Memoirs of a Geisha

6/10. I saw this movie at Ward Center 16 theaters. This new complex is very modern with widescreen visuals and great digital sound - overall a much better experience than Kahala Mall where I saw the last Harry Potter flick.

This movie has not received great ratings from the usual critics, with an abysmal 31% at rottentomatoes. The story is based on Arthur Golden's novel which is a narrative in the words of a young Japanese girl (Chiyo) sold into geisha-hood by her father to make ends meet. After a difficult upbringing in this sophisticated version of the flesh-trade, she ends up as a successful geisha by the name of Nitta Sayuri.

Some critics have problems with this movie for the following reasons: (a) mostly chinese actors play japanese parts and (b) the detail of the novel is missing in the movie. Now, I have my own issues with the movie but they are different. A good set of actors can bring a story from an unfamiliar culture to life if they are good enough. Also, pardon my cultural insensitivity, but it isn't that big a leap from China to Japan! Secondly why should the movie be a faithful reproduction of the novel? Cinema is its own medium and must interpret the novel in its own eyes - rather like how different artists would paint the same model in different ways. So the real issue should be how well the actors fitted into their roles. And here, the movie is lacking.

The action begins promisingly enough with a great performance by the child actress Suzuka Ohgo as Chiyo. The sale of Chiyo and her sister as children with their subsequent separation is very effectively portrayed. The director manages to achieve the dark atmosphere of a hidden but heinous crime in a very Macbeth-ian manner. On arrival at the geisha-house, Chiyo is soon confronted by an older rival - an established geisha by the name of Hatsumomo played by Gong Li. Expectedly Gong Li's performance is the most creditable of the movie. After all she is widely acknowledged as the reigning queen of quality Chinese cinema with award winning performances in tragic dramas such as "Farewell My Concubine", "The Story of Qiu Ju" etc. She brings intensity to Hatsumomo's flawed character that is riven with anger and jealousy but desperately seeks passion. These are geishas after all...given their past you can hardly expect them to be well-adjusted. In some sense you already know Hatsumomo is going to have a tragic downfall because that has been the fate of every Gong Li character so far!

The problems begin when Chiyo grows up and turns into Zhang Ziyi, another Chinese actress of "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" fame and more recently cast in "Hero". Now I have always been of the view that Ziyi looks much better than she can act. Well, the chips really fall out of place in this movie. She is wholly passionless and seems to struggle to get any words out of her mouth. Supposedly she nurses a secret love for a wealthy client by the name of "The Chairman" but she might as well be sleep-walking through the movie. The Chairman played by Ken Watanabe is another disaster. They are just made for each other. Koji Yakusho as Nobu, a gentlemanly admirer of Ziyi, is somewhat better but no more than a cartoon of a Sumo-loving tough-but-good-guy type - some kind of frat-boy with a heart.

The story contains another geisha by the name of Mameha (Michelle Yeoh) who takes Chiyo under her wing and is supposed to be Hatsumomo's opposite - kinder but even more beautiful. Unfortunately Yeoh just looks old and tired - sort of like a retired geisha. Now why couldn't they have found someone with more energy for this role?

Mameha happens to be the steady mistress of a big shot called "The Baron" (Tagawa) who is the only man that delivers a good performance in this movie. Its not a large role but he does it well. Incidentally the only moment in which Ziyi becomes human and shows real passion is when the Baron forcibly disrobes her in a fit of lust! I don't want to guess what really turns Ziyi on, but it sure isn't cuddly love! The Chairman should have tried spanking her.

The best thing about this movie is the effective recreation of a secretive part of old Japan which presumably does not exist anymore. The methods of procurement and training of geishas as kids feel rather authentic. Whether they are really authentic or not I cannot say, but the director does manage to convey that feel. The movie also has one or two philosophical moments which might make you reflect a bit. Verdict: worth seeing once if you are not too familiar with Japanese culture.