Memoirs of a Geisha, the film
May. 12th, 2006 03:46 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
timepiececlockHmmm...it was good enough that I continued to watch it to the end, but I agree with the general concensus that it does not live up to the book. Mind you, the book itself was not Shakespeare or anything, but it was a familiar story wrapped in an engrossing and fascinating package. In the jump to film, the rich details of the book had to be cut down, and as a result the rather familiar plot is what's left. Without the power and detail of the setting and the context, the story is merely average. Not a bad movie, just an average one.
The casting was very good in most of the roles. I was particularly happy with The Chairman (Ken Watanabe) and Mameha (Michelle Yeoh.) The former looked remarkably similiar to what I had imagined when reading, only hotter. The latter did not look precisely how I imagined, but Michelle Yeoh has one of those striking and glamorous faces that lure people in, so even though she was different I could easily imagine her as the most famous geisha in Gion. Hatsumomo was decently casted (actually, her role in the film was made more sympathetic than the novel), and Nobu was okay. However, I didn't like the casting for Mother and I didn't care for Pumpkin either.
The lead actress Ziyi Zhang, however, felt miscast to me. She did adequately, but I don't think she conveyed the power of personality that Chiyo/Sayuri deserved. In the book you become very caught up in Chiyo's fate, and even though much of her life consists of dealing with what happens to her instead of making things happen, there's still an incredibly tenacious inner spirit within her. Chiyo/Sayuri is not a candle in the wind, she is a torch in the night. Ziyi Zhang was too delicate, too much of a flower. Chiyo is not a flower, she merely spends her life pretending to be one. Suzuka Ohgo (child Chiyo) did a much better job of capturing the characters's strength and will.
In summary, I'm not sure how interesting this film would be to someone who hasn't read the book. On the other hand, if you have read it you'll probably find the film to be less than what you remember reading.
The casting was very good in most of the roles. I was particularly happy with The Chairman (Ken Watanabe) and Mameha (Michelle Yeoh.) The former looked remarkably similiar to what I had imagined when reading, only hotter. The latter did not look precisely how I imagined, but Michelle Yeoh has one of those striking and glamorous faces that lure people in, so even though she was different I could easily imagine her as the most famous geisha in Gion. Hatsumomo was decently casted (actually, her role in the film was made more sympathetic than the novel), and Nobu was okay. However, I didn't like the casting for Mother and I didn't care for Pumpkin either.
The lead actress Ziyi Zhang, however, felt miscast to me. She did adequately, but I don't think she conveyed the power of personality that Chiyo/Sayuri deserved. In the book you become very caught up in Chiyo's fate, and even though much of her life consists of dealing with what happens to her instead of making things happen, there's still an incredibly tenacious inner spirit within her. Chiyo/Sayuri is not a candle in the wind, she is a torch in the night. Ziyi Zhang was too delicate, too much of a flower. Chiyo is not a flower, she merely spends her life pretending to be one. Suzuka Ohgo (child Chiyo) did a much better job of capturing the characters's strength and will.
In summary, I'm not sure how interesting this film would be to someone who hasn't read the book. On the other hand, if you have read it you'll probably find the film to be less than what you remember reading.
