Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha [2005]
Starring: Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Wantanabe
Direction by Rob Marshall
Language: English
Well, Michelle Yeoh was in this movie, and that was my entire reason for seeing it. In the past, I have heard that this movie has caused a lot of controversy from people who watched it. And when there’s controversy, there’s me.
I enjoyed the movie, but I think that there were some inherent issues with the writing of it. The movie focuses on how difficult it is to be a geisha, and how being one means living a life devoid of love, full of regret and devoid of joy. However, this movie decided to focus on the exceptional, a story where there is dramatic suffering only to end with the fulfilment of a childhood wish, which would be highly improbable considering how the plot of the story went. It was annoying that the ending was so trite: I thought that, especially in a movie that revolves around the suffering in a profession that is also so underrepresented in film, that the screenwriters would choose to at least make it realistic and historically accurate, to an extent.
There were also a few plot holes where I was left completely guessing. The main antagonist in the movie in the main Geisha, Sayuri (Chiyo)‘s rival, Hatsumomo. Hatsumomo’s character was inexplicably written out of the plot with very little explanation. This action was inexplicable considering that the actions of her character earlier in the movie effectively set up the fact that her way of leaving would be improbable at best.
These plot lines and the contradictions in the stories meant that the movie did not really flow: it felt disjointed as best as I feel that there were very separate plot lines that became extremely overdeveloped and unnecessarily dramatic.
People I know liked the fact that the movie provided an insight into a very niche aspect of history and the significance of it. However, I would have to argue that, for any historical drama, that this insight is the bare minimum! However, the execution of the production in this movie was off the charts. The way the entire movie was set up was beautiful, and you cannot have a movie about Geishas, a profession where women would largely pride themselves on their appearance, without excellence in costume design. It was stunning to see everything executed in such an intricate, delicate way.
And obviously, Michelle Yeoh was the strongest link in the movie. Whilst, at face value, her character seems to be quite one dimensional - a strict but loving authority figure, as the movie progresses the audience can see huge progressions in her character. Jealousy, regret, and acceptance comes to the forefront in the later stages of her performance. If all actors and actresses were like Michelle Yeoh, my reviews would be very boring.
It’s importance to stress, I think, that from a critical point of view, this movie wasn’t great, but, from an entertainment perspective is was a good watch.
7/10
