Memoirs of a Geisha
October 27th 2006 18:32
Memoirs of a Geisha was highly anticipated when it was in production, as Asianophiles got high blood pressure imagining Zhang ZiYi and Gong Li cast together in a geisha movie, wrapped in silk and fluttering with cherry blossoms.
'Ooooh, so hot, so hot...' they'd moan, rubbing their bodies with worn copies of House of the Flying Daggers.
There was some concern that Chinese actresses were used to play Japanese prostitutes, which led to the Chinese government banning the movie, though the Chinese watch all their movies on pirated DVDs, anyway.
Memoirs cashes in on the current Asian cinema fad, where Western audiences are mystified, mesmerized and magnified by the breathtaking visuals that accompany epic Asian films. To me, though, it sells out, hard.
After all, this movie was directed an American, Rob Marshall, who brings a painfully obvious Hollywood style to the film, with a miserably predictable ending. What a chore!
The biggest failure of the movie is that it failed to draw on Japanese culture to define the film, and just 'touched' the idea of Japan to give it an ethnic feel. In my opinion, this movie was simply a 'longing romance' story with the inevitable conclusion. Geishas could have been replaced with sheep-shearers, or auto mechanics, or carnival workers, or lap dancers. You get the idea.
Of course, parts of the movie are breathtaking to look at, I guess. To me, the visuals were predictable as well - the cherry blossoms, the dance number, the gardens. Ho hum. Ho ho hum.
Even worse, the Western-style direction gave us a montage, as Zhang Ziyi prepares to be the best damn geisha IN THE WORLD! It's a very Rocky-esque type moment, and I half expected her to jog through the streets of Philadelphia. It was almost a vile interlude, making the film move too quickly.
Throughout the movie, I felt as if a great, big 'Hollywood!' sticker was placed on everything. Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li do their best in English, but the effort comes out misplaced, while the fast-paced editing and the lame montage engrave the stench of California on a story that could have been majestic.
And watching half-developed characters wander listlessly through synthetic set-pieces is hardly my idea of a great film. Bah!
I say: Skip this and watch something - anything - with more passion. Watch Zhang Ziyi in The Road Home and Gong Li in Farewell, My Concubine.
See it for: Though I gave this film a very cruel and harsh review, it seems that some women enjoyed it immensely, perhaps because of the story of one girl, beating all odds to come through. I can't sympathize.
* the first image is from the review on Exclaim.ca and the second image is from Creative Screenwriting.
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Comment by Little Angry Doll
Falling Haiku Leaf
Finally a movie I've seen! I could not agree with your verdict more. I was so looking forward to this movie but walked away feeling nothing - what a piece of Hollywood soulless tripe. Another silver screen mainstream take on a different culture.
Comment by Cibbuano
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What a pleasure to find someone with the same opinion! After all the mass marketing, I thought most people would be over-exuberant about Memoirs...
Yes, soulless tripe. How apt.
Seriously, the ending? Is this what we're reduced to?
I didn't read the book, and can only hope that it's more interesting...
Comment by Little Angry Doll
Falling Haiku Leaf
Comment by Ahmed
techy.Bytes
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I think they should have first and formeost got some japanese actors, and secondly got them to speak japanese with subtitles, are subtitled movies really that unpopular?
Comment by work-at-home
Comment by Ahmed
techy.Bytes
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Nothing beats subs...
Comment by postmoderncritic
Postmodern Critic
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Comment by KarenC
Genghis Gal
The Arthur Golden book was magic and I loved every moment of it. The movie was painful and was a real chore for me as well.
Comment by Cibbuano
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Me, I prefer subtitles. I need to hear the original language, though I don't understand it. Dubbing is a crime, I think.
Comment by Ahmed
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Comment by Little Angry Doll
Falling Haiku Leaf
1. Sergio Leone - Spaghetti Western King
2. Des Mangan - Double Take "Hercules Returns", old cult movie presenter on SBS and Eurovision lover.