Memoirs of a Geisha Review

Memoirs of a Geisha is a classic movie derived from the Arthur Golden book. Frankly, it is closely related to the book, although I haven't read it in a few years. However, if you never read the book, or if you have, Memoirs of a Geisha is that witty drama about one young girls story of becoming a full-fledged geisha.

Cast: This is an All-star Asian line-up. The problem is that, by movie purists, Chinese and Vietnamese should never be featured in the movie. A couple of the main characters, are distinctly Chinese, such as Michele Yeoh (Hong Kong) and Ziyi Zhang (People's Republic). There performance removes this gap. They effectively play the role of mother/daughter geisha. Ken Watanabe is as excellent as usual.

Movie Structure: There is a strong movie structure, as it uses a basic, classical formula. They don't make you forget too much, as they go back and forth with flashbacks, but not to be overdone. Throughout the movie, there's the effect that you sympathize with Sayuri (Zhang). You can also see the desire between the Chairman (Watanabe) and Sayuri, and a developing story of romance throughout the story. It is quipped with maxims and morals throughout the story, well supported.

The end, however, feels rather expected.

Direction: This is a Rob Marshall movie, produced by Steven Speilberg. It has a Speilberg type buzz, and it will win quite a few Emmy's. So far, it has been one of the best written dramas in the movies this year. The problem is that it had an American feel throughout the story, and not how Asian direction influences their movies. This may be because of how important movies try to rake in the big dollars.

The Good: Excellent direction, excellent portrayal of story, direction. Well executed. Strong acting, strong design. All the perfect elements for a great movie/classic.

The Bad: All-types of Asian cast that removes the specificity of where Geisha's come from. It is quite long for most common movies 2 hours 24 minutes (although, it doesn't feel like it).

Overall: A well done movie. I would rate it 5 stars, but American's will be disappointed becasue there's no prostitution and sex; and it's too long for the standard 100 minute movie. Asians will be disappointed because of the feel of the movie. Removing these two stereotypes, I enjoyed this movie for its content, its acting, its story, and its overall direction and elements in the movie. I rate it a 4.5 of 5. However, and sadly, most people will think of this movie as nice, but rather average.