are all presented by the older mentor. Yeoh moves gracefully through her scenes,
becoming a benevolent judge as to the protégé's progress, guiding
her, but not afraid to reprimand her if she steps out of line. As a result, she
guides us through their unusual world. As such her performance is indispensible.
Gong
Li is also quite good as Hatsumomo, the Geisha so threatened by Chiyo that she
takes it upon herself to make her life a living hell. Because her circumstances
are much different, Hatsumomo is only playing at the Geisha's life - in fact she
is courting a young man who could never afford a Geisha - and it is this jealosy
and her fear of losing any of her standing, that heightens the intensity of her
hatred and her torment of Chiyo becomes increasingly sadistic.
Still
and all the film is about the visuals - the sequences showing Chiyo's develpment
as a dancer are stunning and Marshall turns in his coupe de grace in a scene in
which Sayuri makes her reputation as the foremost Geisha in Osaka in front of
an audience of her peers (Hatsumomo her rival), her mentor, and her true, forbidden
love the Chairman. Sayuri performs a thrilling, beautifully choreographed and
staged dance high on drama and sensuality. The path of the geisha was a lonely
one, forbidden to love, they were slaves to their trade and even after making
their fortunes they were not able to break the chains that have bound them so
long. I was entranced by the story, and left breathless by the beauty of the cinematography
and near tears from the haunting music that stitched this lovely and fragile tapestry
together.
With
terrific and varying performances in the likes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
to House of Flying Daggers and now to Memoirs of a Geisha Ziyi Zhang is the real
deal. From a Geisha to a female warrier I've bought into everything that she's
done and can't wait to see what she comes up with next. I guess the best compliment
I can offer the film is to say that it has got me very interested in reading the
book. I was so charmed by the film that I want to learn more about this incredible
microcosm and immerse myself once again this world and it's story.
