Memoirs of a Geisha
Starring Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Watanabe, Gong Li
Written by Robin Swicord and Directed by Rob Marshall


Memoirs of a Geisha as a novel by Arthur Golden was emotionally engaging and beautiful. Memoirs of a Geisha as a film by Rob Marshall (Chicago) is beautiful, but not emotionally engaging. Yet another piece of literature adapted by Hollywood, yet another unfulfilling attempt.

Memoirs of a Geisha as a film is hard to connect with. As a viewer you are intrigued by the lost world of the geisha in pre-World War II Japan, but the film fails to draw you in with anything else. With a skillful director at the helm and a talented roster of actors consisting of Ziyi Zhang, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Watanabe, Gong Li, Kenneth Tsang, and many other talented Asian and North American names -- one could have bet the farm that this film would be a success, but once again we find out that nothing is a sure bet in Hollywood. The story is of a brave young girl named Sayuri who at a very young age is robbed of her family and her childhood when she is sold to a “house” in the city and becomes a servant. She finds out quickly that being a Geisha is the best possible future for a woman, but even knowing that, she still does not want to be one. That is until she meets, The Chairman (Ken Watanabe), who she instantly falls in love with and who gives her hope for something more in a hopeless world. Sayuri then suffers through the cruel and competitive world of being a geisha with the hopes of one day meeting him again. Inspiring story, eh? Unfortunately not on screen. Ziyi Zhang acts her heart out, but I felt nothing. I just didn’t feel the true emotion from deep down inside her. It just appeared as if she was, well, just acting. Not good enough for me. I want to really feel a performance. Having said that, since the film is anchored on her character, the end result of the whole experience is flat. Although I would like to add that Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh did manage to find a way to connect with their characters and the audience. Too bad neither of them were playing the lead character. I’m sorry, Ziyi, you are a great actress and very beautiful and I have really felt your performances in previous films (2046, Crouching Tiger, Flying Daggers) -- but I just didn’t feel you in Memoirs of a Geisha.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: A visually stunning film. Beautiful locations, set decoration, costumes, music, and ladies.

The Bad: The film lacks emotional impact.

The Law: If you’re looking for eye-candy and a good story -- Memoirs of a Geisha is for you. Just don’t expect to feel anything.