Based on the book by Arthur Golden, it is an epic drama, tale of a lonely,
little Japanese girl whose life was transformed by the kindness of a strange man she met.
The story is set in 1929 Japan. Nine year old Chiyo (Suzuko Ohgo) and her sister were sent by their elderly father to the Gion district of Kyoto
to join an Okiya or geisha house. The owner of the house called Mother (Kaori
Momoi) kept pretty little Chiyo and turned away her sister. Chiyo was given some menial tasks with the prospect of becoming a geisha one day.
The movie is structured into three acts with the first part focusing on the hard life of Chiyo at the geisha house where Hatsumomo (Gong Li) the number
one geisha in the house disliked Chiyo and gave her a hard time. Act one closes with Chiyo's accidental meeting with a handsome businessman called the
Chairman (Ken Watanabe) who consoled her with kind words, bought her an ice fruit and
gave her his handkerchief to wipe her tears. His act of kindness inspired Chiyo to
become a geisha and she longed to live in his world.
As the young Chiyo grows into a beautiful woman, now at the age of 15,(now played by
Ziyi Zhang) gets a visit from a prominent geisha Mameha (Michelle Yeoh) who made a
financial arrangement with Mother and took the custody of Chiyo to become a
geisha. Under the guidance of Mameha, Chiyo who changed her name to Sayuri,
transformed from a naive girl to a prominent geisha. Sayuri mastered the arts of wearing a kimono and
learned to dance and sing. On her debut as a dancer, Sayuri's virginity is auctioned off to the
highest bidder. Soon, Sayuri becomes the most sought after geisha in town that brings
her into the influential circles that includes the Chairman and his friend Nobu
(Koji Yakusho).
Sayuri soon becomes Hatsumomo's main rival. Now, Mameha decides that Sayuri
should have a danna or a personal patron. Sayuri's dream is to have
the Chairman as her danna but she is told to have Nobu as her patron.
On the part of the Chairman, he adored and loved Sayuri from afar and
kept his affection with in himself without giving any hint to his friend
Nobu.
The third act deals with the impact of the World War II on Japan and
the exile of Sayuri from Kyoto. She moved to the countryside for safety.
After Japan's defeat, Americans occupied that country. Restless Sayuri
returns to Kyoto and reunite with Mameha. Sayuri desperately longs to
be with the Chairman. Find out whether Sayuri's dreams will come true.
Oscar nominated
director Rob Marshall, after his smash hit "Chicago", presents
another stunning film that follows the intoxicating and riveting story
of Arthur Golden. Marshall sticks to the book and presents the tale
with all the beauty, romance as well as melancholy. He presents the
untold story of a geisha with great charm. He emphasizes the fact that
a geisha is neither a prostitute nor a wife but one who sells her personal
skills and not her body.
Ziyi Zhang as Sayuri presents an excellent performance. As a geisha,
she is extremely beautiful as well as convincing and charming.
Her debut dance is visually stunning, powerful and breathtaking. She
shows great innocence and she is touched by the simple act of kindness
shown by the Chairman that she can never forget which inspired her to
win his heart and be a good geisha. Ken Watanabe as the Chairman is
good. He is cunning, shrewd and clever. He controls his emotions and
hide his affection and love for Sayuri and willfully allows his friend
Nobu to be her patron. Rest of the actresses are beautiful and put up
a good show.
The film can be interpreted in many ways. Basically it requires some
cultural intelligence to understand the inner meanings involved with
the story. Starting with a small act of kindness at an unexpected moment
from a stranger that transformed the life of a lonely little girl may
be hard to visualize by the Western way. Secondly the Western assumption
that "a geisha is a whore", is totally wrong. The director successfully
draws a line between prostitution and the arts of geisha. The act of
kindness is very well emphasised by the director. Beautiful costumes
and the fabulous sets are noteworthy.
This film will be an Oscar contender in many categories. Go and see
it, it could be a wonderful feast for your eyes.
We rate this film VERY GOOD.