Memoirs of a Geisha, 2005

When considering what to write in a review after having seen Memoirs of a Geisha it is difficult not to think that this movie is very much what Titanic could have been. The film is as beautiful as the characters are graceful and the story, while revolving around a very specific time period in a very specific locale and within a specific culture, tells a universal story of romance that is both charming and to which one can easily relate.

The movie is technically brilliant with just enough effect to bring the story to life and to attempt to portray the depth of a traditional geisha in contrast to that of a simple prostitute. It is worth noting that there is an on-going theme of massive conflict between two great powers, A significant portion of the film takes place during and immediately following World War II from a Japanese perspective. Deeper than that is the conflict between Sayuri (Zihi Zhang) and Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), and Pumpkin (Youki Kudoh) and Hatsumomo (Gong Li) for control of their geisha house. Still deeper is a conflict between the Chairman (Ken Watanabe) and Nobu (Koji Yakusho) over their friendship and each other’s affections for Sayuri. Clever mention of the nature of the story as a theme for life is very effectively told by Nobu, who when speaking to Sayuri at a sumo event, explains that conflict is the nature of life, be it sumo, business, or war.

There’s so much to see and repeated viewings will bring still more, but it is easy to see why there was so much of a media buzz surrounding Memoirs of a Geisha. If you haven’t already done so, it is easy for me to recommend that you do so.

Tags: 2005, biographical, drama, foreign language, japan, ken watanabe, michelle yeoh, noji yakusho, romance, youki kudoh, zihi zhang

This entry was posted on December 28, 2007 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.